ABSTRACT
Collection of comparative reference samples essential for the identifi cation of the archaeological charcoal commenced in the immediate vicinity of the site and expanded to other locations in the southwestern, northwestern, and southern Cape. Woody taxa were collected and fully documented from a range of substrata and topographical locations in order to assess variability introduced by microenvironments. Th is assessment included characterisation of extant vegetational communities in their
interpretation of the EBC assemblages (Cowling et al. 1999). The 470 woody taxa collected not only characterise the region today but also mirror the vegetational changes seen in the archaeological charcoal assemblages.
