Dr. G.h.j. Langejans
Assistant Professor
Archaeology
Leiden University
Netherlands
Biography
Dr. G.H.J. Langejans is a guest staff member at Leiden University
Research Interest
Currently, I am applying residue and use-wear studies to scrapers and grindstones from several southern African Stone Age sites (Fig 2). My goal is to illuminate the exploitation of plant resources, a generally overlooked food category for this period. However, preliminary results reveal at least some scrapers were used to work hide, of which we also know little. One of the recurring residues I find on the scrapers is a possible adhesive mix that contains ochre. These finds sparked another research project on prehistoric adhesive technology. To properly unravel adhesives and other residues, I am revisiting the use of spectrographic and chemical material analysis. Currently, I am also co-developing a fieldwork project to study the Middle to Later Stone Age transition in southern Africa.
Publications
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Langejans G.H.J. (2011), Discerning use-related micro-residues on tools. Testing the multi-stranded approach for archaeological studies, JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE 38(5): 985-1000.
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Langejans G.H.J., Niekerk K. van, Dusseldorp G. & Thackeray J.F. (2012), Middle Stone Age shellfish exploitation: Indications for mass collecting at Blombos Cave and Klasies River, South Africa, QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL 270: 80-94.
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Langejans G.H.J., Dusseldorp G.L., Niekerk K.L. van & Henshilwood C.S. (2013), A hazy shade of winter: Late Pleistocene environments and behavioural adaptations at Blombos Cave, South Africa. In: Juergen Runge (Ed.) Palaeoecology of Africa 32. Palaeoecology of Africa no. 32: CRC Press. 19-51.
