Landscape use, niche construction and cultural evolution of early Homo sapiens in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• Applicant: Dr. Manuel Will
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 467042592

The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of Africa encompasses the archaeological period of the origins and early evolution of Homo sapiens. Despite being a focus of recent research, the MSA of southern Africa features significant spatial and temporal gaps as well as a neglect of open-air in favor of sheltered sites. The main research goal of this project is to provide new perspectives on landscape use, behavioral adaptations and the cultural evolution of MSA hunter-gatherers in the eastern part of southern Africa, a previously understudied region. The project follows a holistic and regional perspective on the archaeological record of early modern humans across ~120-30 ka in the crucial region of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Investigating the difference between open-air and sheltered sites in various ecological and geographical settings is hereby central for a better understanding of the MSA record. The study of changing patterns of land use across time also examines the potential role and consequences of human-induced changes to the environment via the theoretical concept of niche construction. The methodological approach rests on an interdisciplinary framework, combining new archaeological data with geographical, geological, chronometric, paleoproteomic and paleoenvironmental research by collaboration partners. Field work in KZN is a main focus of the project, including targeted survey, identification and excavation of new MSA open-air and rockshelter sites. The regional perspective and interdisciplinary analyses of the important but comparatively understudied region of KZN has the potential to yield wide-ranging insights into the cultural evolution of our species.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: South Africa
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Gregory Botha; Lawrence Msimanga