Christopher Stuart Henshilwood

Background

Henshilwood, Christopher Stuart was born on April 24, 1951 in Cape Town, South Africa. Son of Norman Tristram and Sybella Elizabeth (Bosman) Henshilwood.

Education

DEGREES

B.A. (Distinction in Archaeology), University of Cape Town, 1989

B.A. Hons. (with Distinction), University of Cape Town, 1990

Ph. D. (Archaeology), University of Cambridge, U.K. 1995

School

South African College Schools (SACS), Newlands, Cape Town

Career

CURRENT POSITIONS

• Director: Research Council of Norway Centre of Excellence: SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE): 2017-2026, University of Bergen

• Professor of African Prehistory – Institutt for arkeologi, historie, kulturvitenskap og religionsvitenskap, University of Bergen, Norway 2008-2022

• Distinguished Professor, Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 2007-2022

PREVIOUS ACADEMIC POSITIONS

1995-1996 Postdoctoral Research Fellow – University of Cape Town

1997-1998 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship awarded by Anglo-American Chairman’s Fund to study early modern human behaviour – University of Cape Town

1999-2001 Research Fellowship - Award by Anglo America Chairman’s Fund to further research on “Modern Human Origins”.

1999-2004 Associate Professor – Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Stony Brook.

2002 - 2007 Research Member - French CNRS program ‘Origine de l'Homme, du langage et des langue’, Bordeaux University, France.

2008 - 2022 Professor of African Prehistory – Institutt for arkeologi, historie, kulturvitenskap og religionsvitenskap, University of Bergen, Norway.

2007 - 2022 Distinguished Professor and Chair : South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) – Chair in Origins of Modern Human behaviour, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Achievements

• Christopher Stuart Henshilwood is a distinguished archaeologist and researcher whose work focuses on the development of complex technology, social systems, subsistence, environment, syntactic language, and material culture associated with early Homo sapiens. He has dedicated his career to exploring the people who evolved in southern Africa between 100,000-50,000 years ago and finding archaeological sites that were occupied by H. sapiens during the Later- and Middle Stone Age.
  
  With more than 120 papers and chapters authored or co-authored, Henshilwood has made significant contributions to the fields of archaeology, linguistics, and evolutionary biology. His research covers a broad range of topics, including the origins of language and symbolism, the effects of climatic variation on human demographics, and the theory of human behavioural evolution. He has also published two books, further cementing his reputation as a leading scholar in his field.
  
  As a Distinguished Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Henshilwood is highly respected by his peers and students alike. He is an A-rated scientist, and his expertise and knowledge have earned him membership in several prestigious academies, including the Academy of Science of South Africa, Academia Europaea, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
  
  In addition to his work at the University of the Witwatersrand, Henshilwood is also the Professor and Director of a 10-year Centre of Excellence, the Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), at the University of Bergen in Norway. This centre is funded by the Research Council of Norway (2017-2027) and brings together over forty of the foremost scientists in diverse fields in Europe, Africa, the UK, and USA to explore early human behaviour. Through this centre, Henshilwood is leading groundbreaking research that is shedding new light on the evolution of early humans and their behaviour.
  
  

Works

• Other Work

  • Christopher Stuart Henshilwood | University of Bergen

Membership

SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

Association of Heritage Assessment Practitioners, Society for Africanist Archaeologists, Association of South African Professional Archaeologists.

REFEREE: JOURNALS & FUNDING APPLICATIONS (sample)

Journal referee

Antiquity, Current Anthropology, Journal of Human Evolution, Journal of Archaeological Science, Journal of African Archaeology, Science, Nature, PNAS, PLOSONE, South African Journal of Science, South African Archaeological Bulletin; African Archaeological Review

Funding reviewer

European Science Foundation, Leakey Foundation, European Research Council, National Science Foundation, USA, National Research Foundation, South Africa, Leakey Foundation, National Geographic Research Committee, National Research Council Canada, Australian Research Council

• • Elected as Member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, April 2020 • Academy of Science of South Africa – admitted in 2009 • Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques medal and order awarded by the French Prime Minister in 2004 for distinguished contributions to French education and culture; conferred, June, 2005. • Colenso Invited Visiting Fellow, St. John’s College, Cambridge, 2013 • Academia Europaea - Elected Member in 2013. • Thompson Reuters Lifetime Research Award in 2014 for being among the top 1% most cited for their subject field and year of publication for the period 2002 - 2012. • Thompson Reuters Research Award for being in the top 1% most cited in the ‘Social Sciences and General’ Category for 2013 and 2014. • Thompson Reuters Award for inclusion in ‘The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’ in 2014 • Thompson Reuters Research Award for being in the top 1% most cited in the ‘Social Sciences and General’ Category for 2016

Personality

Christopher Henshilwood:

Occupation: Archaeologist

Nationality: South African/Norwegian

Professor Christopher Stuart Henshilwood’s work has had a profound impact on our understanding of human evolution. His research and groundbreaking discoveries have challenged accepted paradigms regarding the evolution of human behaviour in Africa and imposed new standards on the analysis of prehistoric material culture. His work at the Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE) at the University of Bergen has focused on addressing unanswered, first-order questions about Homo sapiens. This includes defining the switch to ‘modern behaviour’, understanding when, why, and how this ‘switch’ occurred, and exploring whether there were changes in the human brain at that time that accelerated behavioural variability.

Henshilwood’s research in the southern Cape since 1991, including his ERC-funded Tracsymbols Project (2010-2015), uncovered unprecedented new evidence at Blombos Cave (BBC) and Klipdrift Shelter (KDS) for the behavioural evolution of early H. sapiens in southern Africa. These findings have provided valuable insights into the cognitive skills and social organization of these early humans. In summary, Professor Henshilwood’s work has significantly advanced our understanding of early human behaviour and the evolution of Homo sapiens, providing a more nuanced view of our species’ history. His research continues to shape the field of archaeology and human evolutionary studies.

Connections

Children: Bronwen, Nicholas.

Father:

Norman Tristram Henshilwood

Mother:

Sybella Elizabeth (Bosman) Henshilwood

child:

Nicholas Stuart Henshilwood

child:

Bronwen Leonora Henshilwood