The research design underlying this work is based on attempts to try to find the archaeology of the aboriginal herding people of the Cape: Khoekhoen (Khoikhoi, Quena = Hottentots). With the dating of sheep bones pushing back the age of domestic animals in the Cape to almost 2000 years ago it became evident that the history of pastoralism at the Cape not only was probably of far greater antiquity than had hitherto been realised, but may well have changed significantly over this long period of time.