Africa has the longest record some 2.5 million years of human occupation of any continent. For nearly all of this time, its inhabitants have made tools from stone and have acquired their food from its rich wild plant and animal resources. Archaeological research in Africa is crucial for understanding the origins of humans and the diversity of hunter-gatherer ways of life. This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive synthesis of the record left by Africa s earliest hominin inhabitants and hunter-gatherers. It combines the insights of archaeology with those of other disciplines, such as...