Early Human Behaviour
University Museum of Bergen, Bergen (NO), 2023
How does a university create knowledge? And how do you study something that happened 100.000 years ago? In the new exhibition of the University Museum of Bergen, visitors are engaged in the work of scientists.
Left: Lightbox picturing SapienCE founder Chris Henshilwood. Right: SapienCE scientists at opening of exhibition.
The SapienCE project
Around 100.000 to 70.000 years ago, a shift in human behaviour took place as early humans started to show modern human behaviour. They for example started using symbols on their bodies and on the objects they crafted. Was it for decorative purposes? Did the symbols communicate a message to other tribes? Or are they the first signs of mathematics? It is these behaviours that reseachers from the Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE) are studying. The centre, based at University of Bergen, was founded in an effort to answer the question: ‘why, how and when did modern human behaviour evolve?’. The SapienCE project combines methods and insights from the fields of archaeology, psychology and climatology to answer this question. Together with the museum we created the concept and design for the new exhibition about their ongoing research project.
Origin of culture
Studying early human behaviour takes you all the way to South Africa. Situated along the remote coast, are caves and rivers in which early humans found shelter to cook, eat and craft. It is the origin of human culture, and the skills needed for these activities were learned and passed on from generation to generation. The artefacts left behind by early humans are now being dug up by the curious and dedicated SapienCE scientists. Archaeological excavations are at the core of the project and therefore we gave them a central role in the exhibition. We want visitors to feel as though they step into the cave alongside the scientists.
Photos: University Museum of Bergen
Landscape of Learning
Together with OPERA Amsterdam, we created a Landscape of Learning in which visitors discover three levels of learning. First, they’ll meet SapienCE scientists that explain the research methods they themselves have learned and now apply to study the past. In addition, visitors discover how the research reveals how early humans were learning from each other. Finally, visitors will have the chance to practise their own skills and teach them to others.
You will discover that learning is central to being human: 100.000 years ago and still today.
“The activities make the public realise that, even 100,000 years ago, humans were already highly advanced.”
Heidi Bøhagen, reviewer of Bergens Tidende
Credits
Client
University Museum of BergenContent design audio stories
Studio LouterSpatial design
OPERA AmsterdamBuild
Bruns