STORIES 26
RECREATING THE LIVES OF OUR ANCESTORS New digital technology makes it possible to recreate the lives led by our ancestors 100,000 years ago. Imagine the scene 100,000 years ago. A group of hunters are strolling along the beach at Blombos near Cape Town. They are carrying fish and shellfish that they have caught at the coast nearby. Together they continue their journey, climbing up the steep slope towards the cliffs. On the way they discover an opening in the landscape. It turns out that they have found a cave, large enough to accommodate the whole group. They go in, light a fire, cook some food and settle down. The cave becomes their home. Could this be how our South African ancestors discovered Blombos Cave and made it their home 100,000 years ago?
New technology allows new interpretations – Yes, perhaps it was like that, says Ole Fredrik Unhammer with a smile. We meet Unhammer during field work at Blombos Cave, about 250 km east of Cape Town in South Africa. He is part of the interdisciplinary SapienCE team at the University of Bergen, which is researching the behaviour of early humans.
Together they are looking for answers as to when, how and why our species began to communicate using symbols such as paint, engravings and jewellery such as shell beads. In short, how did we begin to think and behave like we do today? “Archaeology is a science that combines facts with interpretation. It’s hard to say anything with 100% certainty. It is therefore important to have good documentation methods that can create a solid basis for interpretation, Unhammer explains. He is using a digital documentation method that is designed to produce realistic photographic 3D models of both the Blombos excavations and everything that is found there. In this way, the elements of the settlement can be fitted together and examined from several different perspectives. “It’s very exciting to work this way because it allows for completely new interpretations which give us a better understanding of how people lived their lives in the cave,” says Unhammer. He hopes that in time they can recreate life in the cave by displaying the finds they have excavated in a virtual world.
