Diffusion model

Argument

• Argues hunter-gather populations acquired livestock via contact/exchange rather than large scale migration

• Livestock and pottery diffused gradually into existing subsistence methods

• Communities became ‘hunters with sheep’ rather than full blown pastoralists

Ancient DNA evidence

• Recent studies have shown genetic continuity between pastoral and pre-pastoral communities in southern Africa - many groups have ancestry here rather than east Africa

• Schelbush et al (2017) sequenced 3 ancient African genomes aprox 2000 years ago and showed similarities to current San populations

Linguistic evidence

• Languages can spread through adoption without large-scale population replacement

Isotopic analysis

Sealey and Yates (1994) - key development

• Re-dated much of the early sheep evidence and the specimen at Spoegrivier is the only one they dated to older than 2000 years ago - the rest (e.g Kasteelberg) dated to between 1600-1200 years ago

• If Sheep only arrived around 1600 it means pottery arrived earlier as this has been reliably dated to 2kya and represents a 2 phase introduction seperated by 400 years

• Challenges migration model and shows more complex process

• Shows dangers of dating by association