Zenobia JACOBS

Research Interests

• Development of optically stimulated luminescence dating techniques for individual sand grains
• Extending the age range of luminescence dating of quartz
• Timing of the anatomical and behavioural origins of Homo sapiens in Africa and their dispersal ‘Out of Africa’
• Quaternary environmental change and its impact on the evolution and dispersal of Homo sapiens

Representative Publications

Henderson, Z., Scott, L., Rossouw, L. & Jacobs, Z. (2006). Dating, palaeoenvironments, and archaeology: a progress report on the Sunnyside 1 site, Clarens, South Africa. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 16 (1), 139-149.

Jacobs, Z., Wintle, A. G. & Duller, G. A. (2006). Evaluation of SAR procedures for D_e determination using single aliquots of quartz from two archaeological sites in South Africa. Radiation Measurements, 41 (5), 520-533.

Jacobs, Z., Duller, G. A., Wintle, A. G. & Henshilwood, C. S. (2006). Extending the chronology of deposits at Blombos Cave, South Africa, back to 140 ka using optical dating of single and multiple grains of quartz. Journal of Human Evolution, 51 (3), 255-273.

Jacobs, Z., Duller, G. A. & Wintle, A. G. (2006). Interpretation of single grain D_e distributions and calculation of De. Radiation Measurements, 41 (3), 264-277.

Turney, C. S., Roberts, R. G. & Jacobs, Z. (2006). Progress and pitfalls in radiocarbon dating. Nature, 443 E3.

Wadley, L. & Jacobs, Z. (2006). Sibudu Cave: background to the excavations, stratigraphy and dating. Southern African Humanities, 18 (1), 1-26.

Jacobs, Z. (2005). Testing and demonstrating the stratigraphic integrity of artefacts from MSA deposits at Blombos Cave, South Africa. In F. d'Errico & L. Backwell (Eds.), From Tools to Symbols: from early hominids to modern humans Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.

Henshilwood, C. S., d'Errico, F., Vanhaeren, M., Van Niekerk, K. & Jacobs, Z. (2004). Middle Stone Age shell beads from South Africa. Science, 304 404.

Wadley, L. & Jacobs, Z. (2004). Sibudu Cave, KwaZulu-Natal: Background to the excavations of Middle Stone Age and Iron Age occupations. South African Journal of Science, 100 145-151.

Jacobs, Z., Wintle, A. G. & Duller, G. A. (2003). Dating of dune sand from Blombos Cave, South Africa: I - multiple grain data. Journal of Human Evolution, 44 599-612.

Jacobs, Z., Duller, G. A. & Wintle, A. G. (2003). Dating of dune sand from Blombos Cave, South Africa: II ‼ single grain data. Journal of Human Evolution, 44 613-625.

Henshilwood, C. S., d'Errico, F., Yates, R., Jacobs, Z., Tribolo, C., Duller, G. A., Mercier, N., Sealy, J. C., Valladas, H., Watts, I. & Wintle, A. G. (2002). Emergence of modern human behavior: Middle Stone Age engravings from South Africa. Science, 295 1278-1280.

Searchable Publications

Current Students

Luke Gliganic: PhD - The Stone Age Archaeological record of Africa: Geochronology and Environmental Change

Siti Aishah Ar. Azmi: PhD – Luminescence Investigations of Malaysian Archaeological Sites

Abbreviated CV

2006-present: Research Fellow, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong

2005: Senior Researcher, Council for Science and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa

2004: Researcher, Council for Science and Industrial Research, South Africa

2004: University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Dyfed, United Kingdom, PhD in Geography

2000: Research Assistant, Department of Archaeology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

1999: University of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, B.A. (Honours) in Archaeology

1998: University of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, B.A. in Archaeology and Geography and Environmental Sciences

Last reviewed: 1 May, 2008