The Howieson's Poort of South Africa amplified

The Howieson's Poort Industry of South Africa has been at the forefront of the origins of modern human behaviour debate since the late 1980s. Notwithstanding this prominent place, research was slow and mostly contained within the scope of archaeological material and interpretations from a single site - Klasies River. This situation has changed in recent years, and some might not realize how dynamic Howieson's Poort research has become. Additional data from several other deep-sequence sites, new dating methods, and developments in behavioural interpretation are impacting on our knowledge of past human behaviour. This article presents the latest (past four years) developments in how we think about the industry and the people who lived in South Africa 60 000 years ago. I also touch on broader theoretical issues surrounding the origins of modern human behaviour debate, and reassess the place of the Howieson's Poort within this context.