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SUMMARY:New insights on the Middle Stone Age of Eastern Africa  - Lucy Tim
 brell\, University of Liverpool
DTSTART:20231110T163000Z
DTEND:20231110T180000Z
UID:TALK207019@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Anna Mika
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract:*\n\nEastern Africa maintains a key position in deba
 tes surrounding the evolution of Homo sapiens. Extensive research in the r
 egion has revealed a rich fossil and Middle Stone Age (MSA) record\, provi
 ding an important laboratory to test hypotheses about the evolution of our
  species\, especially in relation to paleoclimatic change. Multiple archae
 ological studies of the eastern African MSA note a link between the distri
 bution of sites\, hominin diversity and environmental conditions. This tal
 k will review the archaeological and climatic records Middle-Late Pleistoc
 ene eastern Africa and discusses their implications for understanding the 
 evolution of Homo sapiens. Drawing upon my own research\, I will discuss t
 he potential of the region as a refugial zone within Pleistocene Africa\, 
 likely providing consistently suitable conditions for survival that were c
 haracterised by high biodiversity\, allowing population persistence as wel
 l as material culture diversification. I will also explore the interplay b
 etween evolutionary processes that may have resulted in the complex patter
 ns observed throughout the African MSA record\, including the appearance o
 f ‘specific’ innovations against a backdrop of more ‘generic’ MSA 
 elements.\n
LOCATION:McDonald Institute Seminar Room\, Department of Archaeology
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