I am a paleoanthropologist who studies the later phases of human evolution – the emergence of the earliest people who were behaviorally and anatomically modern. In particular, I want to know why these fully modern humans spread out of Africa about 50,000 years ago and were able to replace the Neandertals in Europe.

To address these issues, my research focuses on Middle and Late Pleistocene (780,000-10,000 years ago) archaeology – the Middle Paleolithic made by Neandertals in Europe and the Middle Stone Age and Mousterian made by their anatomically near modern contemporaries in Africa. I study the mode and tempo of human behavioral evolution during this time through zooarchaeology – reconstructing human subsistence and ecology through the patterns of variation found in vertebrate and molluscan faunal assemblages.

​Zooarchaeology offers a unique and critical window into modern human origins, because the migration of and replacement by modern humans involved significant demographic expansions with dietary correlates that should be detectable in the faunal record. Currently, I am leading an excavation in South Africa and am involved with other projects there, in Morocco and in France.

Journal Articles
47. Martisius NL, SP McPherron, E Schulz-Kornas, M Soressi and TE Steele. 2020. A method for the taphonomic assessment of bone tools using 3D surface texture analysis of bone microtopography. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 12: 251.

​46. Talamo S, V Aldeias, P Goldberg, L Chiotti, HL Dibble, G Guérin, J-J Hublin, S Madelaine, R Maria, D Sandgathe, TE Steele, A Turq and SJP McPherron. 2020. The new 14C chronology for the Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie, France. The disappearance of Neandertals and the arrival of Homo sapiens in France. Journal of Quaternary Science 35(7): 961-973.

45. Martisius NL, F Welker, T Dogandžić, MN Grote, W Rendu, V Sinet-Mathiot, A Wilcke, SJP McPherron, M Soressi and TE Steele. 2020. Non-destructive ZooMS identification reveals strategic bone tool raw material selection by Neandertals. Scientific Reports 10: 7746.

44. Mackay A, CR Cartwright, S Heinrich, MA Low, MC Stahlschmidt and TE Steele. 2019. Excavations at Klipfonteinrand Reveal Local and Regional Patterns of Adaptation and Interaction Through MIS 2 in Southern Africa. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 3: 362-397.

43. Steele TE, E Álvarez-Fernández and E Hallett-Desguez. 2019. A review of shells as personal ornamentation during the African Middle Stone Age. PaleoAnthropology 2019: 24-51.

42. Smith GM, K Ruebens, S Gaudzinski-Windheuser and TE Steele. 2019. Subsistence strategies throughout the African Middle Pleistocene: Faunal evidence for behavioral change and continuity across the Earlier to Middle Stone Age transition. Journal of Human Evolution 127: 1-20.

41. Henn BM, TE Steele and TD Weaver. 2018. Clarifying distinct models of modern human origins in Africa. Current Opinion in Genetics & Development 53: 148-156.

40. Martisius NL, I Sidera, MN Grote, TE Steele, SP McPherron and E Schulz-Kornas. 2018. Time wears on: Assessing how bone wears using 3D surface texture analysis. PLoS One 13: e0206078.

​39. Richter D, R Grün, R Joannes-Boyau, TE Steele, F Amani, M Rué, P Fernandes, J-P Raynal, D Geraads, A Ben-Ncer, J-J Hublin and SP McPherron. 2017. The age of the hominin fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, and the origins of the Middle Stone Age. Nature 546: 293-296.

​38. Collins B and TE Steele. 2017. An often overlooked resource: Ostrich (Struthio spp.) eggshell in the archaeological record. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13:121-131.

37. Frouin M, G Guérin, C Lahaye, N Mercier, S Huot, V Aldeias, L Bruxelles, L Chiotti, HL Dibble, P Goldberg, S Madelaine, SJP McPherron, D Sandgathe, TE Steele and A Turq. 2017. New luminescence dating results based on polymineral fine grains from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, SW France). Quaternary Geochronology 39: 131-141.
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36. Steele TE, A Mackay, KE Fitzsimmons, M Igreja, B Marwick, J Orton, S Schwortz and MC Stahlschmidt. 2016. Varsche Rivier 003: A Middle and Later Stone Age site with Still Bay and Howiesons Poort assemblages in southern Namaqualand, South Africa. PaleoAnthropology 2016: 100-163.

35. Doerschner N, KE Fitzsimmons, P Ditchfield, SJ McLaren, TE Steele, C Zielhofer, SP McPherron, A Bouzouggar and J-J Hublin. 2016. A new chronology for Rhafas, northeast Morocco, spanning the North African Middle Stone Age through to the Neolithic. PLoS ONE 11:e0162280.

34. Mackay A, Z Jacobs and TE Steele. 2015. Pleistocene archaeology and chronology of Putslaagte 8 (PL8) rockshelter, Western Cape, South Africa. Journal of African Archaeology 13:71-98.

33. Steele TE. 2015. The contributions of animal bones from archaeological sites: the past and future of zooarchaeology. Journal of Archaeological Science 56:168-176.

32. Guérin G, M Frouin, S Talamo, V Aldeias, L Bruxelles, L Chiotti, HL Dibble, P Goldberg, J-J Hublin, M Jain, C Lahaye, S Madelaine, B Maureille, SJP McPherron, N Mercier, AS Murray, D Sandgathe, TE Steele, KJ Thomsen and A Turq. 2015. A multi-method luminescence dating of the Palaeolithic sequence of La Ferrassie based on new excavations adjacent to the La Ferrassie 1 and 2 skeletons. Journal of Archaeological Science 58:147-166.

31. Dibble HL, V Aldeias, P Goldberg, SP McPherron, D Sandgathe and TE Steele. 2015. A critical look at evidence from La Chapelle-aux-Saints supporting an intentional Neandertal burial. Journal of Archaeological Science 53:649-657.

30. Soressi M, SP McPherron, M Lenoir, T Dogandzic, P Goldberg, Z Jacobs, Y Maigrot, NL Martisius, CE Miller, W Rendu, M Richards, MM Skinner, TE Steele, S Talamo and J-P Texier. 2013. Neandertals made the first specialized bone tools in Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 110:14186-14190.

29. Klein RG and TE Steele. 2013. Archaeological shellfish size and later human evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 110:10910-10915.

28. Orton J, P Mitchell, RG Klein, TE Steele and KA Horsburg. 2013. Early date for cattle from Namaqualand, South Africa: implications for the origins of herding in southern Africa. Antiquity 87:108-120.

27. Steele TE and RG Klein. 2013. The Middle and Later Stone Age Faunal Remains from Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science 40:3453-3462.

26. Dibble HL, V Aldeias, Z Jacobs, DI Olszewski, Z Rezek, SC Lin, E Alvarez-Fernández, C Barshay-Szmidt, E Hallett-Desguez, D Reed, K Reed, D Richter, TE Steele, A Skinner, B Blackwell, E Doronicheva and M El-Hajraoui. 2013. On the Industrial Attributions of the Aterian and Mousterian of the Maghreb. Journal of Human Evolution 64:194-210.

25. Dibble HA, V Aldeias, E Alvarez-Fernández, BA Blackwell, E Hallett-Desguez, Z Jacobs, P Goldberg, SC Lin, A Morala, MC Meyer, DI Olzsewski, K Reed, D Reed, Z Rezek, D Richter, RG Roberts, D Sandgathe, U Schurmans, AR Skinner, TE Steele and M El-Hajraoui. 2012. New Excavations at the Site of Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco. PaleoAnthropology 2012:145-201.

24. Niven LB, TE Steele, W Rendu, J-B Mallye, S McPherron, M Soressi, J Jaubert and J-J Hublin. 2012. Neandertal mobility and large-game hunting: The exploitation of reindeer during the Quina Mousterian at Chez-Pinaud Jonzac (Charente-Maritime, France). Journal of Human Evolution 63:624-635.

23. Steele TE, A Mackay, J Orton and S Schwortz. 2012. Varsche Rivier 003, a new Middle Stone Age site in southern Namaqualand, South Africa. South African Archaeological Bulletin 67:108-119.

22. Steele TE and TD Weaver. 2012. Refining the Quadratic Crown Height Method of age estimation: do elk teeth wear quadratically with age? Journal of Archaeological Science 39:2329-2334.

21. Edwards GL and TE Steele. 2011. Suid bone marrow yields and how they may influence resource choice. Journal of Taphonomy 9:163-179.

20. Orton J, A Mackay, S Schwortz and TE Steele. 2011. Two Holocene rock shelter deposits from the Knersvlakte, southern Namaqualand, South Africa. Southern African Humanities 23:109-150.

19. Weaver TD, RH Boyko and TE Steele. 2011. Cross-platform program for likelihood-based comparisons of mortality profiles on a triangular graph. Journal of Archaeological Science 38:2420-2423.

18. Britton K, V Grimes, L Niven, TE Steele, S McPherron, M Soressi, T Kelly, J Jaubert, J-J Hublin and MP Richards. 2011. Strontium isotope evidence for migration in late Pleistocene Rangifer: Implications for Neanderthal hunting strategies at the Middle Palaeolithic site of Jonzac, France. Journal of Human Evolution 61:176-185.

17. Weaver TD, TE Steele and RG Klein. 2011. The abundance of eland, buffalo, and wild pigs in Middle and Later Stone Age sites. Journal of Human Evolution 60:309-314.

16. Mackay A, J Orton, S Schwortz and TE Steele. 2010. Soutfontein (SFT)-001: Preliminary report on an open-air site rich in bifacial points, southern Namaqualand, South Africa. South African Archaeological Bulletin 65:84-95.

15. Texier P-J, G Porraz, J Parkington, J-P Rigaud, C Poggenpoel, C Miller, C Tribolo, C Cartwright, A Coudenneau, R Klein, T Steele and C Verna. 2010. A Howiesons Poort tradition of engraving ostrich eggshell containers dated to 60,000 years ago at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 107:6180-6185.

14. Klein RG, RG Franciscus and TE Steele. 2010. Morphometric identification of bovid metapodials to genus and implications for taxon-free habitat reconstruction. Journal of Archaeological Science 37:389-401.

13. Foutch A, TE Steele and CJ O'Brien. 2009. Faunal Analysis from Kibaoni, a Late Precolonial Pimbwe Village in Rukwa Valley, Tanzania: first reconstructions of cultural and environmental histories. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa 44:257-267.

12. Robbins LH, AC Campbell, ML Murphy, GA Brook, AA Mabuse, RK Hitchcock, G Babutsi, M Mmolawa, KM Stewart, TE Steele, RG Klein and CC Appleton. 2009. Mogapelwa: archaeology, palaeoenvironment and oral traditions at Lake Ngami, Botswana. South African Archaeological Bulletin 64:13-32.

11. Niven L, TE Steele, H Finke, T Gernat and J-J Hublin. 2009. Virtual skeletons: using a structured light scanner to create a 3D faunal comparative collection. Journal of Archaeological Science 36:2018-2023.

10. Avery G, D Halkett, J Orton, TE Steele, M Tusenius and RG Klein. 2008. The Ysterfontein 1 Middle Stone Age Rock Shelter and the evolution of coastal foraging. South African Archaeological Society Goodwin Series 10:66-89.

9. Richards MP, G Taylor, TE Steele, S McPherron, M Soressi, J Jaubert, J Orschiedt, J-B Mallye, W Rendu and J-J Hublin. 2008. Isotopic dietary analysis of a Neandertal and associated fauna from the site of Jonzac (Charente-Maritime), France. Journal of Human Evolution 55:179-185.

8. Steele TE and RG Klein. 2008. Intertidal shellfish use during the Middle and Later Stone Age of South Africa. Archaeofauna 17:63-76.

7. Klein RG, G Avery, K Cruz-Uribe and TE Steele. 2007. The mammalian fauna associated with an archaic hominin skullcap and later Acheulean artifacts at Elandsfontein, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 52:164-186.

6. Steele TE and RG Klein. 2005/06. Mollusk and tortoise size as proxies for stone age population density in South Africa: Implications for the evolution of human cultural capacity. Munibe (Antropologia - Arkeologia) 57:221-237.

5. Steele TE. 2005. Comparing methods for analyzing mortality profiles in zooarchaeological and paleontological samples. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 15:404-420.

4. Steele TE. 2004. Variation in mortality profiles of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Middle Paleolithic assemblages from western Europe. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 14:307-320.

3. Klein RG, G Avery, K Cruz-Uribe, D Halkett, JE Parkington, TE Steele, TP Volman and R Yates. 2004. The Ysterfontein 1 Middle Stone Age site, South Africa, and early human exploitation of coastal resources. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 101:5708-5715.

2. Steele TE. 2003. Using mortality profiles to infer behavior in the fossil record. Journal of Mammalogy 84:418-430.

1. Steele TE and TD Weaver. 2002. The modified triangular graph: A refined method for comparing mortality profiles in archaeological samples. Journal of Archaeological Science 29:317-322.

Book Chapters
8. Steele TE, A Mackay, A Blackwood, SE Lagle, NL Martisius, PJ McNeill, J Orton and MC Stahlschmidt. n.d. "Varsche Rivier (VR) 003, South Africa," in Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa: Hominin Behavior, Geography, and Chronology. Edited by Beyin A, D Wright, J Wilkins, A Bouzouggar and DI Olszewski: Springer.

7. Steele TE and E Álvarez Fernández. 2012. "Restes de mollusques marins," in Préhistoire de la Région de Rabat-Témara, vol. III. Edited by El Hajraoui MA, R Nespoulet, A Debénath and HL Dibble, pp. 223-227. Rabat, Morocco: Villes et Sites Archéologiques du Maroc (V.E.S.A.M.).

6. Steele TE. 2012. "Late Pleistocene human subsistence in northern Africa: The state of our knowledge and placement in a continental context," in Modern Origins: A North African Perspective. Edited by Hublin J-J and S McPherron, pp. 107-125. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.

5. Steele TE and E Álvarez-Fernández. 2011. "Initial investigations into the exploitation of coastal resources in North Africa during the Late Pleistocene at Grotte des Contrebandiers, Morocco," in Trekking the Shore: Changing Coastlines and the Antiquity of Coastal Settlement. Edited by Bicho N, J Haws and LG Davis, pp. 383-403. New York: Springer.

4. Steele TE and RG Klein. 2009. "Late Pleistocene subsistence strategies and resource intensification in Africa," in The Evolution of Hominid Diets: Integrating Approaches to the Study of Palaeolithic Subsistence. Edited by Hublin J-J and MP Richards, pp. 111-124. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.

3. Jaubert J, J-J Hublin, S McPherron, M Soressi, J-G Bordes, É Claud, D Cochard, A Delagnes, J-B Mallye, A Michel, M Niclot, LB Niven, S-J Park, W Rendu, MP Richards, D Richter, M Roussel, TE Steele, J-P Texier and C Thiébaut. 2008. "Paléolithique moyen récent et Paléolithique supérieur ancien à Jonzac (Charente-Maritime) : premiers résultats des campagnes 2004-2006," in Les sociétés du Paléolithique dans us Grand Sud-Ouest : nouveaux gisements, nouveaux résultats, nouvelles méthodes., vol. 47. Edited by Jaubert J, J-G Bordes and I Ortega, pp. 203-243: Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française 47.

2. Steele TE. 2007. "Late Pleistocene of Africa," in Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science. Edited by Elias SA, pp. 3139-3150. Oxford: Elsevier.

1. Steele TE. 2006. "Accuracy of age determinations from tooth crown heights: a test using an expanded sample of known age Cervus elaphus," in Recent Advances in Ageing and Sexing Animal Bone. Edited by Cosmopoulos DR, pp. 119-128. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxbow Books.

Comments
5. Ruebens K, GM Smith, T Dogandžić and TE Steele. 2020. Connecting Middle Palaeolithic Datasets: the Interplay of Zooarchaeological and Lithic Data for Unravelling Neanderthal Behaviour. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 3: 97-107.

4. Steele TE and TD Weaver. 2014. Comment on Ciere et al. Craniofacial feminization, social tolerance, and the origins of behavioral modernity. Current Anthropology 55:434-435.

3. Steele TE. 2010. A unique hominin menu dated to 1.95 million years ago. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 107:10771-10772.
 
2. Klein RG and TE Steele. 2008. Gibraltar data are too sparse to inform on Neanderthal exploitation of coastal resources. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 105:E115. 

1. Hublin J-J and TE Steele. 2006. Comment on Adler et al. Palaeolithic hunting in the Caucasus. Current Anthropology 47:107-108. 

Book Reviews
11. Steele TE. 2020. Book review: Paleozoology and Paleoenvironments: Fundamentals, Assumptions, Techniques. J. Tyler Faith and R. Lee Lyman. Journal of Anthropological Research Fall: 386-388.
10. Steele TE. 2015. Book review: The Archaeology of the West Cost of South Africa. Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology 10(2):302-303.
9. Steele TE. 2014. Book review: Reassessing Palaeolithic subsistence: the Neandertal and modern human foragers of Saint-Césaire, E Morin. Antiquity 88:312-313.
8. Steele TE. 2010. Book review: The Evolution of Modern Humans in Africa: A Comprehensive Guide, PR Willoughby. Journal of Anthropological Research 66:412-413.
7. Steele TE. 2010. Book review: The Evolution of Human Behavior, A Fuentes. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 142:504-505.
6. Steele TE. 2010. Book review: Man the Hunted: Primates, Predators, and Human Evolution, Expanded Edition, D Hart and RW Sussman. Journal of Anthropological Research 66:150-151.
5. Steele TE. 2009. Book review: Adrar Bous: archaeology of a Central Saharan granitic ring complex in Niger (Studies in Human Sciences 170), AB Smith and MAJ William. Antiquity 83:1190-1191.
4. Steele TE. 2007. Book review: The Faunas of Hayonim Cave, Israel: A 200,000 Year Record of Paleolithic Diet, Demography, and Society, MC Stiner. Journal of Anthropological Research 63:275-277.
3. Steele TE. 2006. Book review: Mode de Vie au Magdalénien: Apports de l’Archéozoologie / Zooarchaeological insights into Magdalenian Lifeways, S Costamagno and V Laroulandie (eds). PaleoAnthropology 2006:84-85.
2. Steele TE. 2006. Book review: The Exploitation and Cultural Importance of Sea Mammals, GG Monks (ed). Journal of Anthropological Research 62:282-283.
1. Steele TE. 2004. Book review: Savannah Lives: Animal Life and Human Evolution in Africa, S Ulfstrand. Quarterly Review of Biology 79:115-116.

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