Multi-scalar Analysis of a Southern African Assemblage: The Middle Stone Age at Ha Makotoko, Lesotho

This study describes a Middle Stone Age (MSA) assemblage from Ha Makotoko, Lesotho. Excavated in 2010, the assemblage dates to > 42 ka and falls within Marine Isotope Stage 3. Faunal remains indicate a grassland environment during the time of occupation. The lithic artefacts found at Ha Makotoko comprise a predominantly flake-based industry with some blades and an increasing frequency of bladelets throughout the sequence. Artefacts were primarily made on fine-grained materials and cores were mainly struck irregularly. The few tools present include points, and miscellaneously retouched pieces are common. Use-wear traces on points show direct evidence of hafting, with butchering and woodworking indicated. The MSA assemblage from Ha Makotoko is compared to material from the nearby sites of Ntloana Tšoana and Rose Cottage Cave, as well as sites further to the east in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains and along South Africa's southeastern coast. These comparisons confirm its association with the post-Howiesons Poort technocomplex of Marine Isotope Stage 3 and reveal similarities to the final MSA. However, the high amount of informal retouch and other differences further complexify what is already considered a technologically highly variable period. Presenting this assemblage here adds additional evidence for a phase of the Middle Stone Age that remains poorly understood in its entirety. Situated along the intersection of Afroalpine and grassland environments in western Lesotho, Ha Makotoko offers a bridging record for these contrasting ecologies that highlights the diverse applicability of post-Howiesons Poort and final MSA toolkits.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41982-025-00238-x.