New study traces copper and tin from three Botswanan Iron Age sites, revealing a trade network that ran hundreds of kilometres across southern Africa's interior Jay Stephens and Dave Killick sampling in the field. Credit: J. Stephens For the past twenty years, researchers studying the Iron Age of southern Africa have been arguing about what drove societies to become more complex: was it competition to attract Swahili traders, stockpiling masses of glittering gold and gleaming

Excavations ahead of a hydroelectric dam uncover the earliest radiocarbon-dated burials and sole known cremation in pre-colonial Angola Tumuli illustration and photographs. Credit: D’Olivera et al. 2026 Many of the earliest European accounts of central Africa, including Angola, describe a people who dwelt in wooden homes. Their buildings were perishable; they rotted away over time, leaving little or no trace in the archaeological record. It was thought that using stone was a

Recent study reveals a rapid, non-destructive method for detecting burnt bone, extending one of the world’s oldest paleo-fire records. Inside Wonderwerk Cave. Credit: Atlas Obscura Myths across the world, from ancient China to Polynesia, in Native American stories, and beyond, tell the tale of how humans first attained fire. In some versions, it is one of the gods who steals or gifts fire to humanity. In others, humanity obtains it from the gods, sometimes through dubious mea

By Dimpho Malematja Between the valleys of land lived a plant that draws one in. The smell is particularly pleasant and strong yet its strength lies in its leaves, roots and stems. For decades plant-based medicine use has proven to be a crucial aspect of health and healing in Southern Africa. It has been explored and appreciated greatly by communities that continue to thrive on their knowledge of indigenous plant uses. The Khoi-San people are an exceptional example of people

Five days, seventeen countries, one amazing conference University of Mpumalanga at sunset. Credit: University of Mpumalanga. Mpumalanga, the place of the rising sun, was renamed in 1993, but its history is far older and richer than a few 33 years. It is the former homeland of the KaNgwane, parts of the Lebowa and Gazankulu, it hides ancient San rock art, natural wonders like the Sudwala Caves and hosts part of the world-famous Kruger National Park. And while not many people m

New study of a 252-million-year-old Lystrosaurus embryo provides the first compelling fossil evidence that early mammal ancestors laid eggs Imagine a tiny creature, curled up inside a leathery egg, in a hot and dusty world still reeling from the worst mass extinction Earth has ever seen. It never hatched. But 252 million years later, it would provide an answer to a question I was posed in school. In school, I learned about three main modes of animal reproduction based on wher

New Middle Permian Gorgonopsian from South Africa Reveals the Early Origins of Large-Bodied Apex Predators Jirahgorgon ceto fossilized skull and jaw (BP/1/8260). Credit: Macungo et al. 2026 Long before the wolves, crocodiles, and lions, long before the T. rex and Spinosaurus, there was a very different kind of predator that roamed the earth. During the middle Permian, ca. 265 million years ago (Ma), on the supercontinent Pangea, one of the earliest apex predators walked the e

Recent study identifies the world’s oldest cremation pyre and the earliest evidence of cremation in sub-Saharan Africa Fire image. Credit: Cullan Smith on Unsplash I can’t recall how old I was exactly, but I would say probably around 11. I was visiting the grave of my grandmother, watering the flowers and cleaning up the headstone, when, on my way back home, I noticed a young girl, likely seven or so years old. She was also near a grave, and when she saw me, she happily greet

Recent Study Reveals 60,000+-Year-Old Toxic Alkaloids on Microliths from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter, South Africa One of the analyzed Microlyths. Organic remains in which the arrowhead residues were identified (left), old catalogue information (right). Background, the flowers of the poisonous Boophone disticha plant. Credit: Marlize Lombard (microliths) and Wikimedia Commons (plant). Black and white, salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, so many things that work well toget

Recent Study Identifies Trance, Female and Male Initiation, and Entertainment Dances in South African Rock Art Tracing and image of the Lonyana dance (trance dance) (RSA-LNR1–2R). Credit: Courtesy of the Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand and The African Rock Art Digital Archive, Wates 2021 Rock art provides a valuable insight into the past; it can provide information on people’s beliefs, changes in cultural practice, encounters with foreign people,

Study Conducts Paleoproteomic Investigation of Paranthropus Robustus Specimens 1,8 million years old Paranthropus robustus (SK-48 Swartkrans). Housed at the Ditsong Museum. Credit: Wikimedia Commons Early hominin species comprise a rich array of overlapping lineages that existed across the African Pliocene. Yet our knowledge of the diversity within any given lineage is limited. This is in part due to current ancient DNA technologies being unable to sequence genetic material

New Study Identifies First Ever Dassie Trace Fossils Including the First Ever Buttock-Drag Mark Fossil Rock Hyraxes, aka Dassies. Credit: Baltana When I was nine years old, my family and I decided to go on a short vacation in a safari game park. I decided to go climbing on the large boulders that made up the foot of the cliff next to which we stayed. As I did so, I came upon a cave, or at least two or three large boulders that had created a sort of rock tent. Thrilled, I deci

Chemical analysis of preserved residues reveals oldest multicomponent poison used on arrows Micro-CT scan of the femur quiver with three...

At some point during your degree, you may need to apply for funding to help cover the costs of university fees, lab work, publication,...

Background In March 2024, I started with a groundbreaking research project titled: Rock Art Presentation: A comparative analysis between...

Coin found at Ibo, site C–400 site. Credit: Montero-Ruiz et al. 2025 My dad has a ‘piggy’ bank in his guest room. The modest glass jar is...

New Study Describes Discovery and Identification of Rare Aardvark Trace Fossils Image of an aardvark. Credit: SecretAfrica Last year, I...

New research shows hunter-gatherers maintained extensive exchange networks using ostrich eggshell beads When I was younger, we had...

Written by Nina da Silva Archaeological research at the Oakhurst rock shelter, the site nestled in a sandstone cliff along South Africa’s...

New research suggests that the Madagascan site of Teniky may have been built by a community of Zoroastrian and Iranian origins. Figure 1....