THE ROLE OF GEOPHYTES IN STONE AGE HUNTER-GATHERER SUBSISTENCE AND HUMAN EVOLUTION IN THE GREATER CAPE FLORISTIC REGION
By:
Dr Elzanne Singels
Date:
Tue, 14/05/2024 - 18:30 to 19:30
Venue:
SA Astronomical Observatory auditorium
Branch:
Western Cape
TUESDAY 14 MAY: 18:00 FOR 18:30 in the SAAO AUDITORIUM, OBSERVATORY
ABSTRACT: In this talk, Elzanne will share the results of her PhD research. It has been hypothesised that an adaptive shift to a starch-rich diet was an important driver in human evolution and supported the energetic requirements to sustain brain development throughout hominin evolution. Plants that possess underground storage organs (geophytes) have been put forward as the likely source of starch. Geophytes comprise a large portion of the plant diversity in the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR), where significant archaeological evidence of the evolution of human modernity has been identified in the Middle Stone Age (MSA). It is thought that the resources available in this region during this time period fueled the progression and development of complex language, art and tool production in early modern humans. The overall objective of this thesis was to determine the importance of geophytes in early modern human diets and the impact they might have had on human behaviour and cognition. Elzanne implemented an inter-disciplinary approach to evaluate different aspects of this food resource and its possible role in the subsistence of humans in the stone age.
SPEAKER: DR ELZANNE SINGELS
TITLE: “THE ROLE OF GEOPHYTES IN STONE AGE HUNTER-GATHERER SUBSISTENCE AND HUMAN EVOLUTION IN THE GREATER CAPE FLORISTIC REGION”
ABSTRACT: In this talk, Elzanne will share the results of her PhD research. It has been hypothesised that an adaptive shift to a starch-rich diet was an important driver in human evolution and supported the energetic requirements to sustain brain development throughout hominin evolution. Plants that possess underground storage organs (geophytes) have been put forward as the likely source of starch. Geophytes comprise a large portion of the plant diversity in the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR), where significant archaeological evidence of the evolution of human modernity has been identified in the Middle Stone Age (MSA). It is thought that the resources available in this region during this time period fueled the progression and development of complex language, art and tool production in early modern humans. The overall objective of this thesis was to determine the importance of geophytes in early modern human diets and the impact they might have had on human behaviour and cognition. Elzanne implemented an inter-disciplinary approach to evaluate different aspects of this food resource and its possible role in the subsistence of humans in the stone age.
BIO: Dr. Elzanne Singels is a botanist and archaeologist specialising in the flora of South Africa. She uses her unique combination of training, academic research and experience of African ecosystems to collaboratively shape equitable and regenerative livelihoods. She is currently the Sourcing Director of Grounded Ingredients and consults for various projects related to livelihood development, Palaeo-ethnobotany and sustainable agriculture. Elzanne obtained her MSc in Conservation Ecology at Stellenbosch University in 2013, and her PhD in Archaeology at the University of Cape Town in 2020.