Early human use of marine resources and pigment in South Africa during the Middle Pleistocene

Abstract

Genetic and anatomical evidence suggests that Homo sapiens arose in Africa between 200 and 100 thousand years (kyr) ago, and recent evidence indicates symbolic behaviour may have appeared approximately 135-75 kyr ago. From 195-130 kyr ago, the world was in a fluctuating but predominantly glacial stage (marine isotope stage MIS6); much of Africa was cooler and drier, and dated archaeological sites are rare. Here we show that by approximately 164 kyr ago (+/-12 kyr) at Pinnacle Point (on the south coast of South Africa) humans expanded their diet to include marine resources, perhaps as a response to these harsh environmental conditions. The earliest previous evidence for human use of marine resources and coastal habitats was dated to approximately 125 kyr ago. Coincident with this diet and habitat expansion is an early use and modification of pigment, probably for symbolic behaviour, as well as the production of bladelet stone tool technology, previously dated to post-70 kyr ago. Shellfish may have been crucial to the survival of these early humans as they expanded their home ranges to include coastlines and followed the shifting position of the coast when sea level fluctuated over the length of MIS6.

Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans

“…The number of microfossil types roughly correlates with dietary breadth, or overall number of plant species that population consumed. However, because the number of types increases as the sample size increases (Grayson, 1984), we calculated Menhinick's index, a measure of species richness that accounts for sample size, which is commonly used in ecological studies (Magurran, 2004). The formula is S/ON, where S is the number of species (in this case, the number of microremain types in the population), and N is the total number of individuals (in this case, the total number of microremains in the population).…”

“…These groups consumed more marine and fish resources (Drucker and Bocherens, 2004;Marean et al, 2007;McBrearty and Brooks, 2000;Richards et al, 2001;O'Connor et al, 2011), developed specialized technologies, such as complex projectile weapons and fishing Brooks et al, 1995Brooks et al, , 2006O'Connor et al, 2011), and possibly a more sophisticated social organization, with a sexual division of labor (Kuhn and Stiner, 2006) that allowed them to acquire a wider variety of food more efficiently.…”

The Red Sea, Coastal Landscapes, and Hominin Dispersals

“…Walter et al, 2000;Mannino and Thomas, 2002;Oppenheimer, 2003;Bulbeck, 2007;Marean et al, 2007;Turner and O'Regan, 2007), but the evidence in its support is at best weak (Bailey et al 2007a;Bailey in press), and raises a number of unresolved questions. Examination of potential routes between Northeast Africa and the Indian subcontinent (Field and Lahr 2005;Field et al 2006) suggests that there are a number of significant barriers along the coastal corridor that would have required long diversions inland, although the question of what constitutes a barrier, especially under paleogeographic and environmental conditions unlike those of today, remains to be explored in more detail.…”

Putslaagte 1 (PL1), the Doring River, and the later Middle Stone Age in southern Africa's Winter Rainfall Zone

“…Linking these lithic assemblages is a paucity of retouched flakes, with denticulates perhaps being the most common form (Thompson and Marean, 2008;Volman, 1980;Will et al, 2013;Wurz, 2012). Earlier MSA assemblages are currently known from many sites in the WRZ/YRZ, including Cape St Blaize, Nelson Bay Cave, Klasies River, Blombos Cave, Pinnacle Point, Die Kelders, Peers Cave, Ysterfontein, Hoedjiespunt, Elands Bay Cave, Diepkloof, Hollow Rock Shelter and Klipfonteinrand (Avery, 1997;Avery et al, 2008;Högberg and Larsson, 2011;Mackay, 2009;Marean, 2010;Marean et al, 2007;Porraz et al, 2013a;Thompson and Marean, 2008;Volman, 1980;Will et al, 2013).…”