An archaeologist’s perspective on the Miombo woodlands of south-central Africa

  • Date: Feb 12, 2025
  • Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Professor Larry Barham, University of Liverpool, Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology
  • Location: Online
  • Host: Human Palaeosystems Research Group
  • Contact: kutowsky@gea.mpg.de
 	 	 	 	 An archaeologist’s perspective on the miombo woodlands of south-central Africa

Semi-deciduous woodland-savanna spans Angola to Malawi making it one of the largest zones of endemism in Africa (White 1983; Chidumayo 2001). This talk draws on more than 30 years of experience of archaeological research in Zambia and will focus on the Miombo woodlands. (The vernacular term Miombo refers to three genera of fire adapted leguminous trees found across the region’s high plateau.) Recent excavations at Kalambo Falls provide clear evidence of the human use of these woodland resources between ~500,000 and 300,000 years ago, and for purposes beyond immediate subsistence needs (Barham et al. 2023). The associated stone repertoire warrants further analysis following these discoveries with use-wear research underway at the University of Liège. This ongoing research will be discussed along with results of excavations at Mumbwa Caves in the 1990s which show impacts of climate change on the distribution of Miombo woodlands in the late Middle Pleistocene (MIS6) and Late Pleistocene (MIS5e-MIS2) (Barham et al. 2000). We end with the contemporary record of an endangered body of material knowledge, the making of bark cloth, now disappearing with globalisation.

About the Speaker

Professor Larry Barham, a leading researcher at the University of Liverpool's Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, has long focused on the development of human technology, particularly the transition from hand-held to hafted tools. His investigations have a strong emphasis on Africa, particularly Zambia, where he has conducted fieldwork since 1993. Through projects like the Deep Roots of Human Behaviour, Barham and his interdisciplinary team study key sites such as Kalambo Falls and the Luangwa Valley. These locations provide rich evidence for the Early to Middle Stone Age transition, which predates the emergence of Homo sapiens but marks the advent of revolutionary techniques like hafting.

Barham's research spans experimental archaeology, paleoecology, and the study of symbols and language in early hominins. His work explores the cognitive and social developments that accompanied technological advancements, contributing to a deeper understanding of early human adaptation to their environment.

References

Barham, L. ed. 2000. The Middle Stone Age of Zambia, South Central Africa. Bristol: Western Academic & Specialist Press. 303 p.

Barham, L., Duller, G.A.T., Candy, I., Scott, C., Cartwright, C.R., Peterson, J.R., Kabukcu, C., Chapot, M.S., Melia, F., Rots,V., George, N., Taipale, N., Gethin, P., Nkombwe, P. 2023. Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago. Nature 622, pages 107–111. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06557-9

Chidumayo, E. N. 2001.Climate and phenology of savanna vegetation in southern Africa. Journal of Vegetation Science 12(3): 347-354.

White, F. 1983. The vegetation of Africa: a descriptive memoir to accompany the Unesco/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa. Paris, Unesco.

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