Dr. Ghilraen Laue is currently part of an exciting excavation project at the newly established research center at Kaingo Game Reserve. As one of the first researchers to work at this state-of-the-art facility, Dr. Laue is collaborating with a team of experts on the excavation of Pride Rock, a site of significant archaeological interest. The ongoing project is organized by Professor Lyn Wadley from the Evolutionary Studies Institute, Wits University, and includes leading researchers such as Dr. Rosa Moll (Wits University), Dr. Bongekile Zwane (University of Johannesburg), and Dr. Chrissie Sievers (Wits University).
18 September 2024
Continued excavations at the site of Pride Rock, first excavated in 2023
Dr Bongekile Zwane, University of Johannesburg and Dr Rosa Moll,Wits University
Professor Lyn Wadley from the Evolutionary Studies Institute, Wits University, and Dr. Chrissie Sievers from Wits University sorting through excavated material at the Pride Rock site.
19 September 2024
Today we were visited on site by internationally renowned conservationist Clive Walker (picture with Dr Laue)
Dr Laue Mapping her recent findings
21 September 2024
Working on a big 5 Game Reserve means we need armed rangers with us when we do survey work, but it also means we see many different animals on our drive to and from the site each day.
Michael and Jaque keeping us safe
We were joined by Pieter Norval from Metohm South Africa and Linda Prinsloo (Wits University). They used a handheld Raman Spectrometer for non-destructive material identification of rock art pigments.
Pieter and Linda at work at Kaingo Sheep Shelter
Back in the on site lab at the Kaingo Research Centre Pieter and Linda used a portable laboratory Raman spectrometer and a desktop FTIR spectrometer for analysis of some of the material removed from the excavations. These two methods are complementary and among other things allowed us to confirm the presence of an ancient hearth.
24 September 2024
Working on Heritage Day!
Find from this morning, grooved stone for either bead making or arrow straightening.
Some pictures of the Kaingo sheep shelter where Pieter and Linda did the Raman Analysis spoken about above
28 September 2024
Maggie Loubser with the XRF spectrometer at Rock art site DWA 6
Maggie Loubser and Salomรฉ ale Roux, from the University of Pretoria, joined the team. They used a handheld XRF spectrometer for non-invasive elemental analysis of the rock art pigment as well as Ultraviolet induced visible photography to look at the difference in fluorescence between different white pigments. The analysis is still in progress, but we hope that these non-destructive methods will be able to give us further insights into the rock art pigments used in the Waterberg.
We had to wait until dark for Salomรฉ to do her Ultraviolet Induced Photography
Some of the preliminary results of the above photography
Ghilraen Laue with Janette Deacon and Lyn Wadley, two of South Africaโs top archaeologists
Maria van der Ryst (formerly of Unisa) joined us for some of the excavation. Maria carried out a number of excavations in the Waterberg published in 1998 and in her PhD in 2006
One of the great things about the new Kaingo Game Reserve research facilities is a large lab space for sorting and washing our finds and microscope work. From left to right Dr Janette Deacon, Dr Maria van der Ryst, Dr Bongekile Zwane, Dr Chrissie Sievers.
Prof Lyn Wadley and Dr Rosa Moll washing the finds
Dr Bongekile Zwane (University of Johannesburg) spend some of her time in the lab looking at the charcoal from the current excavation. Dr Zwane is an anthracologist, meaning she specialises in identifying woody species from ancient charcoal. So far she has identified over twenty different woody plant species from Pride Rock excavations
Next to the lab, the research centre has a conference area for more formal discussions
Nearing the end of this seasonโs excavation we are still finding evidence of human occupation. This means we will have to come back to the site for a third excavation season.
The research centre entrance.
2 October 2024
Over the last three days, Lyn Wadley and Dr Laue have been working with Professor Pearce, Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand to sample rock art pigments for possible dating. They had a permit to sample images from sites at Kaingo, Lapalala, Lindani and Masebe. The samples will be sent to Adelphine Bonneau at the Universitรฉ de Sherbrooke, Canada, for analysis. This analysis will show which pigments will be suitable for dating and a second round of sampling will be conducted at these sites.
Prof David Pearce taking a tiny (less than 1 mm squared) sample.
Two of the black images which were sampled
Another, this enhanced image shows a black rhino and human figure
As Dr. Laue wraps up her blog from this trip, she shares a few more images and assures us that new updates will follow when she returns to the site in February/March 2025.
Two animals with storage heads at a site near the Lapalala Wilderness school
An enhanced image of a black rhino. Rhino paintings are not common in the Waterberg but are found at at least 5 rock art sites
An enhanced image of a human figure. This site was small with only 5 or 6 paintings but exciting as it is the furthest south painted site we have found n the Waterberg
Another enhanced image from the same site
