Middle Stone Age (MSA) site distributions in eastern Africa and their relationship to Quaternary environmental change, refugia and the evolution of Homo sapiens
Middle Stone Age (MSA) site distributions in eastern Africa and their relationship to Quaternary environmental change, refugia and the evolution of Homo sapiens
This paper considers the evolution of Homo sapiens in eastern Africa in relation to refugia and bottlenecks around 200 ka BP, at a macro scale. Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithics, site distributions and locations are analysed in relation to palaeovegetation maps of the last glacial/interglacial cycle, which are used as a proxy for earlier climate cycles. A “push and pull” model is then postulated for the spread of Homo sapiens out of refugia in eastern Africa, involving both volcanism (push) and habitat availability (pull). A date within OIS 5 is suggested for this expansion to other parts of the continent, and potentially further afield, contrary to a frequently proposed expansion within OIS 3.
2484-2498
Basell, Laura S.
ae407526-06c4-4ab2-8285-b909e5e8a1ce
December 2008
Basell, Laura S.
ae407526-06c4-4ab2-8285-b909e5e8a1ce
Basell, Laura S.
(2008)
Middle Stone Age (MSA) site distributions in eastern Africa and their relationship to Quaternary environmental change, refugia and the evolution of Homo sapiens.
[in special issue: Ice Age Refugia and Quaternary Extinctions: An Issue of Quaternary Evolutionary Palaeoecology]
Quaternary Science Reviews, 27 (27-28), .
(doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.09.010).
Abstract
This paper considers the evolution of Homo sapiens in eastern Africa in relation to refugia and bottlenecks around 200 ka BP, at a macro scale. Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithics, site distributions and locations are analysed in relation to palaeovegetation maps of the last glacial/interglacial cycle, which are used as a proxy for earlier climate cycles. A “push and pull” model is then postulated for the spread of Homo sapiens out of refugia in eastern Africa, involving both volcanism (push) and habitat availability (pull). A date within OIS 5 is suggested for this expansion to other parts of the continent, and potentially further afield, contrary to a frequently proposed expansion within OIS 3.
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Published date: December 2008
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Local EPrints ID: 170575
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/170575
ISSN: 0277-3791
PURE UUID: c94e7f06-5249-4d7b-ab2c-34857b870ce0
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Date deposited: 07 Jan 2011 15:23
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:24
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Author:
Laura S. Basell
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