Cango Archaeology and Paleoscape Project-CAPP

10/12/2025

Great coverage of Tyler Faith’s led karstic cave work that takes the CAPP project deep underground to build a new paleoanthropological record for the southern Cape.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gk2oqssFy/?mibextid=wwXIfrn

19/06/2025

Fantastic coverage of the Boomplaas excavations by the Oudtshoorn Courant, so proud of everything this team has achieved this year!

OUDTSHOORN NUUS - Die Boomplaasgrot,...

17/06/2025

Ochre is such a beautifully tactile part of the archaeological record. Learning about ochre is learning to touch, feel, and embrace this diverse material. Here Guilhem Mauran leads Boomplaas archaeology field school students on a tactile exploration of this all encompassing substance.

15/06/2025

What a 2025 dream team! 35 students from 9 countries (5 countries within Africa) learning to work collectively and interdisciplinary to advance research at Boomplaas Cave.

Thanks to PAST The Leakey Foundation and Wenner-Gren Foundation and the HOMER consortium for supporting our students and believing in the future of African Paleosciences!

14/06/2025

Honored to have Boomplaas host the University of Cape Town UCT Archaeology Postgraduates 2025 Honors field school. A fantastic group of students representing the bright future of South African archaeology!

29/05/2025

This past weekend our students traded trowels for geo picks as they explored South Africa’s dramatic southern coastline in search of raw materials for stone tool making. Their focus: ancient beach deposits rich in high-quality quartzite—a key resource used by Stone Age toolmakers.

By investigating these coastal quartzite sources, students learn how early humans selected, transported, and transformed raw materials into tools that shaped survival. It’s hands-on training in archaeological sourcing methods, with stunning ocean views as a bonus.

In the coming week we’ll knap the material and use the resulting implements for a butchery experiment.

Thanks to John Murray for the sourcing locations !

28/05/2025

🪨🎨 Science meets heritage conservation and care at Boomplaas Cave!

As part of the Boomplaas Archaeology Field School, Dr Guilhem Mauran is leading a meticulous micro-sampling of rock art pigments—one of the most delicate tasks in archaeological science. Using precision tools and a steady hand, Dr. Mauran is helping us unlock the chemical and mineral secrets of ancient artworks without compromising their integrity.

This careful work gives students a firsthand look at how cutting-edge science and deep respect for heritage go hand in hand. Every flake of ochre tells a story—of creativity, social sourcing, and landscape use—and we’re honored to learn from it.

21/05/2025

Weekends at the Boomplaas Cave Field School, students shift gears from excavation and labwork to the workshop space. This weekend we hosted an incredible workshop led by Jenna Lavin of CTS Heritage (https://www.ctsheritage.com/)

Jenna introduced our team to the world of Cultural Resource Management (CRM)—a critical part of ensuring archaeological sites like Boomplaas are protected, interpreted, and responsibly managed for the future. From navigating legislation and development pressures to engaging communities and heritage stakeholders, students gained firsthand insight into how archaeology meets the real world.

Huge thanks to Jenna and CTS Heritage for sharing their expertise and reminding us that archaeology doesn’t end in the trench—it continues through stewardship, ethics, and advocacy.

19/05/2025

Middle Stone Age plant preservation at Boomplaas! Nthabiseng Sephooana, a brilliant student from Lesotho, just uncovered exceptionally well-preserved plant remains deep in the Middle Stone Age layers of the cave. Her find offers rare insight into ancient diets and environments—an exciting glimpse into the lives of early humans in southern Africa. We’re incredibly proud of her sharp eye, hard work, and growing interest in African archaeology!

17/05/2025

From stratigraphy to stone tools, our students are getting hands-on with every layer of the past at the Boomplaas Cave Field School! Over five weeks, they’re learning the full suite of field archaeology methods—excavation, recording, geoarchaeology, faunal analysis, lithic technology, and more—all at one of South Africa’s most iconic archaeological sites. It’s dirty, rigorous, and deeply rewarding work, and we couldn’t be prouder of this cohort’s curiosity, grit, and teamwork.

12/05/2025

Pre-season workshops done, massive grocery shopping complete, and a lot of excited students keen to get their first taste of South African cave archaeology!

09/05/2025

Dr. Guilhem Mauran (🇫🇷) leads the Boomplaas ochre research group where the talented Maletsetla Sepamo (🇱🇸) and Tangeni Alfeus (🇳🇦) will work towards their MSc degree research through generous support from the PAST and The Leakey Foundations