Waterfall Bluff is a rock shelter in eastern Pondoland, South Africa, adjacent to a narrow continental shelf that limited coastline movements across glacial/interglacial cycles. The archaeological deposits are characterized by well-preserved stratigraphy, faunal, and botanical remains alongside abundant stone artifacts and other materials. A comprehensive dating protocol consisting of 5 optically stimulated luminescence ages and 51 accelerator mass spectrometry 14C ages shows that the record of hunter-gatherer occupations at Waterfall Bluff persisted from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene, spanning the last glacial maximum and the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. Here, we provide detailed descriptions about the sedimentary sequence, chronology, and characteristics of the archaeological deposits at Waterfall Bluff. Remains of marine mollusks and marine fish also show, for the first time, that coastal foraging was a component of some hunter-gatherer groups’ subsistence practices during glacial phases in the late Pleistocene. The presence of marine fish and shellfish further demonstrates that hunter-gatherers selectively targeted coastal resources from intertidal and estuarine habitats. Our results therefore underscore the idea that Pondoland's coastline remained a stable and predictable point on the landscape over the last glacial/interglacial transition being well positioned for hunter-gatherers to access resources from the nearby coastline, narrow continental shelf, and inland areas.

中文翻译：

---

南非庞多兰东部瀑布崖的末次盛冰期和全新世早期的沿海占领和觅食

Waterfall Bluff 是南非庞多兰东部的一个岩石避难所，毗邻一个狭窄的大陆架，该大陆架限制了冰川/间冰期循环中的海岸线运动。考古矿床的特点是保存完好的地层、动物和植物遗迹以及丰富的石器和其他材料。由 5 个光激发发光年龄和 51 个加速器质谱组成的综合测年协议14C年龄表明，瀑布崖的狩猎-采集者职业记录从晚更新世持续到全新世，跨越最后一个冰期最大值和从更新世到全新世的过渡。在这里，我们详细描述了瀑布崖考古矿床的沉积序列、年代学和特征。海洋软体动物和海洋鱼类的遗骸也首次表明，沿海觅食是一些狩猎采集群体在晚更新世冰期维持生计的一个组成部分。海洋鱼类和贝类的存在进一步表明，狩猎采集者选择性地从潮间带和河口栖息地瞄准沿海资源。因此，我们的结果强调了 Pondoland'