Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Archaeology of the Middle Stone Age

Under the guidance of Dr. Martha Tappen, Aaron Armstrong will study three South African archeological sites, focusing on small mammal remains. The goal of this investigation is to provide a more complete picture of the Middle Stone Age (MSA, 280-35 thousand year ago) diet, a question central to understanding the evolution of modern humans. The dataset will consist of MSA and Later Stone Age (LSA,

In recent years an abundance of paleoanthropological research has emerged that suggests both the modern human lineage and behavioral repertoire first appeared in Africa during the MSA. In particular, South Africa has produced a range of MSA archaeological sites that exhibit evidence of the modern human behavioral repertoire such as the production of elaborate tools and material culture suggestive of symbolic expression. Though it is clear that MSA humans preyed upon a variety of large mammals and exploited sessile or less-mobile organisms such as shellfish and tortoises, the foraging strategies of these humans are not well understood as subsistence research has tended to focus on large mammals at the expense of small prey. The study proposed here is a detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological assessment of MSA small mammal accumulations designed to address this disparity.

The foraging capacities of MSA humans is of direct relevance to understanding how and why modern humans dispersed from the African continent ~60 thousand years ago and rapidly replaced populations of archaic humans throughout Eurasia. A comprehensive analysis that includes the small mammals at South African MSA sites will provide a more complete understanding of MSA diet and is vital to the study of this critical time period in human evolution as subsistence strategies and foraging adaptations have played a central role in debates concerning the behavioral modernity of MSA humans. By determining the role humans played in the accumulation of small mammals at DK1, PP13B, and PP5-6, Mr. Armstrong will be able to address the following questions: Were humans responsible for the accumulation of small mammals at MSA sites in South Africa? If so, why were these resources targeted over others? Were small mammals an important component of the diet? Did diet breadth increase during the MSA of South Africa?

Mr. Armstrong will communicate the results of his study to the scientific community and general public through publications in refereed journals, conference presentations, and public lectures. This dissertation project will further his training in taphonomy and zooarcheology through the data collection, analysis, and curate of the materials in question. Proper curation of the collections will facilitate access by future researchers. The project also calls for the training of two South African undergraduate students to assist in collection curation and faunal identification. Training of this type promotes both international academic collaboration and aids in the preservation of South African cultural heritage.