Julie Luyt is a Research Officer in the Department of Archaeology at UCT. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town.  Her interests lie in the effects of environmental and climatic variables on stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopic ratios of fauna. Studies of contemporary fauna provide a baseline for the interpretation of analyses of archaeological and fossil animals.

Julie’s focus is on the winter rainfall zone in the southwestern part of Africa, where reconstruction of palaeoclimates and palaeoenvironments help to contextualize important archaeological sites that record evidence of early modern humans.

Archaeology Dept, Beattie Building, Room 3.23
Fax: +27 (0)21 650 2352

Publications

Luyt, J. and Sealy, J (in prep).  Ungulate δ¹⁸O as a proxy for aridity in the South African winter and year round rainfall zone. Target journal: Quaternary research

Luyt, J. and Sealy, J. Carnivore stable isotopes as environmental integrators in  southern African winter rainfall ecosystems.  Target Journal: Quaternary International

Lehmann, S., Levin, N., Passey, B., Hu, H., Cerling, T., Miller, J., Arppe, L., Beverly, E., Hoppe, K., Luyt, J. and Sealy, J. Triple oxygen isotope distribution in modern mammal teeth and potential geologic applications. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

Schmidt, I., Ossendorf, G., Bubenzer, O.; Henselowsky, F.; Luyt, J.; Sealy, J.; Hensel, E. (accepted). Pockenbank, Namibia. Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa

Braun, D.R., Faith, J.T., Douglass, M.J., Davies, B., Power, M.J., Aldeias, V., Conard, N.J., Cutts, R., DeSantis, L.R., Dupont, L.M. and Esteban, I., 2021. Ecosystem engineering in the Quaternary of the West Coast of South Africa. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 30(1), pp.50-62

Faith, J.T., Braun, D.R., Davies, B., DeSantis, L.R., Douglass, M.J., Esteban, I., Hare, V., Levin, N.E., Luyt, J., Pickering, R. and Power, M.J., 2020. Ecometrics and the paleoecological implications of Pleistocene faunas from the western coastal plains of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. Journal of Quaternary Science, 35(8), pp.1007-1020

Rey, K., Day, M.O., Amiot, R., Fourel, F., Luyt, J., Lécuyer, C. and Rubidge, B.S., 2020. Stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) give new perspective on the ecology and diet of Endothiodon bathystoma (Therapsida, Dicynodontia) from the late Permian of the South African Karoo Basin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 556, p.109882

Barberena, R., Menéndez, L., le Roux, P.J., Marsh, E.J., Tessone, A., Novellino, P., Lucero, G., Luyt, J., Sealy, J., Cardillo, M. and Gasco, A., 2020. Multi-isotopic and morphometric evidence for the migration of farmers leading up to the Inka conquest of the southern Andes. Scientific reports, 10(1), pp.1-12

Rey, K., Day, M., Amiot, R., Fourel, F., Luyt, J., van den Brandt, M., Lécuyer, C., Rubidge, B. (2020) Oxygen isotopes and ecological inferences of Guadalupian (Permian) tetrapods from the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology. 538: 109485

Luyt, J., Hare, V and Sealy, J (2019). The relationship of ungulate δ¹³C and environment in the temperate biome  of southern Africa, and its palaeoclimatic application. Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology. 514:282-291

Luyt, J and Sealy, J. (2018). Inter-tooth comparison of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in ungulate tooth enamel from south-western Africa. Quaternary International 495: 144-152

Lee-Thorp, J.A., Sponheimer, M. & Luyt, J. (2007) Tracking changing Pliocene environments of the South African hominin sites using stable isotopes in faunal tooth enamel. Journal of Human Evolution 53: 595 – 601

Codron, D, Luyt, J. Lee-Thorp, J.A., Sponheimer, M., DeRuiter, D. and Codron, J. (2005) Utilization of savanna-based resources by Plio-Pleistocene baboons.  South African Journal of Science 101: 245-248

Luyt, J. and Lee-Thorp, J.A. (2003) Carbon isotope ratios of Sterkfontein fossils indicate a marked shift to open environments ca. 1.7 Ma.  South African Journal of Science 99: 271- 273.

Van der Merwe, N.J., Thackeray, F., Lee-Thorp, J.A. and Luyt, J. (2003) The carbon isotope ecology and diet of Australopithecus africanus at Sterkfontein, South Africa.  Journal of Human Evolution 44: 581 – 59

Luyt, J., Lee-Thorp, J.A. and Avery, G.A. (2000). New light on mid-Pleistocene West Coast environments from Elandsfontein, Western Cape Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Science 96: 399-403.