About
The Emmy Noether Group ‘Kgalagadi Human Origins’ started in June 2021. The six-year project is researching the impact of the extreme climate changes in the Mid- and late Pleistocene on human evolution in the southern Kalahari basin.
News
- Attending the Hugo Obermeier MeetingTeam members Michaela Ecker and Rowena Winterhalder will attend the 67th Meeting of the Hugo Obermaier Society in Ferraro, Italy, from April 7th to 11th. They will present a poster and hold a talk onContinue reading “Attending the Hugo Obermeier Meeting”
- KHO at the First Lego League competitionOn 31 January, the First Lego League held its 15th competition under the motto “Unearthed”. The competition offered children and young people a playful introduction to science and archaeology. KHO research group leader Michaela EckerContinue reading “KHO at the First Lego League competition”
- Congratulations to Inèz Faul on completing her doctorate!Inèz Faul is the first PhD student of the KHO project to accomplish her degree with her thesis titled “Geoarchaeology in semi-arid landscapes: a case study from the Kgalagadi”. The defense was held on JanuaryContinue reading “Congratulations to Inèz Faul on completing her doctorate!”
More projects
Multiple research projects across different disciplines focus on Pleistocene Europe and Africa. The interdisciplinary projects grant insights into past interactions between hominins and landscapes with dedicated focal points.
New publications
- Richard et al. (2026)
Richard, M., Bin, B., Longet, B., Ecker, M., Andersen, N., Archer, W., Gohodzi, M., Holt, S., Bousman, C. B., & Toffolo, M. B., 2026. A Middle Stone Age occupation identified at Baden-Baden in the grasslands of the Free State, South Africa. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 12027. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43246-9
- Winterhalder et al. (2026)
Winterhalder, R., Green, C., Faul, I., Henderson, A., Mothulatshipi, S., Segadika, P., & Ecker, M., 2026. Connecting survey data with targeted test excavations to understand lithic artefacts in the landscape of the southern Kalahari, Botswana. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa 0, 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270X.2026.2627127
- Politt et al. (2025)
Politt, S.S., Pribliczki, H., Dickinson, M.R., Andersen, N., Henderson, A., Morris, D., Makarewicz, C.A., Penkman, K., Ecker, M., 2025. Insights into the Middle Pleistocene fauna of South Africa: Zooarchaeology, stable isotopes and dating of Pniel 6. Journal of Quaternary Science 40, 1120–1139. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70002
Kgalagadi Human Origins 