A functional investigation of southern Cape Later Stone Age artefacts resembling aerophones

What is it about?

This paper describes possible sound-producing artefacts from two Later Stone Age deposits in the southern Cape, South Africa. Implements previously described as a ‘wirra wirra’ or ‘pendant’ from Klasies River main site (KRM), a ‘woer woer’ or ‘bullroarer’ and four ‘pendants’ from Matjes River (MR) are analysed and their sound producing qualities assessed through an actualistic research programme. For comparative purposes, a replica of an ethnographic ‘spinning disk’ was also spun and its sound recorded. All of the implements, except the MR ‘woer woer’ produced a sustained, pulsed, whirring sound when spun. Minor adjustments to the MR 5135 replica resulted in successful sound production. The frequency range of the KRM replica and ethnographic KK058 implement produced a frequency variation of between 52 Hz and 200 Hz. The frequency range of the pendant replicas varied from 55.55 to 250 Hz, comparable to other bullroarers. Spinning produces use-wear predominantly on the left laterals of the perforations, whereas pendant use produces use-wear along the upper sector of the perforation, thus allowing us to distinguish these two uses based on the placement of use-wear. We conclude that one of the bone artefacts previously thought to be a pendant, MR 40, most likely functioned as an instrument to produce sound. This investigation thus experimentally confirms that earlier hypotheses that the ‘wirra wirra’ from KRM and the ‘bullroarer’ from MR were aerophones are judicious. In addition we demonstrate for the first time that some archaeological pendants, such as MR 40, may have been used as free aerophones or bullroarers.

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Why is it important?

Highlights: • Formerly unknown sound producing southern Cape Wilton implements are described. • Position of use wear placement on ‘pendants’ indicates sound production function. • A Matjes River Wilton ‘pendant’ was probably used as a bullroarer. • Spinning disk aerophones occur at Klasies River and Matjes River in the Wilton. • Bullroarer replicas produce a sustained sound that mimics that of bees or waves.