About
I have a continuing fascination with the development of technology and in particular the transition from hand-held to 'combinatorial' or hafted technology (tools made from two or more parts). That transition lies at the core of my current research in Zambia ('Deep Roots of Humanity Project) with ongoing analyses of artefacts and deposits from two key localities: Victoria Falls and Kalambo Falls. These sites preserve Early and Middle Stone assemblages and at Kalambo Falls wood tools have been preserved in waterlogged deposits. We have from this site unexpected early evidence from 500,000 years ago for combinatorial technology in the form of a structure shaped from wood dated (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06557-9). This discovery forces us to examine our assumptions about the planning abilities and skills of early humans.