23 Jan 2019

Makgadikgadi Pans situated in the Kalahari basin, has been described as an amazing area with unique features that tell a remarkable story of the place and its inhabitants.

Two experts from Oxford University, Prof. David Thomas and Dr Sallie Barrough, who were undertaking research at the area, said during the presentation of their findings at Nhabe Museum.

Their project entitled, Makgadikgadi Pans: The People of The lake, the remarkable story of the pans and its stone age inhabitants, aimed to provide the first systematic landscape analysis of Kalahari stone age archaeology, raw material services in relation to quaternary hydrological history.

Presenting the findings, Prof. Thomas explained that they were more interested in finding out what had been happening in the area and to know more about the people residing in the lake.

He said their project focused on four areas namely; archaeology, chronology, environment and geochemistry.

He described the area as the largest salt pans in the world and display a unique expanse of landscape with fascinating natural scenic beauty.

He said the area was the gem of Kalahari basin noting that it was so fascinating, dynamic and one of its kind with unique features.

Prof. Thomas also observed that the place was unique in the sense that it was not monotonous but it had a diverse landscape preserving evidence of major climate changes in relict landforms and sediments.

“That was really fascinating to find something with evidence of the environment,” he added.

Makgadikgadi Pans landscape is located in the north-east of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and south-east of the Okavango Delta. It is linked to Okavango Delta by the Boteti River and supplied with water from Zimbabwe by the ephemeral Nata River.

The pans have evidence of traditional human habitation and land use dating from the Early Stone Age to the historic times.

Humans have inhabited areas of the pans since the Stone Age, and have adapted to geographical and climatic changes as they have occurred. It has a dramatic geological and climatic history.

With regard, to the environment, Prof. Thomas noted that only one of the six sites excavated had showed significant disturbance. The lake, he said was one of the most diverse in terms of ecological habitats. In addition, he indicated that the residents used the basin when it was at least ephemerally dry.

For her part, Dr Burrough said the artefacts found at the place, told a rich story of the place adding that the record of human pre-history in the region was well documented but largely uninvestigated.

She further revealed that the area was characterised of early Stone Age to historic sites, middle Stone Age and late Stone Age tools.

Interestingly, she said they found some lake phases preserved dating back to 62 000 years and some preserved tools appearing to be coming from under islands.

She said the geological evolution of the Makgadikgadi basin was dynamic and remarkable adding that the current climate and environment state was not the norm. Increasing evidence, she said had indicated that the lake unsurprisingly had also undergone large changes in the period and held water across the entire basin. ENDS