{"id":7203,"date":"2020-12-04T13:54:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T11:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ifas.org.za\/research\/?p=7203"},"modified":"2026-06-09T18:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:44:16","slug":"human-origins-in-mozambique-and-malawi-environments-2019-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ifas.org.za\/research\/uncategorized\/human-origins-in-mozambique-and-malawi-environments-2019-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"HOMME Project – Human Origins in Mozambique and Malawi Environments (2019-2022)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An archaeological fieldwork project
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In short<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The HOMME Project (Human Origins in Mozambique and Malawi Environments)<\/em> was funded by the CNRS<\/mark><\/a> as part of the 80-Prime Transversal and Interdisciplinary Initiatives<\/mark><\/a> project. In addition to UMR TRACES<\/mark><\/a> researchers, it benefits from a solid network of interdisciplinary collaborations involving geologists, geomorphologists, paleontologists, archaeologists, geophysicists, geochemists and geomaticians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project, built on ongoing work in South Africa and Mozambique, aims to identify features that could help to locate potential fossil sites, in the context of ancient karsts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To date, two main regions in Africa are considered “cradle of humankind<\/strong>“,  where fossiliferous sites yielded ancient hominins<\/em>, including Australopithecus<\/em>, Paranthropus <\/em>and Homo<\/em>, covering the period of appearance of the genus Homo<\/em>: the Great East African Rift<\/strong> and the South African karsts<\/strong>. These two regions, separated by approximately 4000km, show a parallel but complementary recording of this long evolutionary process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the region between the Great East African Rift and the South African karst remains little known meanwhile hominins most likely occupied this area. This lack of research represents an important scientific gap in understanding the distribution of Australopithecus <\/em>and Paranthropus<\/em> across the continent, as well as the relationships between these two species and their connection to the emergence of the genus Homo<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


What?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The HOMME research program aims to identify new geological fossil traps, particularly focusing on karst systems, that may have preserved other pieces of the \u201cCradle of Humankind\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the discovery of unique fossils, another objective of the HOMME project is to define the conservation procedures of fossil remains according to geomorphological contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Map showing locations of the Great East African Rift (black lines) and the main plaeoanthropological sites found within it (red dots), as well as the main plaeoanthropological sites documented in Southern African karst systems (blue dots). Purple circles indicate location of current research programs (HON and HOMME). \u00a9<\/code> L. Bruxelles<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n


<\/em>Where?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The programme focuses on the region between southern Malawi and northern Mozambique, which occupies a unique position at the crossroads of three major geological, geomorphological and bioclimatic domains: the southernmost part of the East African rift, the large areas of erosion that characterise much of the African continent, and the vast coastal plain along the Indian Ocean. <\/p>\n\n\n

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