Aug
3
2009
For those visiting either Pretoria or Johannesburg, the Sterkfontein Caves are located just about an hour’s drive from each city, and should be on the itinerary of all those touring the country and staying in the luxury hotels Johannesburg and Pretoria offer. These caves are located within the Heritage Site of the “Cradle of Humankind” and claim as their own, some of the most dramatic and important archaeological discoveries in the world. These discoveries have been responsible for changes in the ways scientists, and society in the whole, the history of the evolution of human beings and humanity in general. The two most recent discoveries that are on exhibit are those of Little Foot and Mrs. Ples. Little Foot is the name given to the fossil remains of an almost entire skeleton recovered dating more than three million years old. Little Foot is a member of the hominid species, Australopithecus. Mrs. Ples, also Australopithicus was found previous to Little Foot, and is the complete skull of a female member of the species. These are just two of the many famous findings the caves have revealed.
John Gurche is the world renown paleontologist, the resident scientist for the site who has exhibits located throughout the world, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, and at the Smithsonian Institute. Due to his vast expertise, he also served to consult during the movie shoots of “Jurrasic Park”. The University of Witwatersrand owns the caves, and the scientists of the university have been among those responsible for the main excavation projects. Many other fossils of the hominid species and various species of mammals have been discovered withing the caves, all dating back four million years. In 2005 the site under went an extensive restoration process and now includes a fine dining restaurant, more accessible access into the caves, and boardwalks and pathways that present one with the incredible experience of touting the site, the site that has become known as the birth-site of humanity.