FISH HOEK (Skildergat)
Lo CATION
Rock shelter or shallow cave (Skildergat or Peers’
Cave), Fish Hoek, 23 km S of Cape Town, South
Africa.
DISCOVERY
V. and B. Peers, 1927-1929.
MATERIAL
Adult skull, all that can currently be located of the
two adult and four juvenile skeletons originally re-
ported (see Deacon and Wilson, 1992).
DATING AND STRATIGRAPHIC CONTEXT
Apparent burial into rock shelter sediments. Char-
coals that probably originally underlay the burial have
been radiocarbon dated at around 36 Ka (Anthony,
1967; Vogel and Beaumont, 1972). Excavation tech-
niques were crude, however, and the reported associa-
tion with a Howieson’s Poort industry and the Middle
Stone Age (MSA) in general probably reflects the in-
trusive nature of the burial. Deacon and Wilson
(1992) have recently argued persuasively for the date
of about 12 Ka that was reportedly obtained on post-
cranial bone from the “Fish Hoek Man” skeleton it-
self, and thus for a Late Stone Age association.
ciation; but, based on the direct date, the context is
more plausibly Late Stone Age (Deacon and Wilson,
1992). See also Wells (1959); Anthony (1967); Klein
(1970).PREVIOUS DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES
The Fish Hoek hominid was first formally described
by Keith (1931), who characterized it as “Bush-
manoid.” Protsch (1975) found the specimen to be
“anatomically modern.” Keith (1931) reports a cranial
volume of 1600 ml.MORPHOLOGY
Fairly complete skull (SAM-AP4692), reassembled
from numerous pieces. Missing bits of back of palate
and vomer, parts of medial wall and floor of R orbit,
part of R. zygoma, tip of R mastoid, most sutural de-
tail; part of R ramus and L gonial region; small bits
of corpora. All teeth very worn; all uppers present,
plus all lowers except LRI, and LM3, which appar-
ently never erupted. L orbit and nasal aperture
blocked by plasticene; cotton behind. Large portions
of cranial base reconstructed. Riddled with porotic
hyperostosis.
In general, neurocranium very long, roundedly
low, with relatively small face and mandible. In side
profile, frontal rises steeply from minimally swollen
ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT glabella region; rapidly curves back strongly across
See above: the crude excavation revealed a possible very posteriorly placed bregma, to redescend gently;
Middle Stone Age (Stillbay/ Howieson’s Poort) asso- then curves down strongly about halfway along
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