The first in the book series Studies in the African Past was published in 2001, consisting of reports produced by the archaeology research project, 'Human Responses and Contribution to Environmental Change'. The new research initiative developed out of this project is known as the 'African Archaeology Network'. This is investigating how ancient African societies exploited resources, developed settlements and established long-distance trade networks. A pan-African project, it aims to develop new models to understand how ancient communities adjusted and responded to political and environmental upheavals; and to demonstrate the potential for more research in the different areas of African archaeology.