TRACSYMBOLS (2010 -2015) Tracing the evolution of symbolically mediated

behaviours within variable environments in

Europe and southern Africa

Christopher Henshilwood (PI) 1,2

-PI)3,1

1. AHKR Institute, University of Bergen, Norway

2. Institute for Human Evolution, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

3. PACEA UMR 5199, University of Bordeaux 1, France

http://www.tracsymbols.eu

TRACSYMBOLS PROJECT

2010-2015

>30 Specialist Researchers

University of Bergen, Norway

University of Bordeaux, France

+ 8 UNIVERSITIES

Additional UiB (Geosciences)

South

African post-

docs at UiB

+ 1 in 2013

Joint UiB/ Wits

researchers

UiB

PI & co-PI

+11

Multi-disciplinary

Additional Tracsymbols

Researchers

Anne Delagnes

Joint Bordeaux 1/ Wits University

Simon Armitage

Royal Holloway University

Paola Villa

Univ. Colorado

Benoit Dubreuil

Univ. Montreal

Post-docs

at Bordeaux

Co-PI

Bordeaux

(also UiB adjunct)

+11

Multi-disciplinary

Additional

Univ. Bordeaux 1/Paris

+ 2 new post docs

Dunia Urrego William Banks

Maria Fernanda Sanchez Goni

Masa Kageyama

Anne-Laure Daniau Renata Moreno

Marian Vanhaeren

Masters & PhD Students University of Bergen

University of the Witwatersrand

PhD PhD PhD

PhD PhD

Key Aims

of

TRACSYMBOLS

2010 - 2015

1. To examine how key behavioural innovations

emerged among Homo sapiens and Homo

neanderthalensis in southern Africa and Europe

respectively

2. Explore whether and how environmental variability

influenced this development between 180 25 ka

[Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 6 3]

Key Aims

of

TRACSYMBOLS

European Research Neanderthal Material Culture

Sites: Pech-de I and IV, La Quina, La Micoque, Les Tares, Caminade,

Canalette, La Chapelle-aux-Saints, Montgaudier, , Grotte Néron, La

Ferrassie, Beçov, Grotta del Cavallo, Chez Pourrez, Marillac

ochre, bone tools, engravings

SOUTHERN AFRICAN RESEARCH

The Middle Stone Age in Africa

c. 300, 000 30,000 years

Associated with Homo sapiens

With a focus on MIS 6 - 3

180 000 25 000 years

Did H. sapiens have

recognizably human

minds when they

left Africa at c. 80 000 60 000 yrs ago?

Perhaps long before -

?125 000?

Or only when they got to

Europe at c. 40 000 yrs ?

Excavation at Blombos Cave, South

Africa

Blombos Cave