Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Revised Radiocarbon Chronology for the Stone Age in South Africa

Abstract

SEVERAL radiocarbon dates have recently become available which necessitate a rather drastic revision of the chronology of the Stone Age south of the Limpopo River1. An important consequence of the new time scale is that there is now strong evidence to suggest a very early appearance of Homo sapiens sapiens in Africa—considerably earlier than in the Middle East and Europe. It thus seems possible to envisage the continent of Africa as the area where much of modern man's early evolutionary development took place.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Beaumont, P. B., and Vogel, J. C., Afric. Studies (in the press).

  2. Clark, J. D., The Prehistory of Southern Africa (Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1959).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Deacon, J., Ann. Cape Prov. Mus., 5 (1966)

  4. Vogel, J. C., Radiocarbon, 12, No. 2, 444 (1970).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Louw, A. W., Brain, C. K., Vogel, J. C., Mason, R. J., and Eloff, J. F., S. Afric. Archaeol. Bull., 24 (1969).

  6. Goodwin, A. J. H., and van Riet Lowe, C., Ann. S. Afric. Mus., 27 (1929).

  7. Malan, B. D., Proc. First Pan-African Cong. Prehist. (Blackwell, Oxford, 1952).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Beaumont, P., S. Afric. Archaeol. Bull., 18 61 (1963).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Vogel, J. C., and Marais, M., Radiocarbon, 13, 378 (1971).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Cooke, H. B. S., Malan, B. D., and Wells, L. H., Man, 3, 6 (1945).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Goodwin, A. J. H., Ann. S. Afric. Mus., 24, 1 (1929).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Keller, C. M., S. Afric. Archaeol. Bull., 25, 47 (1970)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Vogel, J. C., and Waterbolk, H. T., Radiocarbon, 9, 146 (1967).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Sampson, C. G., Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, Mem. 4, 110 (1968).

  15. Stapleton, P., and Hewitt, J., S. Afric. J. Sci., 24, 574 (1927).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Buckley, J. D., Trautman, M. A., and Willie, E. H., Radiocarbon, 10, No. 2, 290 (1968).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Oakley, K. P., S. Afric. Archaeol. Bull., 9, 84 (1953).

    Google Scholar 

  18. van Riet Lowe, C., S. Afric. J. Sci., 26, 623 (1929).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Singer, R., and Smith, P., Amer. J. Phys. Anthrop., 31, 256 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Oakley, K. P., Proc. Third Pan-African Cong. Prehist. (edit. by Clark, J. D.), 76 (Chatto and Windus, London, 1957).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Leakey, R. E. F., Butzer, K. W., and Day, M. H., Nature, 222, 1132 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. News and Views, Nature, 222, 1117 (1969).

  23. Vogel, J. C., S. Afric. J. Sci., 67, 39 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

VOGEL, J., BEAUMONT, P. Revised Radiocarbon Chronology for the Stone Age in South Africa. Nature 237, 50–51 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/237050a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/237050a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing