Southern Africa is a significant region for archaeology, with evidence from sites inspiring debates on human origins and complex cognition. Archaeologists have developed theoretical work that influences rock art studies worldwide, and the relationship between archaeological and anthropological data is central to understanding past communities. New work on pre-colonial states challenges previous models and emphasises Indigenous agency, while the transformations wrought by European colonialism are being rewritten to decolonise the discipline. Peter Mitchell's revised and updated edition provides a comprehensive synthesis of southern Africa's archaeology over more than three million years.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 584 pages
Publication date: 06 June 2024
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Southern Africa is home to some of humanity's earliest ancestors, and its rich rock art heritage has inspired key debates on human origins and the emergence of complex cognition. Archaeologists have developed theoretical work that continues to influence rock art studies worldwide, with the relationship between archaeological and anthropological data central to understanding past hunter-gatherer, pastoralist, and farmer communities alike. New work on pre-colonial states contests models that previously explained their emergence via external trade, while the transformations wrought by European colonialism are being rewritten to emphasise Indigenous agency, feeding into efforts to decolonise the discipline itself. Inhabited by humans longer than almost anywhere else and with an unusually varied, complex past, southern Africa thus has much to contribute to archaeology worldwide. In this revised and updated edition, Peter Mitchell provides a comprehensive and extensively illustrated synthesis of its archaeology over more than three million years.

Southern Africa's Rich Archaeological Heritage

Southern Africa is home to some of humanity's earliest ancestors, and its rich rock art heritage has inspired key debates on human origins and the emergence of complex cognition. Archaeologists have developed theoretical work that continues to influence rock art studies worldwide, with the relationship between archaeological and anthropological data central to understanding past hunter-gatherer, pastoralist, and farmer communities alike. New work on pre-colonial states contests models that previously explained their emergence via external trade, while the transformations wrought by European colonialism are being rewritten to emphasise Indigenous agency, feeding into efforts to decolonise the discipline itself. Inhabited by humans longer than almost anywhere else and with an unusually varied, complex past, southern Africa thus has much to contribute to archaeology worldwide. In this revised and updated edition, Peter Mitchell provides a comprehensive and extensively illustrated synthesis of its archaeology over more than three million years.

Weight: 1196g
Dimension: 178 x 254 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009324755
Edition number: 2 Revised edition