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Archaeology in West Africa could rewrite the textbooks on human evolution

Archaeology in West Africa could rewrite the textbooks on human evolution

OUR species, Homo sapiens, rose in Africa some 300,000 years ago. The objects that early humans made and used, known as the Middle Stone Age material culture, are found throughout much of Africa and include a vast range of innovations. ELEANOR SCERRI, Independent Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Among them are bow and arrow technology, specialised tool forms, the long-distance transport of objects such as marine shells and obsidian, personal ornamentation, the use of pigments, water storage, and art. Although it is possible that other ancestors of modern humans contributed to this material culture…
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What archaeology tells us about the music and sounds made by Africa’s ancestors

What archaeology tells us about the music and sounds made by Africa’s ancestors

JOSHUA KUMBANI, PhD Candidate, University of the Witwatersrand MUSIC has been part and parcel of humanity for a long time. Not every sound is musical, but sound has meaning and sometimes the meaning of sound is specific to its context. But when it comes to archaeology there is scant evidence of music or sound producing artefacts from southern Africa. This is because of poor preservation of the mostly organic materials that were used to manufacture musical instruments. Rock art offers depictions of musical instruments as well as scenes of dancing that can be linked with music performance, but here only…
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