The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of southern Africa is mainly known from rock shelters and caves. How early modern humans interacted with their landscapes remains comparatively understudied. The site of Jojosi 1, situated north of Nquthu in north central KwaZulu-Natal, is set within erosional badlands known locally as ‘dongas’. This locality offers a rare opportunity to study MSA technology and settlement dynamics in an open-air context. G. Botha initially discovered Jojosi 1 in 1991. He brought it to A. Mazel’s attention who excavated the site in the same year, but did not publish the lithic assemblage. Here, we report on the site’s rediscovery coupled with the first lithic analysis and luminescence dating. This work provides insights into the site formation processes of Jojosi 1 and lithic reduction strategies, raw material provisioning, and landscape use. Our techno-typological analysis draws upon Mazel’s collection of 7529 artefacts, combining attribute analysis and refitting studies. The results show the exclusive use of hornfels and its reduction via platform cores and Levallois methods to produce flakes and blades. Retouched tools are scarce and comprise mostly notched or denticulate pieces but lack backed tools, unifacial, and bifacial points. The museum collection features abundant small debitage and a strong component of cortical, initial stage, and core preparation flakes. The 48 refitted artefacts and ample small debitage in a spatially constricted band suggest high assemblage integrity with minimal post-depositional disturbance. Infrared stimulated luminescence dating of coarse grain feldspars brackets the archaeological occurrence to 139–106 ka. Comparisons with contemporary lithic assemblages link the assemblage to the early MSA in southern Africa. We interpret Jojosi 1 as a knapping event aimed at blank production and exploitation of local high-quality hornfels. With little evidence for other behaviours, the site likely reflects a short-term knapping workshop on a source of abundant hornfels slabs. Our ongoing excavations in the Jojosi Dongas will be able to test this hypothesis and will work to characterise the technological adaptations and settlement dynamics of the MSA hunter-gatherers in this area.

In 1994, the Southern African Association of Archaeologists responded to the Minister of Education's public invitation to comment on crucial adjustments required for school history curricula. Its response instigated a two year-long attempt at contributing to the new history syllabus, which included: (i) interacting with the national Department of Education to raise the profile of archaeology, obtain representation on appropriate committees, and disseminating its syllabus document; (ii) producing a syllabus document; (iii) political engagement; and (iv) a conference presentation and media engagement. This article addresses these issues showing that despite encouraging signals that the organisation would be included in the mid-1990s syllabus transformation processes, communication with national education officials and politicians ended unsatisfactorily in December 1996, when it appeared there was no pathway for this to happen.

This paper investigates the distribution of rock paintings in Didima Gorge, with particular emphasis on Junction Shelter. Based on Harald Pager's recording of 3 909 paintings in 17 rock shelters, this investigation is underpinned by the premise that the positioning of rock paintings within the landscape would have been significant to their hunter-gatherer makers, particularly as they would have regarded these places as sacred and imbued with power. Interrogation of Pager's Didima recordings has revealed that Junction Shelter, at the confluence of the Didima and Mhlwazini rivers in Didima Gorge, is unique in Didima Gorge and the surrounding area, with its combination of domestic animals (sheep, cows and dogs) and baboon paintings. Close examination of the sheep and baboon panels at Junction Shelter reveals that they contain imagery imbued with ritual significance. It is proposed that the hunter-gatherers made these paintings around 2 000 years ago and that they relate to a period when they experienced heightened stress arising from the arrival of new people into South Africa. Furthermore, it is concluded that the hunter-gatherers used the strategic position of Junction Shelter to create imagery relating to the incoming people and the symbolic protective powers of baboons.

"Rocks of ages: Developing rock art tourism in Israel." Journal of Heritage Tourism, 17(5), pp. 613–614

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountains in the west of KwaZulu-Natal have been home to people for over 25ka years. The primary occupation has, however, been within the last 3ka. Settled primarily by hunter-gatherers, there appears to have been a possible ephemeral pastoralist presence around 2ka and an increasing agriculturist presence during the last 1ka. This paper outlines these occupations, focusing primarily on the northern uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, where most archaeological research has taken place. The emphasis is on the rock shelter excavations at Diamond 1, Driel Shelter, Clarke's Shelter, Collingham Shelter, Good Hope Shelter 1 and Mhlwazini Cave, complemented by reference to open-air and rock shelter surface scatters and rock paintings. Data about the subsistence and material cultural of all these occupants is synthesised to show that the people of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, but primarily the hunters-gatherers, had a varied diet complemented by rich material cultural assemblages. The Discussion considers, (i), the notion of hunter-gatherer seasonality concluding that the mountains could have been occupied on an all-year basis and, (ii), the possible presence of pastoralists in and adjacent the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg around 2ka years ago, which might have involved the practice of feasting.

On 6 April 1966, there was a whites-only display opening for the newly established South African Cultural History Museum in Cape Town. A week later, on 13 April, there was a separate opening for the Malay community This paper chronicles the attitudes and circumstances leading to the creation of the displays and the ideological imperatives that informed them. It demonstrates that Malays and slaves were both included in the first display schedule, developed in 1959, although the emphasis was on European culture, white nation-building, and 'ancient civilisations'. Yet when the museum opened in 1966, slavery was omitted, despite the fact that it was housed in the Slave Lodge, while the Malays were given an expanded format, without reference to slavery, even though many had been brought to the Cape as slaves. The reasons for this outcome are explored, proposing that apartheid ideologues were continuing a trend in their understanding of Cape history that denied slave history for decades in order to avoid uncomfortable questions being asked about the labour that had been used to build the Cape colony. In contrast, the Malays were included to emphasise their perceived link to the Afrikaners, such as their role in the development of Afrikaans.

The concept of archaeological heritage management (AHM) has been key to wider archaeological research and preservation agendas for some decades. Many universities and other education providers now offer what is best termed heritage management education (HME) in various forms. The emphasis is commonly on archaeological aspects of heritage in a broad sense and different terms are often interchangeable in practice. In an innovative working-conference held in Tampere, Finland, we initiated a debate on what the components of AHM as a course or curriculum should include. We brought together international specialists and discussed connected questions around policy, practice, research and teaching/training, at local, national, transnational and World Heritage levels. In this article we take the Tampere discussions further, focusing especially on the meaning, necessity, implications and prerequisites of interdisciplinary HME. We offer our thoughts on developing HME that reflects the contemporary aspects and needs of heritage and its management.

Neolithic and Early Bronze Age rock carvings in the United Kingdom and Ireland represent an internationally unique rock art tradition as it is, to the best of our knowledge, the only wholly abstract global rock art tradition. This heritage resource is, however, under threat from an array of factors, such as increasing population densities and agricultural intensity. In this paper, we report on the Condition Assessment Risk Evaluation (CARE) project that had as one of its primary objectives the co-production of a user-friendly, non-invasive condition assessment risk evaluation Toolkit for gathering and organising information essential for the long-term conservation of open-air rock art. We describe the public involvement CARE process through co-experience participatory focus groups, which evaluated the Toolkit, concluding that we can have confidence in the results obtained from the public. Furthermore, the variables that form part of the Toolkit and related management recommendations are presented.

The concept of archaeological heritage management (AHM) has been key to wider archaeological research and preservation agendas for some decades. Many universities and other education providers now offer what is best termed heritage management education (HME) in various forms. The emphasis is commonly on archaeological aspects of heritage in a broad sense and different terms are often interchangeable in practice. In an innovative working-conference held in Tampere, Finland, we initiated a debate on what the components of AHM as a course or curriculum should include. We brought together international specialists and discussed connected questions around policy, practice, research and teaching/training, at local, national, transnational and World Heritage levels. In this article we take the Tampere discussions further, focusing especially on the meaning, necessity, implications and prerequisites of interdisciplinary HME. We offer our thoughts on developing HME that reflects the contemporary aspects and needs of heritage and its management.

Purpose Crowdsourcing heritage information has enormous potential to help gather data needed to make decisions over the deployment of resources and heritage conservation funding. Taking advantage of the rapid proliferation of mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, packed with sensors to record data about the real world, and the global growth of mobile app stores, reaching potential crowdsourcing volunteers is easier than ever before. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a mobile application known as Rock Art CARE (condition assessment risk evaluation) to crowdsource heritage conservation data, in the context of rock art conservation. Design/methodology/approach As with conservation efforts of any kind, accurate information is vital to make informed triage decisions over where to route effort, resources and funding. The Rock Art CARE application is a cross-platform mobile application for crowdsourcing information about rock art carvings, where the collated data are stored in a central location for access by different stakeholders. Findings The paper goes on to detail the web portal with its application programming interface and database schema, and how the collected data are passed on to policy and decision makers to aid in the identification and conservation of the carvings most at risk. Originality/value The paper presents a method of harnessing common technology to forge a link between the mobile devices of the general public and key stakeholders responsible for the preservation of the UK’s rock art.

Since the turn of the millennium three rock art projects focusing primarily on Northumberland in the United Kingdom (Northumberland Rock Art: Web Access to the Beckensall Archive, Rock Art on Mobile Phones and Heritage and Science: working together in the CARE of rock art) have made information and images widely available to the public via the Internet. All three projects were strongly underpinned by the ethos expressed in the Faro Convention and the Ename and Burra Charters that the value of cultural heritage should be enhanced by interpretation. This paper investigates the responses to these digital media initiatives, showing that they have increased the reach of this ancient rock art resource to large numbers of people in United Kingdom and Ireland, and globally. In addition, it reveals that having made these heritage resources available online, they have created a further desire among people to engage with the rock art virtually with the increased possibility of following this up with an in situ visit.

Introduction The safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has taken on increasing urgency during recent decades with the weakening and loss of traditional processes and practices. This has been due mostly to the increasing forces of globalization and urbanization, where products and services have tended to become internationalized to the detriment of local cultural diversity. Given the concerns about this weakening and loss of ICH processes and practices, it is unsurprising that the 2003 Convention has emerged during the last decade as a key international instrument in the protection of ICH. Despite varying views about its efficacy (see Marrie, 2009; Stefano, 2012; Stefano et al., 2012; Labadi, 2013), there can be little doubt that its adoption heralded a significant turning point in highlighting the threats to ICH and the need to do something about it. As a result, now, more than ever, attention is being paid to the risks to ICH and the different strategies that can be deployed in its protection.