Why is Sterkfontein a heritage site?
It was established and inscribed in 1999 on UNESCO’s World Heritage List because of the wealth of fossils found in the area and, in particular, fossils of ancient humans. It is an area that has yielded and has continued to produce an enormous amount of information about our human origins.
Is Sterkfontein a World Heritage Site?
Sterkfontein is one of many palaeontological sites in the Cradle of Humankind – all together, there are 15 sites which make up the World Heritage Site. Sterkfontein: One of the world’s richest hominid sites. Finds include Australopithecus africanus and an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton.
How old is Sterkfontein?
It is estimated to be around 2.6–2.2 Ma based on a combination of uranium-lead dating and palaeomagnetic analysis and belongs to a second species of australopith, Australopithecus prometheus. In contrast, surface exposure dating of sediments indicate that skeleton StW 573 has an age of approximately 4 million years.
What was found in the Sterkfontein caves?
Sterkfontein is the location at which Australopithecus africanus fossils were unearthed. Cooper’s Cave is home to Paranthropus robustus and numerous animal fossils such as pigs, carnivores and antelope. Kromdraai is famous for being the first site in which Paranthropus robustus was discovered, in 1938.
Do you think it is important to have heritage sites?
Historic preservation is important in terms of a range of cultural, social and educational benefits. Preservation of the historic environment supports the social and cultural well-being of residents and contributes to civic pride.
Why is Sterkfontein important?
The Cradle of Humankind is one of the world’s most important fossil sites because it has produced: The first adult Australopithecus, found by Dr Robert Broom at Sterkfontein in 1936. A great number of cave sites containing fossils of our ancestors, their relatives, and the animals that populated their environment.
Is Africa the cradle of humanity?
According to existing archaeological and fossil evidence, however, the Cradle of Humankind (originally known as Cradle of Mankind) is the Afar Triangle in East Africa, which is often referred to as the Cradle of Humanity….Cradle of Humankind.
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Inscription | 1999 (23rd Session) |
| Extensions | 2015 |
Who found the Taung Child?
Raymond Dart
The Taung Child, discovered by Raymond Dart, was the first fossil of a human ancestor found in Africa. It provided the first concrete evidence that this continent, not Asia, was the cradle of humankind.
Why is Mrs Ples so important?
They nicknamed the skull, which is believed to be about 2.5 million years old, “Mrs Ples”. Its scientific name is Australopithecus africanus, and it’s extremely significant because scientists believe it to be a distant relative of all humankind.
What is Mrs Ples full name?
Australopithecus africanus
Ples” was coined by Broom’s young co-workers. It derives from the scientific name Plesianthropus transvaalensis (near-man from the Transvaal), that Broom initially gave the skull, later subsumed (synonymized) into the species Australopithecus africanus.
How were the Sterkfontein caves Discovered?
What lay deep in the cave was only to be discovered in 1947 by Dr. Robert Broom, who was exploring and doing research in the cave. He was to come across an ape humanlike creature which probably walked upright, which he called in scientific terms “Plesiantropus Transvaalensis”, better known as “Mrs Ples”.
What are the benefits of heritage sites?
Building of infrastructures, roads and signs to promote access and visibility of heritage sites; generating employment, whether through jobs or new businesses, both within and outside the heritage industry; increased community pride and awareness in heritage, reintroducing individuals to their cultural roots, growing …