A5015254500- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Global Maritime and Colonial Histories
- Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
- Forensic and Genetic Research
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Race, Genetics, and Society
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Colonialism, slavery, and trade
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Biodiversity
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Anthropological Studies and Insights
- Animal Diversity and Health Studies
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Paleopathology and ancient diseases
- Agriculture and Rural Development Research
- Marine animal studies overview
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- African history and culture analysis
- Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications
Rice University
2021-2025
Harvard University
2007-2023
Saint Louis University
2011-2021
Institute for Advanced Study
2017
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway
2016
UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels
2012
Harvard University Press
2008
Abstract Multiple lines of genetic and archaeological evidence suggest that there were major demographic changes in the terminal Late Pleistocene epoch early Holocene sub-Saharan Africa 1–4 . Inferences about this period are challenging to make because shifts past 5,000 years have obscured structures more ancient populations 3,5 Here we present genome-wide DNA data for six individuals from eastern south-central spanning approximately 18,000 (doubling time depth African DNA), increase quality...
East African genetics and pastoralism The origin spread of domestic animals across the globe also affected underlying genetic composition human populations. In Africa, however, it has been difficult to identify impact interactions among migrating food producers local hunter-gatherers. Prendergast et al. wanted discern timing movement husbandry its effects on foraging communities in Africa. They sequenced 41 ancient eastern genomes from individuals that lived approximately 100 4000 years ago....
The Middle to Later Stone Age transition in Africa has been debated as a significant shift human technological, cultural, and cognitive evolution. However, the majority of research on this is currently focused southern due lack long-term, stratified sites across much African continent. Here, we report 78,000-year-long archeological record from Panga ya Saidi, cave humid coastal forest Kenya. Following toolkits ~67,000 years ago, novel symbolic technological behaviors assemble non-unilinear...
We are a group of archaeologists, anthropologists, curators and geneticists representing diverse global communities 31 countries. All us met in virtual workshop dedicated to ethics ancient DNA research held November 2020. There was widespread agreement that globally applicable ethical guidelines needed, but recent recommendations grounded discussion about on human remains from North America not always generalizable worldwide. Here we propose the following guidelines, taking into...
AbstractSmall-scale excavations were recently undertaken at the site of Ukunju Cave in Mafia Archipelago, Tanzania, to collect new bioarchaeological and material culture data relating site's occupation nature early subsistence long-distance trade region. Our findings suggest that cave began during Middle Iron Age (MIA, seventh tenth centuries AD), as indicated by presence local Early Tana Tradition (ETT)/Triangular Incised Ware (TIW) pottery lowest layers above bedrock, well small quantities...
With rising sea levels at the end of Pleistocene, land-bridge or continental islands were formed around world. Many these have been extensively studied from a biogeographical perspective, particularly in terms impacts island creation on terrestrial vertebrates. However, majority studies rely contemporary faunal distributions rather than fossil data. Here, we present archaeological findings Zanzibar (also known as Unguja) off eastern African coast, to provide temporal perspective...
Abstract The urban peoples of the Swahili coast traded across eastern Africa and Indian Ocean were among first practitioners Islam sub-Saharan people 1,2 . extent to which these early interactions between Africans non-Africans accompanied by genetic exchange remains unknown. Here we report ancient DNA data for 80 individuals from 6 medieval modern ( ad 1250–1800) coastal towns an inland town after 1650. More than half many originates primarily female ancestors Africa, with a large...
Recent excavations carried out in several Bed I and II sites have shown that hominins at Olduvai Gorge used both bipolar freehand knapping methods for quartz reduction. Due to the petrographic nature of its heterogeneous response fracture, identification any given site can be ambiguous controversial. This work aims overcome this problem by developing an experimental referential framework recognition characteristic features flakes produced through reduction Naibor Soit cores. The final goal...
Recent archaeological research has firmly established eastern Africa's offshore islands as important localities for understanding the region's pre-Swahili maritime adaptations and early Indian Ocean trade connections. While importance of sea small to development urbanized mercantile Swahili societies long been recognized, formative stages island colonization—and in particular processes by which migrating Iron Age groups essentially became "maritime"—are still relatively poorly understood....
The spread of agriculture across sub-Saharan Africa has long been attributed to the large-scale migration Bantu-speaking groups out their west Central African homeland from about 4000 years ago. These are seen as having expanded rapidly sub-continent, carrying an 'Iron Age' package farming, metal-working, and pottery, largely replacing pre-existing hunter-gatherers along way. While elements 'traditional' Bantu model have deconstructed in recent years, one main constraints on developing a...
Recent methodological advances have increased the pace and scale of African ancient DNA (aDNA) research, inciting a rush to sample broadly from museum collections, raising ethical concerns over destruction human remains. In absence discipline-wide protocols, teams are often left navigate aDNA sampling on an individual basis, contributing widely varying practices that do not always protect long-term integrity collections. As those frontline, archaeologists curators must create adhere best...
Human-mediated biological exchange has had global social and ecological impacts. In sub-Saharan Africa, several domestic commensal animals were introduced from Asia in the pre-modern period; however, timing nature of these introductions remain contentious. One model supports introduction to eastern African coast after mid-first millennium CE, while another posits dating back 3000 BCE. These distinct scenarios have implications for understanding emergence long-distance maritime connectivity,...
Recent re-excavation of Mumba Rockshelter unearthed an unbiased lithic sample from Bed V. Technological analysis has permitted a reinterpretation the so-called Industry, transitional industry between Middle and Later Stone Ages originally defined by Mehlman (1989). Our data confirm Mehlman’s observation that “evolutionary” markers in V are basically typological. However, our study differs his we classify all as LSA based on combined analyses typology technology excavated assemblage. From...
The morphological differentiation of African bovids in highly fragmented zooarchaeological assemblages is a major hindrance to reconstructing the nature and spread pastoralism sub-Saharan Africa. Here we employ collagen peptide mass fingerprinting, known as Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), coupled with recently published ZooMS reference datasets, identify domesticates wild Iron Age at cave site Panga ya Saidi southeast Kenya. Through have identified all three livestock—sheep...
Mumba Rockshelter in northern Tanzania presents one of the richest and most complete archaeological sequences East Africa for Middle Stone Age through Iron Age. Past excavations shelter revealed an extremely rich lithic faunal assemblage, but were problematic, either because poor excavation recording methods (in 1930s), or materials never fully studied 1979/1981 excavations). In both cases, excavators had concluded that contained a deposit without visible separation between levels....
Kuumbi Cave is one of a group caves that underlie flight marine terraces in Pleistocene limestone eastern Zanzibar (Indian Ocean). Drawing on the findings geoarchaeological field survey and archaeological excavation, we discuss formation evolution its wider littoral landscape. In later part Quaternary (last ca. 250,000 years?), speleogenesis terrace were driven by interplay between glacioeustatic sea level change crustal uplift at rates 0.10-0.20 mm/yr. Two units backreef/reef deposited...