Answer to Question #309123 in History for Portia

Question

Briefly explain how knowledge of southern Africa's precolonial history can assist us in understanding historical developments after 1652

Answer 1

Since 1925, when Raymond Dart described the Taung child as an infant halfway between apes and humans, South African scientists have been actively interested in the research of human origins. Dart dubbed the skeletons Australopithecus africanus, or southern ape-man, and his findings shifted the focus of human evolution away from Europe and Asia and toward Africa. This discovery marked the beginning of palaeoanthropology as a discipline in many respects. Since 1925, when Raymond Dart described the Taung child as an infant halfway between apes and humans, South African scientists have been actively interested in the research of human origins. Dart dubbed the skeletons Australopithecus africanus, or southern ape-man, and his findings shifted the focus of human evolution away from Europe and Asia and toward Africa.