HSQ 30
ROCK ART SITE RECORD FORM
________________________________________________________________________________
1. General site information
LOCAL SITE NAME
: Melkhoutessenbosch
RECORDER’S NAME
: Renée Rust
MAP SHEET
: 1:250 000 –
3320Ladismith
ACCOMPANIED BY
: Jan van der Poll
GPS POSITION
Anton Muller
: 33°58,404'S
21°41,665'E
ALTITUDE
: 275m
SITE NO.
: HBD/ HSQ 30
ACCESS TO SITE
: access 40min climb
CONTACT PERSON/
up the hill
OWNER
POSTAL ADDRESS
Anton Muller
P.O. Box 267
Mosselbaai
RECORDING
: Tracings/ digital
METHODS
photographs
NO. OF TRACINGS
:1
TEL. CODE
028
SITE PREVIOUSLY
: Not recorded
PHONE/
7352405/
CELL
0763930995
E-MAIL
/
RECORDED
DATE OF RECENT
: 18/10/2011
RECORDING
Additional information
 Managementofthesite – is it in need of cleaning up? Is there a fire hazard?
 Is the site inspected?
No
Intermittentlyvisited by the owner
 Possibility of eco-tourism
No – unless guided by owner
 Possible past or recent utilisation of site – is there a presence of rubbings?
 Effects of sound – rushing water, echoes, beehives?
vicinity
 Is it an occupational site?
No
smears
Waterechoes;beehive present in
2. Description of the site
• GRADIENT
: <10 °
•
ORIENTATION
: East
•
TERRAIN
: Rocky/ sandy
•
TYPE OF SITE
: Shelter
•
SIZE OF CAVE /
OVERHANG
: Width – 6,5m
Depth – 2m-1m
Height – 3m
•
NATURAL
SCREENING OF SITE
: Visibility on approach – the site is not visible from far off
Visibility from the site – view of the Kouga River and Jakkalsvlei
•
EXPOSURE TO
SUNLIGHT
: Mornings
•
NATURE OF DEPOSIT
: Sandy
•
ARTEFACTS PRESENT
: None visible; ochre fragment present
•
ACCESS TO WATER
: Near water level of river with permanent water flow
View of the site facing the Kougariver below. The photograph shows the nature of the
rock face and terrain of the site. A Shallow nest is visible above the painted frieze.
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3. Condition of paintings
•
% OF SEEPAGE / DRIP /
LICHEN / MOSS AND
VEGETATION ON PAINTINGS
•
ARE PAINTINGS IN DANGER
OF DISAPPEARING?
•
: 50 %
: Yes
VANDALISM / GRAFFITI
PRESENT ON THE PAINTINGS
: Paint chipped off – none
Charcoal – none
Paint – none
Scratches – /
Smoke – some of the paintings destroyed by veldfire
Other – exfoliation, mineralization
4. General description of paintings
•
ESTIMATE NUMBER OF
PAINTED IMAGES
•
CLARITY OF PAINTINGS
: <50
: Colours – poor
Outlines – poor to good
Detail – poor to good
•
COLOUR OF PAINTINGS
: Red – 90%
Yellow/orange -9%
White - /
Black – 1%
Bi / Polychrome - /
Some of the paintings are in a poor condition
and some are indistinct at the site due to
weathering and seepage on the rock face as
shown in this photograph.
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General description of paintings (continued)
•
: Human – male figures
SUBJECT MATTER
Animal – antelope,
Handprints – none
Palettes/Smeared areas – present
Finger dots/strokes – individual dots
Lines – present
Therianthrope – present; baboon/antelope head/human
body
5. Record of images
Description of paintings, location, tracing and/or digital image
Map
pos.
No. of
tracing
a
Description
Tracing aat the 2m position from the left side of the site, a dark red
human figure (130 mm in height) is visible, wearing a kaross and
carrying bag and hunting equipment; his legs are banded in stance, he
has a penis, and he faces a small group of figures which appears to be
performing a healing dance (Fig.1). This group of small dark red figures
(ranging from 60 mm to 10 mm in height) is of particular interest as it a
fine example of the healing dance, with the healer/shaman (tallest
figure) bending forward as is suggestive of the trance dance, wearing a
tail flap and displaying a long penis, his arm(s) held out towards the
group of smaller figures (five possible six figures) in various postures.
Although indistinct in parts these figures show collective movement
which is suggestive of a sharing of !gi: power,enabled by the dance
represented here.
Lower down from the ‘dancing group’ are dark red line human figures
with X-ray appearance (height ranging from 110 mm to 40 mm), poorly
preserved, but the lines undoubtedly show figures in forward bending
postures, arms held outward–these figures are surrounded by small
individual dots representing !gi: power once again.
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EFig. 1.The red male figure and dance scene visible on the left. The dancing figures
are indistinct in parts.
To the right of the figures as described above, is a frieze of entities in
various postures and conditions of preservation. It is a composite panel
of figures in stances representing the trance suppositions (Fig. 2). The
figures join and superimpose each other in places. Due to the poor
condition of preservation it is difficult to distinguish the full dimensions
of the figures, but the postures and movement suggest trancing
activities.
Three partially preserved orange human figures (ranging in size from 50
to 120 mm) are present; one figure has long thin arms held outward and
a thin neck; the other orange figures have unusually large torsos and
superimpose smaller darker figures, partially preserved (25 mm in
height).To the right is another dark red figure (80 mm in height) with
large unusually shaped fat torso, well-defined thin legs and feet, and a
set of thin filigree lines showing at the top of the body. These lines point
to a ‘swimming’ fish-like figure (25 mm in length) with shortened body
and round head and arms held out downward.
Again to the right of these,are several red/orange human figures, joined
in parts, with grid-like shaped bodies, arms held outward; one figure (60
mm in height)has a prognathous shaped face, long thin arms pointing
outward, and its lower body is fragmented. Its legs shape a grid and
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‘stand aside’ from the upper body, while ‘rising upward’ into another
emergent part of the same image (Fig. 3). A larger male figure* (140
mm in height) partially preserved, superimposes another indistinct
figure, which in turn superimposes smaller darker figures with only their
legs showing. Below this larger figure is a distinct human figure (60 mm
in height) with well-defined body, legs, feet and long thin neck and
round head encircled by a yellow daub-like orb. The larger figure
described appears to be superimposed by an antelope animal figure
(extremely faded).
To the right of the figures described above, are four remarkable figures:
a therianthropic figure (60 mm in height) with human legs and feet,
showing an unusually large penis;it has an animal head (baboon-like)
and is holding out his arm towards a small human figure (10 mm in
height); with arm in turn held out towardsthe therianthropic figure; it
has a round head and shortened body (Figs. 3 and 4). Below these
figures is a blob of paint with thin legs showing, emanating from this
smear of paint. The therianthropic figure superimposes the arm of the
large male figure (described above*).
Immediately above the therianthropic figure described, are another two
exceptional executed figures;intertwined, in forward stance while their
full bodies arch backward (Figs. 3 and 4). The figure in front (80 mm in
length) superimposes the figure (100 mm in length) behind with tail
flap, They are dark red in colour and have elongated thin limbs. They
are surrounded by thin filigree lines. In front of these figures, another
therianthropic figure, muddy yellow in colour(110 mm in height),
carries equipment wears a kaross ( a tail flap is prominent); it has an
antelope head with pointed ears and two lines,trusses/tassels emanating
from the back of the head. A rubbing or palette of red/orange colour is
superimposed over the upper legs of this figure (Figs. 2, 3 and 4).
To the right of the therianthropic figure and paint rubbing, is a
red/orange antelope (110 mm from head to tail), (cf. scanned image
below to this record), surrounded by thin red lines and dots
(superimposed over other paintings). There are more paintings here but
indistinct.
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Further on from the antelope is a composite image of human figures
(50 mm across and 25 mm in height); there are 12 heads visible while
the lower bodies are combined in one mass (cf. scanned image below to
this record). Legs and feet are visible below the bulk image of bodies.
This composite image as describedcould be compared with a similar
image at Site Hessequa 2, (Hippo site) Figure 7 (cf. scanned image
below).
Referral to Figure 7 at the Hippo site, HSQ 2. Compare with scanned images at
Melkhoutessenbosch HBD HSQ 30, shown below.
Scanned image of a section of Tracing a showing the antelope and composite
painting. The composite image is compared here with a similar image from the
Hippo Site, HSQ 2.
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Fig. 2.A closer view of the frieze showing the complexity and the extent of the
superimposing of the imagery.
Fig. 3.The density of the superimposing of figures joining some and
underlying others. The grid-like figure described in the text is visible to the
left in the photograph and the therianthropes to the right.
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Fig. 4. A close up of the four figures.
Above the figures described, are more figures (poorly preserved), one
red and one yellow (average height 80 mm). The red superimposes the
yellow figure; the yellow/orange figure appears to be ‘dancing’ with
arms held outward while the red figure carries equipment, wears a tail
flap and ‘walks’, ‘runs’ in the opposite direction. The yellow figure
faces a yellow smear of paint showing orange legs, visible emanating
from this daub; a red line grid image superimposes the yellow image
(Fig.5).
There are more images to the left at this site but a veld fire destroyed
these paintings and they are not distinguishable.
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Fig. 5.The figures and yellow blob with lines.
Some of the paintings at this site are well executed and haveunique
content and choice of image. Some of the images are exceptionally small
in size. In line and below the red antelope as described above in the text,
are two tiny figures (visible in the right bottom corner of Tracing a); a
human figure, stick–like, with arms and legs distinct and an animal head
(30 mm in height), a half preserved antelope (15 mm in size) showing the
front part of the animal, horns visible.
There is another site with painted images a kilometre distant and lower
down from the Melkhoutessenbosch site HBD HSQ 30, but it was
impossible to reach this site as a large bee hive was very active at the
time and attacked us as we approached the site.
©Dr Renée Rust (Archaeology)
Cell: 082 394 5588 Home: 021 844 0949 email: [email protected]
Department Geology, Geography & Environmental Studies
University of Stellenbosch; Matieland 7602
South Africa
Photographs taken by Jan van der Poll
In association with Members of Hessequa Archaeological Society:
Brian Mathiesen
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