Cradle of Humankind
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
---|---|
Location | South Africa |
Criteria | Cultural: iii, vi |
Reference | 915 |
Inscription | 1999 (23rd Session) |
Extensions | 2015 |
The Cradle of Humankind
According to the South African Journal of Science, Bolt's Farm is the place where the earliest primates were discovered.[7] Bolt's Farm was heavily mined for speleothem (calcium carbonate from stalagmites, stalactites and flowstones) in the terminal 19th and early 20th centuries.[8]
The
Nearby, but not in the site, the
Sterkfontein alone has produced more than a third of early hominid fossils ever found prior to 2010.[9] The Dinaledi Chamber contains over 1,500 H. naledi fossils, the most extensive discovery of a single hominid species ever found in Africa.[10]
Etymology
The name Cradle of Humankind reflects the fact that the site has produced a substantially large number of
History of discoveries
million years ago ) |
In 1935, Robert Broom found the first ape-man fossils at Sterkfontein and began work at this site. In 1938, a young schoolboy, Gert Terrblanche, brought Raymond Dart fragments of a skull from nearby Kromdraai which later were identified as Paranthropus robustus. Also in 1938, a single ape-man tooth was found at the Cooper's site between Kromdraai and Sterkfontein. In 1948, the Camp-Peabody Expedition from the United States worked at Bolts Farm and Gladysvale looking for fossil hominids but failed to find any. Later in 1948, Robert Broom identified the first hominid remains from Swartkrans cave. In 1954, C.K. Brain began working at sites in the Cradle, including Cooper's Cave. He then initiated his three-decade work at Swartkrans cave, which resulted in the recovery of the second-largest sample of hominid remains from the Cradle. The oldest controlled use of fire by Homo erectus was also discovered at Swartkrans and dated to over 1 million years ago.[11][12]
In 1966,
In October 2013, Berger commissioned geologist Pedro Boshoff to investigate cave systems in the Cradle of Humankind for the express purpose of discovering more fossil hominin sites. Cavers Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker discovered hominid fossils in a previously unexplored area of the Rising Star/Westminster Cave System assigned site designation UW-101. In November 2013, Berger led a joint expedition of the University of the Witwatersrand and National Geographic Society to the Rising Star Cave System near Swartkrans. In just three weeks of excavation, the six-woman international team of advance
Geological context
The hominin remains that fossilised over time at the Cradle of Humankind are found in
Visitor centres
On 7 December 2005, South African President Thabo Mbeki opened the new Maropeng Visitors Centre at the site.[22] Per the maropeng.co.za website, visitors can see fossils, view stone tools, and learn about the birth of humankind in the visitors centre. The visitors centre additionally offers a tour of the Sterkfontein Caves and the exhibition at Sterkfontein. A light, moveable, steel structure known as the Beetle has been placed over the Malapa site, to allow the paying public to view excavations, once they resume at the site. (Digging has been on hold since 2009, when the remains of four A. sediba individuals were removed.)[23][needs update]
See also
- Wonder Cave
- Cradle of civilization
- Dawn of Humanity, a 2015 PBS film
- Muldersdrift
- Recent African origin of modern humans
- Maropeng Cavemen, South Africa field hockey club
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9584891-3-3.
- ^ a b "Cradle of Humankind – David Fleminger". Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ a b Wayman, Erin. "The Human Evolution World Tour". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Why is the Cradle of Humankind important?".
- ^ "Fossils in the Cradle of Humankind site reignite debate over origins of humans". NBC News. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Maropeng a'Afrika and the Cradle of Humankind". maropeng.co.za. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ISSN 0038-2353.
- PMID 30656072.
- ^ Smith, David (15 January 2010). "Visit to the Cradle of Humankind". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Wong, Kate (10 September 2015). "Mysterious New Human Species Emerges from Heap of Fossils". Scientific American. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- S2CID 4318364.
- ISBN 9781770070653. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "New Species of Human Discovered in South Africa". IFLScience. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ Photograph Mark Thiessen, National Geographic (10 September 2015). "This Face Changes the Human Story. But How?". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015.
- PMID 26354291.
- ^ Johannesburg, The University of the Witwatersrand. "Homo naledi - Wits University". www.wits.ac.za.
- PMID 26354289.
- ^ "Rising Star Expedition". Archived from the original on 7 November 2013.
- ^ "Scientists bag more than 1 000 fossils at Cradle 'treasure trove'".
- ^ "Johannesburg Update".
- S2CID 242503326.
- ^ "Mbeki opens Maropeng centre". News24. 8 December 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
Maropeng, which means 'the place where we come from,' is expected to receive over 500 000 visitors annually, according to the Gauteng provincial government.
- S2CID 4446278.
Further reading
- L.R. Berger and B. Hilton-Barber, Field Guide to the Cradle of Humankind (Struik, 2003)
External links
- BBC, "Richest human fossil site found in South Africa", 28 November 2013
- National Geographic, Rising Star Expedition
- Sterkfontein and Maropeng visitor attractions website
- Maropeng – The Cradle of Humankind Official Website
- UNESCO – Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs
- Cradle of Humankind Map
- Palaeo Tours – Scientist-led tours to the "Cradle"
- Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).