A Current Bibliography on African Affairs - Baywood Publishing

A CURRENT BIBLIOGRAPHY ON AFRICAN AFFAIRS, Vol. 42(4) 345-443, 2009-2010
ARCHAEOLOGY, PALEONTOLOGY, AND GEOLOGY
1126. Chazan, M. et al. RADIOMETRIC DATING OF THE EARLIER STONE AGE
SEQUENCE IN EXCAVATION AT WONDERWERK CAVE, SOUTH AFRICA:
PRELIMINARY RESULTS. Journal of Human Evolution. 2008, 55(1):1-11.
We present here the results of 44 paleomagnetic measurements, and single cosmogenic
burial and optically stimulated luminescence ages for the Earlier Stone Age deposits from
Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape, South Africa. The resulting paleomagnetic sequence:
N>R>N>R>N constrains the Earlier Stone Age strata in this part of the site to between
approximately 0.78-1.96 Ma. A single cosmogenic date of approximately 2.0 Ma from the
base of the section offers some corroboration for the paleomagnetic sequence. Preliminary
results indicate that the same lithic assemblage from the basal stratum may contain an
Oldowan facies. This is overlain by several strata containing Acheulean industries. The preliminary
radiometric dates reported here place the onset of the Acheulean at this site to
approximately 1.6 Ma, which is roughly contemporaneous with that of East Africa.
1127. Elton, S. THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF HUMAN EVOLUTIONARY
HISTORY IN EURASIA AND AFRICA. Journal of Anatomy. 2008, 212(4):377-393.
This review has three main aims: (1) to make specific predictions about the habitat of the
hypothetical last common ancestor of the chimpanzee/bonobo-human clade; (2) to outline
the major trends in environments between 8-6 Ma and the late Pleistocene; and (3) to pinpoint
when, and in some cases where, human ancestors evolved to cope with the wide range
of habitats they presently tolerate. Several lines of evidence indicate that arboreal environments,
particularly woodlands, were important habitats for late Miocene hominids and
hominins, and therefore possibly for the last common ancestor of the chimpanzee/bonobohuman
clade.
1128. Habgood, P. J., and N. R. Franklin. THE REVOLUTION THAT DIDN’T
ARRIVE: A REVIEW OF PLEISTOCENE SAHUL. Journal of Human Evolution. 2008,
55(2):187-222.
There is a “package” of cultural innovations that are claimed to reflect modern human
behaviour. The introduction of the “package” has been associated with the Middle-to-
Upper Palaeolithic transition and the appearance in Europe of modern humans. It has been
proposed that modern humans spread from Africa with the “package” and colonized not
only Europe but also southern Asia and Australia. In order to evaluate this proposal, we
explore the late Pleistocene archaeological record of Sahul, the combined landmass of
Australia and Papua New Guinea, for indications of these cultural innovations at the
earliest sites. It was found that following initial occupation of the continent by anatomically
and behaviorally modern humans, the components were gradually assembled over a
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