Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition opens in the Western Cape
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The exhibition showcases the archaeological heritage and rich marine environment of the Southern Cape coastline.
The Origins of Early Southern Sapiens behaviour has opened to the public at the De Hoop Collection in the Western Cape on Friday, January 18.
The exhibition showcases the archaeological heritage and rich marine environment of the Southern Cape coastline, which have been discovered and excavated over decades by SapienCE and Wits University scientists, including Professor Christopher Henshilwood, Dr Karen van Niekerk and Professor Sarah Wurz and their research teams. Funding for the research, and the exhibition, comes from Wits University and the SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen, Norway.
“The De Hoop Collection's exhibition tells us about our prehistory by providing a glimpse into the origins and behaviours of early Homo sapiens in the Southern Cape region of Africa,” says Henshilwood.
“Visitors can see unique archaeological discoveries from sites such as Blombos Cave, Klipdrift Shelter, and Klasies River, where early Homo sapiens lived between 120,000 and 50,000 years ago.”
The exhibition, curated by Craig Foster (co-founder of the Sea Change Project, the producers of the Oscar and BAFTA winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher) and archaeologist Petro Keene, includes artefacts, displays, and multimedia elements that provide insights into the lifestyles and behaviours of early humans in the region, and aims to highlight the cultural significance of these archaeological sites.
“Through the artefacts and discoveries on display, the exhibition contributes to our understanding of human evolution, emphasizing the connections between cultural, social, climatic, and biological factors that have shaped our prehistory,” says Henshilwood.
The theme of "We Are All One" throughout the exhibition underscores the clear genetic evidence that all Homo sapiens share African origins. Overall, the collection serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and the role of Africa in the evolutionary prehistory of humanity.
Before opening at the De Hoop Collection, the Sapiens exhibition has had a successful tour around South Africa since first opening at the Spier Wine Estate in 2018, including at the Iziko South African Museum (2019 – 2021), at the Wits Origins Centre (2021 – 2023) and at the Cape of Good Hope Buffelsfontein Visitor Centre in Table Mountain National Park in June 2023.
The De Hoop Collection is a tourist destination situated in the De Hoop Nature reserve. It is the first private-public partnership tourism venture in the Western Cape and opened in 2007.
For more information visit: www.dehoopcollection.com