Events
Research events play an important role in our active research culture. Academic staff from the University and other institutions come together with students to share and debate the latest ideas and developments.
| When | Time | Description | Add to your calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 January 2020 | 15:30 | The forensic taphonomy of the Rising Star cave system: Homo naledi and the evolution of hominin mortuary practicesThe Dinaledi and Lesedi Chambers of the Rising Star cave system have yielded more than 1500 fossil specimens which have been attributed to the de novo taxon Homo naledi. Multi-disciplinary lines of evidence (from structural geology, sedimentology, palaeo- and forensic taphonomy) exclude conventional depositional models seen in other caves in the Cradle of Humankind, including carnivore predation, scavenging, death trap, water transport, mudflow, and mass fatality. We have proposed that the remains of Homo naledi may have been deliberately introduced into the chamber by conspecifics through the practice of funerary caching. This presentation discusses the evolution of primary forms of mortuary practice, drawing on comparative anthropology and primatology to investigate the relationships between non-human primate reactions to death, and the origins of complex ritualised mortuary behaviours.. Full details | Add event |
| 6 February 2020 | 15:30 | Human occupation and environment during the Holocene in the Cauca River Valley, Colombia - with Juan Carlos BerrioHuman occupation and environment during the Holocene in the Cauca River Valley, Colombia - with Juan Carlos Berrio. Full details | Add event |