Canteen Kopje
Encyclopedia
Canteen Kopje is a spectacularly rich Earlier Stone Age situated outside Barkly West in the Northern Cape
, South Africa
. It is a Provincial Heritage Site and has an open air trail including information boards. Further information, with examples of artefacts from the site (and a replica of the Canteen Kopje skull), is displayed at the Barkly West Museum
as well as the McGregor Museum
in nearby Kimberley.
James Henry Bowker
and Mary Elizabeth Barber at the time of the earliest diamond diggings. Eminent prehistorians including C. van Riet Lowe, the French prehistorian, the Abbé Henri Breuil
and J. Desmond Clark
visited and described it. Breuil was here in 1929 and again in the 1940s, when he famously noted that “not only are there enough specimens [there] to fill a museum to overflowing but to build it of them also.”
to preserve the site, which was then developed as an open air museum. The new Barkly West Museum
was created at the same time.
worked with Beaumont in analysing the Acheulean
stone artefact technology. Further excavations have been carried out by archaeologists from the University of the Witwatersrand
(inter alia for application of cosmogenic nuclide burial dating).
Crucial to the interpretation of the archaeology of the site is an understanding of site formation in relation to the adjacent hill and the Vaal River
which at different periods cut down first to the north of the site and then the south west.
In 2007-9 a 7 metre sequence through Hutton Sands and Gravels was excavated in order to carry out dating and a detailed analysis of the lithic profile. There is a marked ‘Victoria West’ Acheulean horizon (named for the town in the Karoo
where these stone tools were first described) in the upper part of the gravels, subject to a current Southampton PhD project. The lower part of the sequence contains simpler, older Acheulean technology.
Later Stone Age material at and just below the surface has been studied in two excavations by archaeologists from the University of the Witwatersrand and Toronto.
in 1929. It is currently subject to re-appraisal.
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is a Provincial Heritage Site and has an open air trail including information boards. Further information, with examples of artefacts from the site (and a replica of the Canteen Kopje skull), is displayed at the Barkly West Museum
Barkly West Museum
The Barkly West Museum was established in 2000 in the old Toll House beside the Barkly Bridge which crosses the Vaal River at Barkly West in the Northern Cape, South Africa.-Establishment:...
as well as the McGregor Museum
McGregor Museum
The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a province-aided museum established in 1907.- Overview :...
in nearby Kimberley.
Alluvial diamond diggings
One of the hills in the vicinity of Canteen Kopje was the site of the first alluvial diamond diggings (as opposed to surface prospecting) on the Diamond Fields of South Africa, which precipitated the rush to these parts in 1870. Digging continued here until the early 1940s.Recognition of archaeological significance
Earlier Stone Age artefacts were noted in the area by ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
James Henry Bowker
James Henry Bowker
Colonel James Henry Bowker , was a South African naturalist and soldier. He was co-author with Roland Trimen of South African Butterflies ....
and Mary Elizabeth Barber at the time of the earliest diamond diggings. Eminent prehistorians including C. van Riet Lowe, the French prehistorian, the Abbé Henri Breuil
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil , often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist...
and J. Desmond Clark
J. Desmond Clark
John Desmond Clark was a British archaeologist noted particularly for his work on prehistoric Africa.Educated at Monkton Combe School near Bath, J. Desmond Clark graduated with a B.A...
visited and described it. Breuil was here in 1929 and again in the 1940s, when he famously noted that “not only are there enough specimens [there] to fill a museum to overflowing but to build it of them also.”
Preserved and almost lost
On account both of the mining history as well as the finding of Acheulean artefacts at this spot, a 10 morgen portion of Canteen Kopje was declared a National Monument in 1948. Mining recommenced in the vicinity in the 1990s and Canteen Kopje was nearly lost. Pressure was exerted for the site to be de-proclaimed as a heritage site, to allow for renewed diamond digging and ‘empowerment’ of small scale miners. The local community recognised the value of conserving heritage and supported the efforts of the then National Monuments Council and the McGregor MuseumMcGregor Museum
The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a province-aided museum established in 1907.- Overview :...
to preserve the site, which was then developed as an open air museum. The new Barkly West Museum
Barkly West Museum
The Barkly West Museum was established in 2000 in the old Toll House beside the Barkly Bridge which crosses the Vaal River at Barkly West in the Northern Cape, South Africa.-Establishment:...
was created at the same time.
Archaeological and geological investigations from the 1990s
Excavations in the late 1990s were carried out by Peter Beaumont of the McGregor Museum. John McNabb from the University of SouthamptonUniversity of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
worked with Beaumont in analysing the Acheulean
Acheulean
Acheulean is the name given to an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture associated with early humans during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia and Europe. Acheulean tools are typically found with Homo erectus remains...
stone artefact technology. Further excavations have been carried out by archaeologists from the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
(inter alia for application of cosmogenic nuclide burial dating).
Crucial to the interpretation of the archaeology of the site is an understanding of site formation in relation to the adjacent hill and the Vaal River
Vaal River
The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Ermelo and only about 240 km from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction...
which at different periods cut down first to the north of the site and then the south west.
In 2007-9 a 7 metre sequence through Hutton Sands and Gravels was excavated in order to carry out dating and a detailed analysis of the lithic profile. There is a marked ‘Victoria West’ Acheulean horizon (named for the town in the Karoo
Victoria West
Victoria West is a town in the central Karoo region of South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on the main N12 route, at an elevation of . It is the seat of the Ubuntu Local Municipality within the Pixley ka Seme DM....
where these stone tools were first described) in the upper part of the gravels, subject to a current Southampton PhD project. The lower part of the sequence contains simpler, older Acheulean technology.
Later Stone Age material at and just below the surface has been studied in two excavations by archaeologists from the University of the Witwatersrand and Toronto.
Canteen Kopje Skull
The Canteen Kopje Skull was found in the vicinity in 1925 and was described in Nature by Robert BroomRobert Broom
Professor Robert Broom was a Scottish South African doctor and paleontologist. He qualified as a medical practitioner in 1895 and received his DSc in 1905 from the University of Glasgow...
in 1929. It is currently subject to re-appraisal.