Ashley Healy

My project specifically looks at the erosion channel (donga) that runs through the Letaba archaeological site. The two sections of the site were long thought to represent two separate communities, but recent research suggests they may once have been part of a single settlement that was later split apart by erosion processes. To test this idea, my study will date flood-stage sediments inside the donga using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) methods to find out when it formed and whether erosion happened before or after people lived there. The results will help clarify the layout and history of the settlement.