A 360 Walk down to Klipgat Cave

A Sanctuary Through Time

The first major habitation of Klipgat Cave dates back an astounding 80,000 years ago, placing it firmly within the Middle Stone Age (MSA). This was a critical period in human development, marked by the emergence of anatomically modern humans—people who looked essentially like us.

• The Changing View: As you looked out from the cave mouth, try to imagine the world during the last glacial period. Your observation is spot-on: the vast expanse of ocean would have been a dry, grassy coastal plain, stretching up to 30 kilometers out. The coastline was a distant horizon. This land, now submerged, was rich with grazing animals, a vital resource for the people living in the cave. This fluctuating sea level is a central theme in the cave’s story.
• Innovators of the MSA: The people of the Middle Stone Age were skilled survivors and innovators. They crafted sophisticated stone tools, including long, sharp flakes and points, which they likely hafted onto wooden shafts to create spears. These tools speak to a profound understanding of their environment and advanced hunting techniques. Klipgat Cave has yielded thousands of these artifacts, painting a picture of a successful hunter-gatherer society.

The Dawn of the Late Stone Age (LSO)

After a significant break in occupation, perhaps due to environmental changes or shifts in migration patterns, people returned to Klipgat Cave around 2,000 to 1,000 years ago, ushering in the Late Stone Age (LSA). The culture and lifestyle of these later inhabitants were distinctly different.

• Shellfish and Fishing: By the LSA, the sea levels had stabilised much closer to their present position. This meant that the rich bounty of the ocean was now directly accessible. The cave deposits from this period are filled with massive quantities of mollusc shells (limpets, periwinkles, mussels), clear evidence of a subsistence strategy focused on the marine environment. The discovery of fish bonesand even early bone tools, which may have been used for fishing or awls, highlights their adaptation to the coast.
• Hunter-Gatherer-Fisher: These were the ancestors of the Khoikhoi and San peoples. They were expert hunter-gatherers, but they were also increasingly dependent on marine resources. Their diet would have been a healthy mix of terrestrial animals hunted on the nearby Fynbos plains and the abundant seafood they collected from the rocks below the cave.

The Significance of the Discoveries

Klipgat is not famous just for its tools and shells; it holds a very personal and powerful connection to our human past.

• Human Remains: The cave has revealed human skeletal remains from the LSA period. The study of these remains provides direct evidence of the physical characteristics and health of the people who lived there, offering invaluable insights into the lineage of modern South Africans.
• Early Modern Human Behaviour: The continuous sequence of occupation—from the earliest pioneers of the MSA to the sophisticated hunter-gatherers of the LSA—makes Klipgat a vital reference site. It helps archaeologists piece together the gradual development of complex modern human behaviour, including the use of ochre, decorative elements, and structured living areas.

A Heritage Site of Global Importance

The stories within Klipgat Cave cannot be underestimated. It is a place where every handful of sand is a chapter in the epic story of humanity’s spread and survival. Standing at the mouth of the cave, you are literally in the footsteps of people who witnessed the world change dramatically over tens of thousands of years—from the formation of a vast plain to the return of the ocean’s blue horizon.

Tools and Sustenance: The Ingenuity of Klipgat’s People

The archaeological layers of Klipgat Cave are a vast, stratified menu and toolkit, demonstrating the remarkable resourcefulness of the humans who sheltered here over thousands of years.

The Ancient Diet: A Menu Driven by Climate

The food remains found in the cave tell a compelling story of human adaptation to drastic environmental shifts.

Late Stone Age (LSA): The Coastal Harvesters (c. 2,000 to 1,000 years ago)

This period, which saw the return of the coastline to its present position, is marked by a clear focus on the marine bounty.

• Shellfish Middens: The cave is famous for its shell middens—ancient refuse heaps largely composed of shellfish remains. These demonstrate the systematic harvesting of species like limpets, mussels, and periwinkles. This practice requires a deep knowledge of tides and seasons, showing advanced planning and ecological intelligence.
• Fish and Seals: Finds of fish bones confirm that the inhabitants were catching species like galjoen, kabeljou, and steenbras. The presence of seal and bird bones further illustrates a diet rich in coastal protein sources.
• Pastoralism: Critically, the LSA layers at Klipgat have also yielded some of the earliest evidence of domestic sheep bones and fragments of finely crafted, decorated pottery in the Western Cape, dating back around 2,000 years. This marks a profound shift from pure hunter-gathering to pastoralism (animal herding) by the ancestral Khoikhoi, demonstrating an integration of new economic practices.

Middle Stone Age (MSA): Hunters of the Lost Plain (c. 80,000 years ago)

The diet of the earliest inhabitants reflects the time when the ocean was far away, replaced by the great coastal plain.

• Terrestrial Focus: The primary food remains from this deep layer are the bones of large terrestrial mammals. These include now-extinct species like the giant Long Horn Buffalo and the Cape Zebra, alongside Hartebeest, Eland, and Springbok. The sheer scale of these remains confirms their success as highly skilled hunters.
• Geophytes and Plants: While less preserved, it is known from nearby contemporary sites that MSA people would have also relied heavily on geophytes—starchy underground storage organs of 
  plants—which provided a vital source of carbohydrates.

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The Stone Toolkit: Precision and Innovation

The artifacts recovered show not only tools but also the development of technology and even the beginnings of art.

Stone Age Period	Key Tool Type	Raw Material	Function and Significance
Middle Stone Age (MSA)	Stone Points(e.g., spear points)	Silcrete, Quartzite	Precision-made projectile points, likely hafted onto wooden shafts to create spears for hunting large game. This composite tool technology demonstrates advanced cognitive ability.
Later Stone Age (LSA)	Small, Simple Flakes and Bladelets	Quartz, Quartzite	Generally simpler tools used for cutting, scraping hides, and processing food.
Later Stone Age (LSA)	Bone Tools	Bone	Shaped into awls (for piercing hides), ‘needles’ (for sewing), and spatulas. These are a key marker of LSA ingenuity and a reliance on bone when stone was simple.
Cultural Items	Ochre Pieces	Red and Yellow Ochre	Evidence of ochre—a natural pigment—has been found in both periods. It was used for body decoration, tanning hides, and possibly symbolic expressionor art.

The fact that the MSA people were crafting such complex, standardized stone points over 80,000 years ago—while most of Europe was still inhabited by Neanderthals—underscores the Western Cape’s role as a true “Cradle of Human Culture,” where modern human behaviour first fully emerged.

The stone and bone tools, the discarded shells, and the bones of their meals collectively narrate a profound story of survival, adaptation, and cultural evolution against the backdrop of an ever-changing landscape. Your visuals will perfectly capture the setting where this incredible human drama unfolded.

Klipgat Cave is located within the Walker Bay Nature Reserve in the Western Cape of South Africa, situated just outside the small coastal village of De Kelders. This puts it directly on the northeastern side of Walker Bay, looking out towards the popular whale-watching destination of Hermanus across the water. The cave itself is accessed via a short, scenic walk and boardwalk from the De Kelders