The discovery of an ancient Khoekhoen pot, potentially 2000 years old, has been made at Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve in the Western Cape’s Cederberg mountains. Academics and archaeologists have lauded this as a remarkable cultural find with the potential to shed light on Late Stone Age history in the region. 

Cederberg, Western Cape, South Africa: A remarkable discovery was made at Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve, one of the Western Cape’s leading conservation destinations. Nestled upon the edge of the dramatic Cederberg range, the reserve straddles a transition zone where the Cape fynbos region abuts the Tankwa Karoo and Renosterveld ecosystems.

Dramatic Cedarberg Range (Jacques Marais)

Heritage Western Cape (HWC) was contacted by Kagga Kamma management following the find, and upon studying the pot, they confirmed the discovery as a Khoekhoen ceramic pot, thought to be anything from 500-2000yrs old. The remarkably intact earthenware vessel is a potentially significant artefact, especially as it is so well preserved.

Dr Vuyiswa Lupuwana, a Professor at University of Cape Town, agrees: “The pot exhibits a classic stylistic affiliation with lugged pots and the body tapers towards the bottom, indicating that the pot was very likely a Khoekhoen lugged pot that ad rope or string fed through the lugs to facilitate easy transportation”.

A well-preserved vessel with a story to tell

Initial inspection indicates the pot is amphora-shaped, with a wide mouth that narrows towards its neck, before transitioning into a outwardly sloping shoulder swelling into a rotund body. The profile curves gently downwards and inwards, then tapers to a round, softly pointed base. Two intact, horizontally pierced ‘ears’ or ‘lugs’ suggest that cords attached to these may have been used to carry it with ease. The pot is intact with a minor hole and some cracks, and as such requires delicate handling and storage.

Author: Trevor Davies

I’m Trevor Davies, a senior consultant, creating my own media training deliverables. Forty years of experience with scores of NGOs and hundreds of trainees mentored to successful careers in visual storytelling are amongst the many reasons we should work together. htttps://trevordavies.org