Resilience, and innovation in Late Pleistocene SE Africa
Genetic evidence suggests that successful modern human migration out of Africa is believed to have started c. 70,000 years ago, populating the whole world, at different rates and times. This incredible voyage took place because of human’s unique resilience, versatility, and innovation, both biological and cultural, to external stimuli, including ecological and environmental changes.
DISPERSALS will compare the human occupation and ecology between central Mozambique and eastern and southern Africa using a multi-scale approach based on the study of regional diachronic cultural traits. It will reconstruct regional population patterns, followed by comparative quantitative population genetics combined with GIS computational network analyses.
The results will be then integrated through Agent-based modeling, based on the incremental creation, elimination, or reorientation of network links to simulate a quantitative framework to study the evolution of population dispersal across southern-eastern Africa. The project will be crucial in providing ground-breaking high-resolution archaeological, chronological, and paleoenvironmental data.
DISPERSALS will deliver a fundamental perspective on the key processes that triggered migrations and dispersals within Africa and out-of-Africa which ultimately resulted in the human diaspora over the entire planet.
Archaeological record in central Mozambique pertinent to DISPERSALS
AK – Al Kharj Complex; Ap11 – Apolo 11; BC – Border Cave; Bl – Blombos Cave; BRS – Bushman Rock Shelter; Dh – Dhofar Complex; DRS – Diepkloof Rock Shelter; EBC – Elands Bay Cave; EyM – Enkapune ya Muto; Fl – Florisbad; GB – Gota Boticha; HP – Howiesons Poort; Ki – Kisese; KP – Kathu Pan; KRM – Klasies River; MB – Mochena Borago; Mc – Machampane complex; MC – Mumba Cave; Na – Nasera; PC – Por Epic; PP – Pinacle Point; PR – Praia da Rocha; PT – Praia do Tofo; PyS – Panga ya Saide; SC – Sodmein Cave; SI – Sai Island; Sib – Sibudu; Tx – Txina-Txina complex; WLR – Wilton Large Rock Shelter; Zi – Zimuara complex.