When I was in elementary school in the 1970s the Scholastic Weekly Reader had a story about the discovery of "Lucy" the hominin found in Ethiopia. This ignited a spark in me to travel to Africa.
Today was our archeology day. Simphiwe was our guide again today. First, we went to the Sterkfontein Cave, one of 13 caves being excavated in this area known as the Cradle of Human Kind, a world heritage site, for remains of early humans called hominids, and many fossils of plants and animals found there.The two most important discoveries were of a skull called "Mrs. Ples" and the most complete skeleton of a boy called "Little Foot." We first visit the small museum display at Sterkfontein caves that goes over the history of life on the planet with replicas of early hominids. We then went down into the cave. The tour of the cave showed how these fossils came to be there. These early people did not live in caves. There are natural fissures in the earth in this area where the limestone wore away creating a deep hole, a cave. Heavy rains and wind can blow things into the holes, or when the earth collapsed in the the cave from above, plants & animals could have fallen in with the earth. "Little Foot" is believed to have been running through the grasslands and fallen into a fissure. His skeleton showed bone fractures, but he lay where he fell under one if those holes which means he died on impact. Then water seeps through the limestone to create a fossilized breccia around the leaves, animal and early human bodies. Its under these holes that they find fossils.
Today was our archeology day. Simphiwe was our guide again today. First, we went to the Sterkfontein Cave, one of 13 caves being excavated in this area known as the Cradle of Human Kind, a world heritage site, for remains of early humans called hominids, and many fossils of plants and animals found there.The two most important discoveries were of a skull called "Mrs. Ples" and the most complete skeleton of a boy called "Little Foot." We first visit the small museum display at Sterkfontein caves that goes over the history of life on the planet with replicas of early hominids. We then went down into the cave. The tour of the cave showed how these fossils came to be there. These early people did not live in caves. There are natural fissures in the earth in this area where the limestone wore away creating a deep hole, a cave. Heavy rains and wind can blow things into the holes, or when the earth collapsed in the the cave from above, plants & animals could have fallen in with the earth. "Little Foot" is believed to have been running through the grasslands and fallen into a fissure. His skeleton showed bone fractures, but he lay where he fell under one if those holes which means he died on impact. Then water seeps through the limestone to create a fossilized breccia around the leaves, animal and early human bodies. Its under these holes that they find fossils.
Photo Credit: Rachael Costello
These caves were discovered in the mid 1800s first by gold miners, when no gold was found then limestone miners. The mining used explosives thus destroying many fossils, but these fossils wouldn't have been discovered without the mining. There is an underground lake in the cave that they claim has drinkable water.
Then we went to the museum called Maropeng. It is one of the most kid- friendly museums, very interactive, and very informative on the history of life on the planet Earth.
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