Come And Discover What The Cradle Of Humankind Has To Offer!

Article Written By: JaydenSolle

The Cradle of Humankind, so called because a large number of hominid fossils dating back millions of years have been found there. Nowhere else has such a large amount of hominid fossils been found in one area and this has led scientists to the conclusion that this part of Africa could very well be the birthing place of the human ancestry.

Located Northwest of Johannesburg it is 45,000 hectors big. UNESCO has proclaimed it a World Heritage Site, one amongst the 7 World Heritage Sites in South Africa. But this site is more than just an archaeological and paleontological wonder it also has many other attractions.

Here is a list of a few of the caves where hominid fossils have been found:

- Wonder cave

- Cooper's cave

- Haasgat cave

- Minaar's cave

- Gondolin

- Swartkrans

- Kromdraai

- Sterkfontein

The Sterkfontein caves are a group of lime stone caves which were home to most of the hominid caves found at the Cradle of Humankind. The first discovery was made back in 1935 by Robert Broom although Lime stone miners came across fossils as early back as the late 1890s. The second person to make a discovery was not an archaeologist, but a school boy by the name of Gert Terrblanche who found fossils near Kromdraai.

To date over 500 hominid fossils have been found at Sterkfontein and over 9000 stone tools. The two most significant finds have been:

- Mrs Ples - Found in 1947 by Robert Broom. Mrs Ples is an Australopithecus Africanus and is 2.5 million years old.

- Little foot- Found in 1995 by Ronald Clarke and Phillip Tobias. The first pieces found were foot bones but later almost all pieces of the skeleton was excavated. This was dated at over 4 million years old.

But it is not just hominid fossils which have been found at the Cradle of Humankind but also other animal species, 90 000 different skeletal remains. Amongst these have been fossils of the sabre-tooth tiger, and types of forest monkey's.

Today the Cradle of Humankind has a 3000 hector Nature Reserve situated on it, which is home to over 30 mammals species and 250 bird species with enough space for them to roam across planes and valleys. Fauna and flora abounds at the Cradle of Humankind with emphasise on maintaining a balance between tourism and nature.

This is why nature walks have become such a popular attraction at the cradle. With a number of restaurants and hotels you get a rich experience which is not offered anywhere else in the world! Where else can you take a tour of caves and see some of the oldest fossils in the morning, go on a game drive in the afternoon (or night), do a spot of shopping at craft shops and sleep in the African bushveld? The Cradle of Humankind offers something for everyone, why not pay Mrs. Ples a visit?

About the Author

For more information on cradle of human kind, go to http://www.forumhomini.com

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