The Still Bay and Howiesons Poort, 77 - 59 ka: Symbolic material culture and the evolution of the mind during the African Middle Stone Age

The Still Bay and Howiesons Poort, 77 - 59 ka: Symbolic material culture and the evolution of the mind during the African Middle Stone Age

Henshilwood, C. S. & Dubreuil, B. 2011. The Still Bay and Howiesons Poort, 77 - 59 ka: Perspective-taking and the evolution of the modern human mind during the African Middle Stone Age. Current Anthropology. 52 (3): 361-400.

The evolution of anatomically modern Homo sapiens in Africa is followed by a period of rapid behavioural change that is observable in the archaeological record. From about 80 000 years ago, or perhaps before, our ancestors began to use personal ornaments, engrave abstract designs, and manufacture increasingly standardized tools. The significance of these innovations, their connection with biological evolution, and their implication for the evolution of the mind have been the object of passionate debates among archaeologists and cognitive scientists for a long time. At the centre of the discussion are two Middle Stone Age periods in southern Africa – the Still Bay and the Howiesons Poort, dated between about 77,000 and 59,000 years ago – that have yielded particularly rich and complete evidence of our ancestors’ inventiveness. The paper by Henshilwood and Dubreuil discusses the different theories about the evolution of the mind that have been proposed to account for these innovative ideas and practices. It draws on data from brain evolution and comparative neuroscience to argue that a change in the organisation of early Homo sapiens brains allowed them to better read each others’ intentions, beliefs, and desires. A vital outcome was that it produced a spate of changes in material culture and social organisation.