Sterkfontein

Sterkfontein

Sterkfontein (Afrikaans for "Strong Spring") is a set of limestone caves of special interest to paleo-anthropologists located in Gauteng province, Northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa near the town of Krugersdorp. The archaeological sites of Swartkrans (Afrikaans for "Black Cliff") and Kromdraai (Afrikaans for "Crooked Turn") (and the Wonder Cave) are in the same area.

A number of early hominid remains have been found at the site over the last few decades.

Sterkfontein was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000 and the area in which it is situated, was named the Cradle of Humankind.

Modern excavation of the caves began in the late 1890s by limestone miners who noticed the fossils and brought them to the attention of scientists. It was not until 1936 that students of Professor Raymond Dart and Dr. Robert Broom from the University of the Witwatersrand began concerted excavations.

These excavations revealed many early hominids. In 1936, the Sterkfontein caves yielded the first adult Australopithecine, substantially strengthening Raymond Dart's claim that the skull known as the Taung child ("Australopithecus africanus") was a human ancestor. There was a pause in excavation during World War II, but after the war Dr. Broom continued excavations. In 1947 he found the almost complete skull of an adult female "Australopithecus africanus" (or possibly that of an adolescent male). Broom initially named the skull "Plesianthropus transvaalensis" ("near-man" from Transvaal), but it became better known by its nickname, "Mrs. Ples". "Mrs. Ples" is estimated to be between 2.6 and 2.8 million years old placing it in the Pliocene. In 1997 a near complete skeleton of an early hominid was found in the caves by Ronald J. Clarke; extraction of the remains from the surrounding breccia is ongoing. The skeleton was named "Little Foot", since the first parts found (in 1995, in storage) were the bones of a foot; it is estimated to be 3.3 million years old.

Excavations continue to this day and finds now total some 500 hominids, making Sterkfontein the richest site in the world for early hominids.

The [http://www.past.org.za/overview.html Palaeo-Anthropology Scientific Trust] (PAST), a non-profit trust fund established in 1994, sponsors over 90% of the research undertaken at Sterkfontein and was instrumental in its nomination as a World Heritage Site.

ee also

*List of caves in South Africa

External links

* [http://www.discoveryourself.co.za/sterkfontein/source/content/home.htm The Sterkfontein Caves]
* [http://www.cradleofhumankind.co.za/ The Cradle of Humankind]
* [http://www.discoveryourself.co.za/# The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sterkfontein — local. d Afrique du Sud à l O. de Krugersdorp, près de Johannesburg, où l on découvrit en 1936 des restes d australopithèques. Mines d or …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Sterkfontein — Sitios de restos fósiles homínidos de Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, y alrededores1 Patrimonio de la Humanidad Unesco Arqueólogos en una estructura …   Wikipedia Español

  • Sterkfontein — 26°00′56.36″S 27°44′03.46″E / 26.0156556, 27.7342944 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sterkfontein — Archäologen in einem Bauwerk oberhalb des Eingangs zur Höhle Sterkfontein (afrikaans für „starke Quelle“) ist die Bezeichnung für eine Reihe von Karsthöhlen bei der Stadt Krugersdorp nordwestlich von Johannesburg in Südafrika. Die Höhlen sind von …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sterkfontein — One of three neighbouring South African sites (the others being Kromdraai and Swartkrans) at which the remains of fossil hominids have been found. The fossils found include those of Australopithecus africanus, A. robustus (see Australopithecus),… …   Universalium

  • Sterkfontein — Uno de los tres sitios arqueológicos contiguos en Sudáfrica (los otros son Kromdraai y Swartkrans) en los que se han encontrado restos fósiles de homínidos. Los fósiles descubiertos corresponden, entre otros, al Australopithecus africanus, el A.… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Sterkfontein Dam — Reservoir seen from the R74 Official name Sterkfontein Dam Location Free State …   Wikipedia

  • sterkfontein ape-man — ˈsterkfənˌtān noun Usage: usually capitalized S Etymology: from Sterkfontein, farm near Johannesburg, So. Africa, where the specimens were found : an extinct southern African anthropoid (Australopithecus transvaalensis or Plesianthropus… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sterkfontein — Stẹrkfontein   [ tɛjn], Fundort (1936 58) von Schädel und Knochenresten des Australopithecus africanus (Australopithecinen) und des Homo habilis bei Krugersdorp, seit 1999 UNESCO Weltkulturerbe …   Universal-Lexikon

  • sterkfontein — sterk·fon·tein …   English syllables

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