A group of archaeologists, German mostly, Canadian and American led by Culture Consultant Bob Forrester; finished a month of archaeology fieldwork at Mlawula Nature Reserve.
The group of archeologists was invited by Eswatini National Trust Commission (ENTC).
Their excavation of Khabane Cave revealed exceptional levels of preservation, thanks to the cave’s unusually dry soils.
Thousands of archeological stone tools were found. Remarkably, even ‘dassie droppings dating back thousands of years, appear almost fresh, while ancient leaves and twigs remain so well preserved that they can still be identified,’ wrote Your Environment Eswatini on their Facebook post.
Such conditions are considered extremely rare in southern Africa, making Khabane Cave an invaluable archaeological site.Beyond the excavation, the team also engaged in capacity building workshop.
The workshop was hosted by the ENTC and engaged communities and Eswatini the Tourism Authority, University of Eswatini and others.
They conducted a hands-on training workshop for students, hosted an information session for Members of Parliament at Khabane and travelled across the country applying advanced scientific techniques to Bushman paintings.
Using a portable X-ray device and handheld Raman machines that fire harmless laser beams, they were able to analyse the pigments without causing any damage to the art.
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