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
- KHO invited to the residency of the german ambassador in BotswanaKHO Project leader Michaela Ecker was invited to the residency of the german ambassador in Gaborone, where she joined her research partner Dr. Sarah Mothulatshipi (University of Botswana) to present their latest findings. Dr LaurentContinue reading “KHO invited to the residency of the german ambassador in Botswana”
- KHO at the ASAPA conference 2026The KHO project will attend this year’s biannual conference of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) from the July 5 to 9 2026. During the session “Beyond the coasts: Pleistocene adaptations to water-scarceContinue reading “KHO at the ASAPA conference 2026”
- KHO at the Kieler Woche 2026During the Kieler Woche 2026 – the biggest public festival of Northern Europe – the KHO PhD candidate Rowena Winterhalder will present her research during the annual “Science Show”. Here, Early Career researchers of KielContinue reading “KHO at the Kieler Woche 2026”
More projects
Multiple research projects across different disciplines focus on Pleistocene and Holocene 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 