Early African woodworking and tool use at the transition to modern humans. Our archaeological excavations and preliminary dating of Amanzi Springs (South Africa) to between 515,000 and 163,000 years ago shows that the site covers a critical time period that led to the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Amanzi documents, in never before seen resolution, the technological leaps that our ancestors made during this transition. At ~400,000 years ago this includes the oldest evidence for woodworkin ....Early African woodworking and tool use at the transition to modern humans. Our archaeological excavations and preliminary dating of Amanzi Springs (South Africa) to between 515,000 and 163,000 years ago shows that the site covers a critical time period that led to the origins of our species, Homo sapiens. Amanzi documents, in never before seen resolution, the technological leaps that our ancestors made during this transition. At ~400,000 years ago this includes the oldest evidence for woodworking and tool use and >163,000 years ago the oldest heat treatment of rock to make stone tools. The organic preservation at the site means that we can reconstruct changing environment, linked to sea level changes and spring activity, for this period in the evolution of our ancestors at a level of detail not previously possibleRead moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100544
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,810.00
Summary
Reconnecting the Histories of Papuan, Australian and Oceanic Seascapes . This project aims to investigate connections between Papuan, Australian and Oceanic seascapes created by a westward expansion by Lapita seafarers 3000 years ago. The project raises and addresses new questions about the maintenance of regional social relationships with an innovative archaeological approach that focuses on the edges of cultural domains where people met and shared ideas. Expected outcomes include enhanced rese ....Reconnecting the Histories of Papuan, Australian and Oceanic Seascapes . This project aims to investigate connections between Papuan, Australian and Oceanic seascapes created by a westward expansion by Lapita seafarers 3000 years ago. The project raises and addresses new questions about the maintenance of regional social relationships with an innovative archaeological approach that focuses on the edges of cultural domains where people met and shared ideas. Expected outcomes include enhanced research collaborations and improved regulatory capacity. Reconnecting seascapes is expected to inform and benefit academic and government responses to heritage conservation and align with Australian Government aspirations to conserve regional cultural heritage and enable economic development through strategic collaboration.Read moreRead less