Time of essential changes in human history (TECH)

We know today, due to the excellent research work of many generations of scientists, that the biological and cultural evolution of the diverse human species took place in Africa. The oldest known fossils of Homo sapiens are over 300,000 years old and come from North Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa distinguishes itself through its early evidence of symbolic behaviour such as perforated shell beads and engraved ostrich eggshells. Evidence of planning over long distances or time, multi-tasking, and abstract thought comparable to modern humans could also be determined. For example, compound adhesives were used as support for fixing tools in a hafting construction. Exactly how and when this behavioural evolutionary process occurred needs more vigorous research. Meanwhile, research shows that the period from 130,000 to 75,000 years ago represents a crucial epoch in human history and is referred to as Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. In MIS 5, regionally organized groups of hunter-gatherers formed with cultural markers. These relate, for example, to specialized stone or bone tools and new innovative achievements, such as heat treatment of rocks to improve their knapping properties. While this phase stands out archaeologically and promises to contribute to answering the questions of how and when, it has long lacked scientific interest, or the focus lay only on certain regions in southern Africa. My research project fits perfectly at this point with its objective. It aims to shed light on stone tool production, hunting behaviour, land use strategies, and inventiveness in less well-studied geographic areas of South Africa during MIS 5. Furthermore, the project also explores what driving forces led to the new behaviours, whether related to cultural adaptations, upheavals in population structure, or changes in environmental conditions. The work focusses on three well-documented South African sites, all of which include occupational layers with an age of about 90,000 years before present and located in different living spaces. The sites encompass Bushman Rock Shelter (Limpopo) located in the savanna, Sibhudu Cave (KwaZulu-Natal) in the Indian Ocean coastal belt, and Rose Cottage Cave (Free State) in the grassland. Diverse investigations of the stone raw materials used, manufacture and use wear traces of the stone tools will provide information on the cultural background of the individual sites. Finally, the comparison will show to what extent past societies were interconnected and shared ideas over great distances through knowledge exchange.

The study of stone tools from occupational layers of three South African key sites dating to circa 90,000 years ago clearly demonstrates that past societies in different living spaces came up with novel technological solutions for tool manufacture and characteristic cultural expressions. The coexistence of multiple diverse traditions underpins the formation of groups with regional identities during this phase. Loose interconnectedness between populations favours a context for diffusion of innovations. Due to the excellent work of many generations of researchers, it is well-known today that the biological and cultural evolution of the human species unfolded in Africa. The oldest fossils of Homo sapiens are over 300,000 years old and come from North Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa distinguishes itself demonstrating, during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) ranging from around 350,000 to 30,000 years ago, early evidence of behaviours, such as planning over long distances or time, multi-tasking, symbolism, and abstract thought comparable to modern humans. It is unclear however, how, when, and why these behavioural developments occurred. A good starting point for a thorough examination of that matter is the archaeological record of the period between 130,000 to 75,000 years ago, still informally referred to as the MSA of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. In this crucial epoch, regionally distinct new behaviours appear such as the production of specialized stone and bone implements, the use of perforated shell beads as personal ornamentation, and the fabrication of engraved ochre pieces demonstrating symbolic behaviours. Although these developments clearly point to a critical phase in human evolution, scientific interest is only slowly gaining momentum, and so far, only in certain regions in Southern Africa. This is where my research comes into play. I have analysed on lithic artefacts from three well-documented South African sites: Bushman Rock Shelter (Limpopo) located in the savanna, Sibhudu Cave (KwaZulu-Natal) in the Indian Ocean coastal belt, and Rose Cottage Cave (Free State) in the grassland. All three assemblages are marked by the emergence of innovative achievements albeit different from site to site. I was able to show that toolmakers employed new ways of producing more standardized blanks for their stone tools, namely blades and bladelets, manufactured new tool types, including points shaped on one or both surfaces, points with particular thinning at the base for hafting, pieces with serrated edges, and backed elements for insertion in composite tools and used specific knapping techniques, such as pressure notching. These results indicate that the hunter-gatherer societies responsible for these innovations were regionally structured. Simultaneous occurrence hints at increasing cultural interactions. The findings highlight the importance of the Southern African archaeological record to understand the rise of complex behaviours in our species.