• Still Bay techno-complex and bifacial technology
• Middle Stone Age in Southern Africa
• Behavioral modernity

In recent decades the Still Bay (SB) techno-complex of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) has often been regarded as an exceptionally innovative period. The tireless focus on SB points has overemphasized the homogeneity but masked the complexity and diversity within the SB techno-complex. This emphasis on a singular artifact type has resulted in the oversight of other lithic artifacts, misrepresenting the complete reduction sequence and technological diversity in these assemblages.

Sibhudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal contains one of the longest MSA sequences in southern Africa. After numerous, highly successful seasons of excavation by Lyn Wadley of the University of the Witwatersrand, the Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology of the University of Tübingen under Conard’s direction, has conducted yearly field seasons at the site since 2011. Sibhudu preserves rich SB assemblages with high, spatial-temporal resolution within a well-established cultural sequence. The site thus provides a unique opportunity to investigate the diversity and regional variation of the SB. This research project, focusing on techno-economic and techno-functional analyses of the SB assemblages from layers Winnie, Walter, Viola and Victor, aims to assess diachronic change in technology and site-use. By reconstructing the overall characteristics of the SB at Sibhudu, we intend to discuss the properties of SB assemblages to establish the degree of variability within this cultural taxonomic. This research will provide fresh insights into behavioral complexity and cultural evolution during the MSA of southern Africa.

Lectures

2023 Kong, X. & Conard, N. J.  New Perspectives on the Still Bay lithic assemblages from Sibhudu Cave, KZN, South Africa. 20th Annual UISPP Conference in Timişoara 4-9. September 2023 (Presentation)

Publications

Fang, Q., Kong, X., Ding, B., Liu, W., Lu, J., Qu, Q., Juan, C., Wei, J., and Jing, Z. (2019). A preliminary report on the survey of Dajinshan site and Xifenghualing site in Jilin Province, China. [in Chinese]

Fang, Q, Kong, X. (2018). Research on the Biggest Pit House of Changshan Site, China. [in Chinese]