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.

Waterfall Bluff是位于南非Pondoland东部的岩石避难所，毗邻狭窄的大陆架，该大陆架限制了跨冰川/冰川间周期的海岸线运动。考古沉积物的特征是保存完好的地层，动物区系和植物遗迹以及丰富的石器和其他材料。全面的约会协议，包括5个光学激发的发光年龄和51个加速器质谱14年龄表明，瀑布崖的猎人-采集者职业记录从更新世晚期到全新世一直持续，跨越了最后的冰川期和从更新世到全新世的过渡。在这里，我们提供有关瀑布崖的沉积序列，年代和考古沉积特征的详细描述。海洋软体动物和海洋鱼类的遗骸也首次显示，在更新世晚期的冰川期，沿海觅食是一些狩猎者和采集者群体生存活动的一部分。海水鱼和贝类的存在进一步表明，狩猎者和采集者有选择地针对潮间带和河口栖息地的沿海资源。因此，我们的结果强调了Pondoland'