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PalaeoEcology and OPen-LandscapE adaptations of Pleistocene humans in South Africa

Project description

Homo sapiens in Africa at the onset of the Middle Stone Age

Technological innovations in tool making and increased evidence of symbolic behaviour mark the beginning of the Middle Stone Age. This is when anatomically modern humans emerged in Africa and expanded into a wider range of ecosystems (including deserts, rainforests, and mountains) compared to previous hominins. To survive, early humans had to adapt their subsistence strategies to changing environments. The EU-funded PEOPLE project will focus on South African ecosystems to study human dispersal and adaptation to climate change across southern Africa. A key factor affecting this response is freshwater availability. The project will investigate how and when modern humans settled on the subcontinent by searching for archaeological deposits at rivers, springs, and dry lakes in the interior of South Africa.

Coordinator

CENTRO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACION SOBRE LA EVOLUCION HUMANA
Net EU contribution
€ 1 499 856,00
Address
Paseo Sierra De Atapuerca 3
09002 Burgos
Spain

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Region
Centro (ES) Castilla y León Burgos
Activity type
Research Organisations
Other funding
€ 0,00