Temperate Southern Africa (6,093 – 4,366 BCE)…
6093 BCE to 4366 BCE
Temperate Southern Africa (6,093 – 4,366 BCE) Middle Holocene — Climatic Stability and Intensified Ritual Landscapes
Geographic and Environmental Context
Temperate Southern Africa includes:-
South Africa (Cape littoral, Highveld, Drakensberg, Karoo, Namaqualand).
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Lesotho and Eswatini.
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Most of Namibia and Botswana, except the far northern sectors (Caprivi, Etosha, Okavango, Skeleton Coast — those are in Tropical Southern Africa).
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Southern Zimbabwe and southwestern Mozambique (Maputo–Limpopo region).
Anchors: Cape littoral & fynbos, Drakensberg–Lesotho massif, Highveld grasslands (Witwatersrand, Free State), Namaqualand semi-desert, Kalahari southern margins, Great Karoo, Maputo–Limpopo basins, southern Zimbabwe plateau (Great Zimbabwe heartland).
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Cape coasts fertile; Highveld and Karoo supported large herds.
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Drakensberg highlands green.
Climate & Environmental Shifts
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Continued Holocene moisture.
Subsistence & Settlement
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Intensification of strandloper shellfish harvesting.
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Inland grassland hunting persisted.
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Long-lived base camps near rivers, caves.
Technology & Material Culture
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Pottery absent; stone–bone–wood traditions continued.
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Nets, traps, poison arrows.
Movement & Interaction Corridors
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Coastal strandlopers exchanged with inland bead-makers.
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Drakensberg ceremonial circuits spread.
Cultural & Symbolic Expressions
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Rock art complexity increased: herding motifs appear before livestock actually present, reflecting spiritual foreknowledge.
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Caves became sanctuaries for rainmaking rituals.
Environmental Adaptation & Resilience
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Ritual and knowledge-sharing reinforced resilience during variable years.
Transition
By 4,366 BCE, foragers had ritualized landscapes of coast and highland.