Cradle Of Humankind

The Sterkfontein Caves are located within the Isaac Edwin Stegmann Reserve about 10km from Krugersdorp, These caves were donated to the University of Witwatersrand by the Stegmann family. A section of the caves is open to the public, and there is a gravel platform from which the public can view the excavation site. Other facilities include a tea-room and small museum in which information about significant findings are on display.

The Sterkfontein Caves were opened in the late 1890s by lime prospectors, Early explorers of the caves noted the presence of fossilized bone, but it was only in 1936, after students of Prof, Raymond Dart interested Dr Robert Broom in visiting the caves, that systematic work on the fossils began.

Right from the start the caves proved rich in hominids. In 1936 the Sterkfontein caves produced the first adult australopithecine, which substantially strengthened Raymond Dart's claim that the Taung child (Australopithecus africanus) was a human ancestor.

The Second World War unfortunately interrupted Broom's activities at Sterkfontein, but he resumed work with John Robinson in 1946. In 1947 he found the almost complete skull of an adult female Australopithecus africanus, Broom Initially named the skull Plesianthropus transvaale:nsis ("near-man" of the Transvaal), which inspired the nickname 'Mrs.Ples'.

'Mrs Ples' is estimated to be between 2.8- 2.6 million years old and ranks high on the long list of australopithecine discoveries for which Sterkfontein is now famous.

The world's longest sustained excavation ever carried out at an ancient hominid sites was started in 1966 and continues today. Professor Philip Tobias (1966-to date),Mr Alun Hughes (1966-1991) and Dr Ron Clarke (1991-to date) have contributed to the recovery of a further 500 hominid specimens making Sterkfonteln the world's richest hominid site. The site is also renowned for studies carried out on fossilised fauna, wood and stone tools which were made, used and discarded by hominids In the past. Together with Dr Ron Clarke, archaeologist Dr Kathy Kuurman discovered two distinct stone tool industries at Sterkfonteln.

The earlier tools date to between 2- 1.7 m.y.a. and are simply made; quartz pebbles are struck to produce sharp-edged flakes. The second Industry dates to around 1.7- 1.4 m.y.a. and represents the work of the more advanced hominid, Homo ergaster. In this case cobbles of quartzite are Intentionally shaped Info handaxes and cleavers. The most recent spectacular discovery that made International headlines was that of a complete skull and near complete skeleton of an Australoppithecus dated to 3.3 m.y. The discovery occured in toe stages.In 1994 and 1997 Dr Ron Clarke Identified 12 foot and lower leg bones of an " australopithecine In boxes of fossil and  animal bones that had been excavated some years earlier. The fact that these bones all came from one Individual led Clarke to believe the rest of the skeleton was still in the cave.

In July 1997 Clarke provided Stephen Motsumi and Nkwane Molefe, members of the Sterkfonteln excavation team, with a copy of the broken end of the shinbone and requested that they search a specific breccia (hard cave Inflll) to see if they could find the other end of the same leg bone. They found it on the second day of searching.

The announcement to the publIc was made In December 1998 after the team uncovered the skull.  Excavation thus far has exposed the lower legs, left arm and hand and a complete skull.

The fossil remains from Broom's  excavations are housed In the Transvaal Museum (Northern Flagship Institution), Pretoria, while the remains from 1966 onwards are housed at the University of Wltwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Copyright: South African Tourism