The Duke in South Africa Paleoanthropology Field School is on hiatus for the 2008 season. We would like to thank all the students who have participated in this program in past seasons and we look forward to future opportunities.
The Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy (BAA) and the Office of Study Abroad offer a six-week, two-course, field-study program in the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The program, directed by Associate Professor Steven Churchill of Duke University, gives students hands-on training in the field of paleoanthropology while conducting excavation and survey in a variety of paleontological contexts.
Our plans for the 2006 season (subject to change) include excavation at a number of sites across South Africa. Students will spend approximately two and a half weeks excavating at Plovers Lake, in Late Pleistocene deposits that have produced remains of early modern humans. Plovers Lake is located in the “Cradle of Humankind” world heritage site. Approximately one and a half weeks will be spent excavating for fossils of early (Late Cretaceous and Paleocene) primates in the Pafuri Triangle of the Northern Kruger Park. One week will be spent excavating Plio-Pleistocene deposits in the Free State.
Accomodation will vary by location, but students can expect to spend most of the trip living in tent campes in the bush. This will allow them to explore modern African ecology firsthand. They will see original human fossils, such as the Taung child and "Mrs. Ples", in the collections of the University of the Witwatersrand and the Transvaal Museum. Additional experience will be gained by visiting the important fossil sites of Sterkfontein, Kromdraai, Drimolen and Gladysvale. Students will explore the diverse environments of southern Africa during excursions to Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope.
Through lectures and laboratories, students will learn about the prehistory and paleoecology of the region. Game drives, bush walks, and structured exercises in the field will add depth to the experience. While the program is ideally suited for students with a strong interest in archeology and prehistory, its strong focus on the geology and modern ecology of southern Africa makes it appropriate for anyone interested in natural science.
The Duke program allows students to participate in and directly contribute to on-going fieldwork being conducted in southern Africa.
Last updated by J. Rhodes 25 July 2007