David Underhill (also Underhill-Stocks) was raised with a passion for history and spent much of his teenage years running specialist lectures on medieval history for schools and colleges. Following his passion he undertook a distance learning certificate in archaeology from the University of Leicester.
Achieving a distinction allowed David to progress directly onto the second year of the universities undergraduate archaeology program. During this time, under the direction of Dr. Hopkinson, David developed a keen interest in anthropology, palaeolithic archaeology and human evolution; writing a dissertation focusing on material culture and the symbolism inherent in solid body electric guitars.
David graduated with first class honors in addition to the Samuel and Rachel May Prize in Archaeology. In order to pursue his passion for the palaeolithic David moved to the University of Southampton to undertake a Masters degree in human origins and Paleolithic archaeology under the direction of Drs McNabb and Davies. His focus really began to crystalize during this period with a dissertation examining the Large Cutting Tools at the Cave of Hearths South Africa, and he graduated with distinction.
Since then David has been undertaking PhD research at the Center for the Archaeology of Human Origins into the reality, or otherwise, of the Fauresmith industry and the nature of the transition from the Earlier to Middle Stone Age in South Africa.
