BONE TOOLS
By:
Dr Justin Bradfield
Date:
Thu, 02/08/2018 - 18:30
Venue:
Anthropology and Archaeology Museum, Department of Anthropology & Archaeology, 4 th floor, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA Muckleneuk campus, 1 Preller St., Muckleneuk, Pretoria
Branch:
Northern
SPECIAL LECTURE IN PRETORIA
Sherry will be served from 18:30 to give people a chance to meet
BONE TOOLS
Dr Justin Bradfield
Date: Thursday, 2 August 2018
Venue: The University of South Africa (UNISA),
Time: 18:30 for 19:00
Anthropology and Archaeology Museum, Department of Anthropology & Archaeology,
4th floor, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA Muckleneuk campus, 1 Preller St., Muckleneuk, Pretoria
Charge:
Non-members: R30, members: free
This presentation focuses on bone, shell and ivory technology on the African continent. Organic implements form an integral component of all hunter-gatherer communities, yet historically they have received comparatively little attention by archaeologists due to the better preservation of lithic artefacts. In this presentation we explore some of the better-known examples of bone, shell and ivory working among hominins and early humans spanning the last 2 million years of history on the African continent. We look at some of the debates that have re-emerged from the study of organic implements and at the potential of organic technology studies to provide crucial insights into techno-cultural shifts. The huge diversity of material culture represented in this category of artefact is highlighted. Dr Bradfield completed his Doctorate at the University of Johannesburg after having completed his previous degrees at Wits. He then moved back to Wits to complete two post-doctoral fellowships before being offered a research and teaching position at UJ, where he is currently based. Dr Bradfield’s research focuses on the application of use-trace analyses to bone technology. He was nominated for the Kambule NSTF award in the category of emerging researchers in 2016 and he currently serves as the Field and Technical editor for the South African Archaeological Bulletin. He is an NRF-rated scientist.