Item NASMUS-RSA-INV1-22.jpg - NASMUS RSA INV1 22

Brief description of site: RSA INV1 is a very small, 5m long, less than 1.5 m high and 1.5 m deep south-east facing rock shelter on the 700 m contour. There has been a collapse of a large part of the ceiling, with a large rock bloc taking up most of the shelter. Vegetation around the shelter is dense. The shelter is located 15 m above a tributary on a very steep slope and it is very difficult to see the site from below.

There is very little Archaeological deposit. What there is dry and dusty and exists in pockets, with the deepest such pocket perhaps reaching 0.5 m between the rock block and shelter wall. Hornfels (indurated shale) and crypto-crystalline silicate (agate) stone tools occur sparsely on the scree slope below the shelter.
Brief description of art: There are at least 18 visible Bushman rock paintings in black, red and white paint in the site. On the ceiling above the rock block are the faded remains of at least four - and probably more - finely-painted buck in an unusual dark brown and red with forward sweeping horns. Near them is a seated black painted human figure with drawn bow and nocked arrow. There are also 3 other black painted human figures on the ceiling. The main attraction of this shelter however, is a 1,6 m x 0,3 m image cluster of 7 human figures painted in black, a thin red line that covers nearly a meter of rock, the black and red head of a fantastic monster and at least three clear and very rare paintings of dassies (rock hyrax - Procavia capensis). This cluster has a number of non-real features such as the long, spindly legs and arms of one of the human figures and the monster head. One human figure appears to be grabbing a dassie by the hind legs. The crouching human figure has two flywhisks on its waist. There is an enigmatic red circular design near one human figure's head. I black human figure has a clear face and penis and carries a stick. Two dassies have a short black line from the top of their snouts.