The faunal remains from Nanda, an Early Iron Age site in Natal

Abstract

The faunal remains from Nanda indicate that herding was a well established part of the economy of the community. Some hunting took place, but this appears to have been recreational and probably opportunistic. There is no strong evidence of communal hunting drives. It seems that cattle remains were discarded differently from those of sheep/goat, and that they were concentrated in specific areas of the site. This may have led to under-representation of cattle bones, giving a false impression that cattle numbers were low during the Early Iron Age. The Nanda samples indicate that a system related to the Central Cattle Pattern could have existed at the time.

To cite this paper: Plug, I. 1993. The faunal remains from Nanda, an Early Iron Age site in Natal. Natal Museum Journal of Humanities 5: 99-107.