Book contents
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Part I The Americas
- Part II Europe
- Part III Africa
- 11 Primate Behavior in Ancient Egypt
- 12 The Nonhuman Primate Remains from the Baboon Catacomb at Saqqara in Egypt
- 13 Primates in South African Rock Art
- 14 Citizens of the Savanna
- 15 Lemur Hunting in Madagascar’s Present and Past
- Part IV Asia
- Index
- References
14 - Citizens of the Savanna
An Account of Three Million Years of Interaction between Baboons and Hominins in South Africa
from Part III - Africa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 August 2022
Book contents
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Part I The Americas
- Part II Europe
- Part III Africa
- 11 Primate Behavior in Ancient Egypt
- 12 The Nonhuman Primate Remains from the Baboon Catacomb at Saqqara in Egypt
- 13 Primates in South African Rock Art
- 14 Citizens of the Savanna
- 15 Lemur Hunting in Madagascar’s Present and Past
- Part IV Asia
- Index
- References
Summary
South Africa is host to no less than seven extant primate species and also boasts a long history of findings of hominin fossils. Large primates, such as baboons and hominins, have coexisted and interacted for some three million years in the region. This coexistence changed radically over the millennia. During the Plio-Pleistocene, baboons and hominins were both prey to predators, such as leopards and saber-toothed cats, and they often slept in caves at night to escape predation. By the Later Stone Age, baboon remains are anthropologically modified, and the new social connotations are likely associated with ritual contexts. The potential ritual role of baboons changed with the arrival of the Iron Age farmers, when baboons were attracted to cultivated fields. Ethnoprimatologically, baboons became known as familiars of evil persons, reflecting largely a negative image of these primates. Europeans introduced rifles to South Africa, and this new technology assisted in the extermination of baboons in many parts of South Africa. Today, baboons are confined to nature reserves and rural areas.
Keywords:
Hominin, Primate, Baboon, Papio ursinus, Homo, Australopithecus
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- World ArchaeoprimatologyInterconnections of Humans and Nonhuman Primates in the Past, pp. 375 - 392Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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