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University of Bergen
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SAPIENCE

Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE) aims to increase our understanding of how and when Homo sapiens evolved into who we are today.

Early Human Behaviour Exhibition
TEAM SapienCE at the museumopening

Showcasing Fascinating Discoveries about Early Modern Human Behaviour

The SapienCE Early Human Behaviour Exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore fascinating discoveries and insights into the behaviours of our early, shared, ancestors.

News
Eystein Jansen professor

Stepping down as Deputy Director - staying on as sage advisor

Eystein Jansen is stepping down as Deputy Director of SapienCE after five years of service. He has played a vital role in the Centre since its foundation. Jansen's work has focused on exploring the ways that climate reconstruction can benefit archaeology to increase our understanding of how and when...

News
Discovery of 80 000 year old bone tools from SA. Pictures showing experimental methods to find out how the tools were used.

UiB scientists discover 80 000-year-old bone tools

An international team of archaeologists, led by a UiB scientist, has identified the oldest bone tools from southern Africa. The tools are 60,000 to 80,000 years old and were likely used for debarking trees and to dig into the ground.

EXHIBITION
first humans illustration photo

Origins of Early Sapiens Behaviour

“We are very proud that SapienCE’s Origins of Early Sapiens Behaviour exhibition has been updated to a new format and found a new home at the Origins Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg,” Christopher Henshilwood, director of SapienCE says.

Sapience logo

SapienCE was established in 2017 by the Research Council of Norway in collaboration with the University of Bergen. The SapienCE Centre is cooperating closely with the University of the Witwatersrand, Norce, Royal Holloway University of London, Université de Bordeaux and Universität Tübingen.

SapienCE is part of the Research Council of Norway's Centres of Excellence (CoE) scheme. The scheme organizes the activities of Norway’s foremost scientific circles in centres to achieve ambitious scientific objectives through collaboration and long-term basic funding.

Exhibitions

Early Human Behaviour
26.05.23–31.12.23