Dynamics of subsistence and technology before and during the Still Bay at Sibudu, South Africa

非洲南部的中石器时代(MSA)在人类早期行为进化的研究中起着至关重要的作用。这项研究项目旨在描述早期现代人在南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔的西布杜洞穴静水湾之前和期间的石器技术和生存策略。尽管南部非洲MSA的许多研究都集中在静止湾(SB)及其作为文化荧光时期在智人行为进化中的潜在作用上，但这种技术复合体的定义、变异性和时间持续时间仍然存在争议。该项目对四步都洞中的Sb和前Sb矿床进行了研究。该遗址保存了一个高分辨率、测年准确的Sb层序，但也保留了更深的、迄今未被研究的地层，这两个矿床都含有丰富的石制品和动物群遗迹。对这些地层的岩性和动物群分析将采用多种方法来识别这部分文化地层层序的特征和时间变异性。该项目涉及Sibuu的双面技术的性质和持续时间，这些阶段是否与特定的狩猎策略相关，以及这些行为特征与南部非洲内外的其他地点相比如何。最后，我们旨在批判性地评估SB作为技术复合体的地位以及双面技术在非洲早期现代人文化进化中的作用。

The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of southern Africa plays a crucial role in the study of the early behavioral evolution of our species. This research project aims at characterizing the lithic technology and subsistence strategies of early modern humans before and during the Still Bay at Sibudu Cave, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Although much research in the southern African MSA has concentrated on the Still Bay (SB) and its potential role in the behavioral evolution of Homo sapiens as a period of cultural fluorescence, the definition, variability and temporal duration of this technocomplex is still open to debate. This project examines the SB and pre-SB deposits from Sibudu Cave. The site preserves a high-resolution, well-dated SB sequence but also deeper and so-far unstudied strata, with both deposits being rich in stone artifacts and faunal remains. The lithic and faunal analyzes of these layers will employ multiple methods to identify the features and temporal variability of this part of the cultural stratigraphic sequence. The project addresses questions about the nature and duration of bifacial technologies at Sibudu, whether or not these phases are associated with particular hunting strategies, and how these behavioral features compare to other sites within and beyond southern Africa. Finally, we aim critically to evaluate the status of the SB as a technocomplex and the role of bifacial technology with regard to the cultural evolution of early modern humans within Africa.