Perspectives on the geology of an open-air Middle Stone Age site, eastern Free State, South Africa

THE SOIL MORPHOLOGY AND GEOLOGY OF a Middle Stone Age archaeological site provide insights into the palaeoclimate, environment, and archaeology of human occupation in the Little Caledon River region of the eastern Free State. Our analyses show that the present landscape is the result of marked climatic changes. The geology of its immediate surroundings also preserved the spatial integrity of the Middle Stone Age open-air site, Sunnyside 1, that provides archaeological information not as readily available in the more commonly investigated rockshelter sites of a similar age. The existence of undisturbed open-air habitation sites are not only critical for a comprehensive review of Middle Stone Age habitation in southern Africa, but may also open a new and instructive field of archaeological study within the subcontinent.