Sterkfontein Caves

The Sterkfontien Caves are home to some of the most significant

palaeoanthropological finds ever made; with thousands of discoveries made there since excavation began in 1935. The caves are also the site of the longest-running continuous palaeoanthropological dig in the world.

During the late 19^th and 20^th century, caves in the area were mined for limestone.  This mining unearthed fossils that attracted the interest of scientists. Significant finds made in the Sterkfontien Caves include the discovery of a fossilized early hominin skull (nicknamed Mrs Ples) by Dr. Robert Broom in 1947, and Little Foot, a complete hominin skeleton discovered in 1997 by Professor Ron Clarke.

The fossils excavated from the Sterkfontein Caves and their surroundings, along with the fossilized remains of plants and animals, have allowed scientists to reconstruct past habitats and speculate about what the Cradle of Humankind might have been like at our very beginnings, right through to present times.

The links below will provide more information pertaining to the three most famous finds discovered at the Sterkfontein Caves; "Mrs. Ples," "Little Foot," and "Taung Child" :

http://www.gauteng.net/cradleofhumankind/the_destination/fossils/famous_fossil_finds_of_the_cradle_of_humankind/mrs_ples_1947/

http://www.gauteng.net/cradleofhumankind/the_destination/fossils/famous_fossil_finds_of_the_cradle_of_humankind/little_foot_1997/

http://www.gauteng.net/cradleofhumankind/the_destination/fossils/famous_fossil_finds_of_the_cradle_of_humankind/the_taung_child_1925/

The following pictures were taken during my visit to the site:

inside the museum

current excavation site within the cave

eventually, those three sections will erode away and cause an opening to the ground above

site of the first major discovery; Mrs. Ples