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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Early human use of marine resources and pigment in South Africa during the Middle Pleistocene
Nature, Volume 449, No. 7164, Year 2007
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Description
Genetic and anatomical evidence suggests that Homo sapiens arose in Africa between 200 and 100 thousand years (kyr) ago, and recent evidence indicates symbolic behaviour may have appeared ∼135-75 kyr ago. From 195-130 kyr ago, the world was in a fluctuating but predominantly glacial stage (marine isotope stage MIS6); much of Africa was cooler and drier, and dated archaeological sites are rare. Here we show that by ∼164 kyr ago (±12 kyr) at Pinnacle Point (on the south coast of South Africa) humans expanded their diet to include marine resources, perhaps as a response to these harsh environmental conditions. The earliest previous evidence for human use of marine resources and coastal habitats was dated to ∼125 kyr ago. Coincident with this diet and habitat expansion is an early use and modification of pigment, probably for symbolic behaviour, as well as the production of bladelet stone tool technology, previously dated to post-70 kyr ago. Shellfish may have been crucial to the survival of these early humans as they expanded their home ranges to include coastlines and followed the shifting position of the coast when sea level fluctuated over the length of MIS6. ©2007 Nature Publishing Group.
Authors & Co-Authors
Marean, Curtis W.
United States, Tempe
Institute of Human Origins
Bar-Matthews, Miryam
Israel, Jerusalem
Geological Survey of Israel
Bernatchez, Jocelyn
United States, Tempe
Arizona State University
Fisher, Erich C.
United States, Gainesville
University of Florida
Goldberg, Paul S.
United States, Boston
Boston University
Herries, Andy I.R.
Australia, Sydney
Unsw Sydney
Jacobs, Zenobia
Australia, Wollongong
University of Wollongong
Jerardino, Antonieta
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Karkanas, Panagiotis
Greece, Athens
Ephoreia of Palaeoanthropology-speleology of Southern Greece
Minichillo, Tom
United States, Seattle
University of Washington
Nilssen, Peter J.
South Africa, Cape Town
Iziko South African Museum
Thompson, Erin
United States, Tempe
Institute of Human Origins
Watts, Ian
Unknown Affiliation
Williams, Hope M.
United States, Tempe
Arizona State University
Statistics
Citations: 829
Authors: 14
Affiliations: 11
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1038/nature06204
ISSN:
00280836
e-ISSN:
14764687
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Study Locations
South Africa