Studying Human Origins in South Africa (Image 2)

Curtis Marean of Arizona State University collects geologic samples along the coast of Pinnacle Point, a sea cliff on the south coast of South Africa. On-going archaeological research in the area has yielded evidence of early human use of shellfish and other marine resources and the use of fire. The cave has been the focus of intense excavation work since 2000.

The fieldwork and laboratory work for this project have been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) since 1999 (grants BCS 99-12465, BCS 01-30713 and BCS 05-24087).

To learn more about this research, see the NSF Discovery story from October 2007, Seafood Makes Waves: Humans Leave Homez. (Date of Image: May 2007)

Credit: South African Coast Paleoclimate, Paleoenvironment, Paleoecology, Paleoanthropology Project (SACP4), Arizona State University; Curtis W. Marean, Director