Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Origins Of Modern Human Behavior

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Under the supervision of Dr. Curtis Marean at Arizona State University, Benjamin Schoville will study how early modern humans used stone tool technology to adapt to changing climates and coastlines in the Middle Stone Age (MSA, ~280-40 thousand years ago) of South Africa. This time period and region is critical for our understanding of modern human origins and documents when the unique set of cultural and behavioral traits common to all human populations today began to appear. Genetic and archaeological data indicate modern humans originated in Africa, but not every population survived and spread out of Africa. It is not well known how the environments of Africa influenced human biological and behavioral evolution in the MSA; however, several breakthrough technologies such as stone-tipped spears and long-range projectiles appear during this time period. By analyzing a cross-section of archaeological assemblages from the coast and interior, within enclosed spaces such as caves and on the open landscape, the researchers will provide clarity on how early humans used such technologies to forage for food. A defining trait of the human lineage is the creation, use, and transmission of cultural and technological knowledge. Understanding the interactions between technology and the environment is essential to illuminating the role of culture during the origin of our species. This study is focused on understanding ancient tool use from the study of lithic edge damage patterns at archaeological assemblages in southern Africa by using innovative image-based quantitative methods for analyzing stone tools. An extensive experimental program of modern tool use using replicated stone tools provides the comparative linkages between the archaeological artifacts and the tasks they were used for. The use of digital photographic methods makes advances in functional analysis while also allowing easy sharing with other researchers and archival accessibility. Together, the archaeological and experimental data produced by this project will provide new insights into how and why stone tools were made, used, and discarded - with important implications for the evolution of hunting, foraging, landscape use, warfare, and cooperation. The south coast of South Africa has a rich and complex MSA archaeological record including early evidence of complex behaviors and of occupation during cool and variable climates. By coupling their research with other researchers working on the paleoenvironments of southern Africa, transdisciplinary questions about how early humans structured their landscape tool-use behaviors will be addressed.