Linton I

Brief description of site: RSA LIN1 is a long (18 m), low (1 m - 1.7 m) and moderately deep (up to 2 m) shelter located in a small kloof on the 1920 m contour, very near the north-eastern boundary corner of RSA LIN1. The site faces south-east with a very localised view and has very dense vegetation growing near to and in it. The floor is even and has a hard earth layer, but is much disturbed.

The floor is mostly hard and compacted - probably from the quarrying activity that took place here between 1916 - 1918. This was when the stonemason, Mr. Van der Walt and his assistants Jonas and Pula, via Mr. G.S.T. Mandy (Cape Provincial Roads Field Assistant and the man responsible for much of Naude's Nek Pass's building) for Louis Peringuey (Director of South African Museum, Cape Town), removed two large blocs of Bushman rock paintings from the site at an eventual cost of £122-00. Note: Today, the removal of rock art only takes place in exceptional circumstances and then only with a permit from the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). One of the panels that was removed has a painted human figure on it that has been used in South Africa's new (2000) Coat of Arms. Both panels are currently housed in the South African Museum, Cape Town, where they are on public display. There are many chips from the chiselling and chisel marks on the wall - that still look remarkably fresh even 83 years after having been made. The removal of the painted block that measures 1.85 m x 0.85 m required that a total area of 5.15 m x 2.6 m be destroyed. The second removal of a 2.2 m x 0.9 m required that an area of 4.46 m x 1.8 m of painted wall be destroyed. Evidence of Bushman hunter-gatherer occupation of the site is good, with many different lithics (stone tools) visible, particularly in the drip line. Most of these tools are made on fine-grained agate rocks known generally as crytpo-crystalline silicates or oplaines. Every stage of stone tool manufacture is present. There are cores - large lumps of rock from which stone tools are made. There are flakes - general-purpose cutting tools. Adzes are present and were used for woodworking in much the same way as a spokeshave. End and side-scrapers, often in the shape of a thumbnail were used to prepare leather. There are also rare burins and awls - used to pierce. These stone tools and the paintings show that this site was a long-term home and spiritual centre for Bushman communities.
Brief description of art: Snakes.

On site: Most of this site's Bushman rock paintings have either been removed (in the 1916-1918 removal); or they were destroyed in the process of chiselling out the painted panels. The images remaining at the site shows signs of human damage and vandalism; yet offer some interesting glimpses. There are, for example, at least 14 shaded polychrome eland (Tragelaphus oryx); rhebuck; also at least 3 therianthropes - part-human, part-animal figures; a thin red line fringed with fine white dots; a number of enigmatic, species-indeterminate animals; very detailed human figures with facial features, body decoration, bags, bows, arrows and possibly musical bows. Most of these figures are bichrome or polychrome - often shaded - but there are also some less fine human figures and rudimentary antelope in red.

Off site (South African Museum):
Panel 1: Consists of at least 13 polychrome eland and some paint mark.
Panel 2: The famous 'Linton' panel' that is exceptionally well-preserved and detailed. The tracing of this panel shows the detail well, which includes many therianthropes, detailed human figures, a buck-headed serpent, buck emerging from backs, a thin red line, eland, ell and serpent-like images, jackals, humans with 3 arms, eland calves and rhebuck and so on.