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PROJECT NEWS

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

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Xander presented the project's background and future directions at the Society of Africanist Archaeologists' Conference at Rice University in Houston, TX.

Xander and Annie presented on the excavations, finds and faunal remains of the project at the Savanna Science Network Meeting in Skukuza, KNP.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

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Environmental studies graduate students from the University of the South Coast, Australia, visited the excavations in June 2023. These students study a range of different fields within the environmental sector and they enjoyed the archaeology experience.

Annie gave a lecture for the Northern Branch of the South African Archaeological Society on previous and new archaeozoological research at Letaba. The audience was very enthusiastic about the evidence of early coastal trade and the potential role of animal products in these long-distance networks.

RESEARCH

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Ceramic analyses are underway! UP Archaeology students are hard at work cleaning, refitting and doing the stylistic analyses for the ceramics excavated at Letaba.

Pascal Mutakaya received his Archaeology Honours degree at the University of Pretoria in 2023. He analysed animal remains from a Letaba pit feature. There were many bones of blue wildebeest and zebra but also rare examples of lion, baboon and vulture.

RESEARCH

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The faunal material excavated at LE6 and LE7 in 2022 is boxed and archived! Our team is busy analysing this material.

Annie received a three-year research grant from the National Research Foundation for her project Biographies of the Hunted: Archaeozoological Approaches to First Millennium AD Game Hunting.

DOCUMENTING PROCESS

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Artist Daniël du Plessis joined us in the field and sketched artefacts and excavation scenes.  His illustrations form part of a postcard collection we gift our guests in the field. 

Our photographer, Michelle, captures photos and videos of our excavation seasons so we have an artistic interpretation of our artefacts and sites. Our mission is to record the archaeology from many different viewpoints!

RESEARCH

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Marnus Erasmus received his Archaeology Honours degree at the University of Pretoria in 2024. He analysed the glass trade beads from the Letaba sites for his thesis. He now joins the team for his MA research looking at household-level activities at the sites.

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