Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa

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Unraveling Human Evolution: A Journey Through the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa

The Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, offers a captivating glimpse into the origins and evolution of humanity. This expansive paleoanthropological site, spanning over 47,000 hectares in the Gauteng province, lies approximately 50 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg. Known colloquially as the Cradle of Humankind, this remarkable location houses the most extensive collection of human ancestral remains discovered worldwide.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The Taung Skull Fossil Site, part of the extension to the site inscribed in 1999, is the place where in 1924 the celebrated Taung Skull – a specimen of the species Australopithecus africanus – was found. Makapan Valley, also in the site, features in its many archaeological caves traces of human occupation and evolution dating back some 3.3 million years. The area contains essential elements that define the origin and evolution of humanity. Fossils found there have enabled the identification of several specimens of early hominids, more particularly of Paranthropus, dating back between 4.5 million and 2.5 million years, as well as evidence of the domestication of fire 1.8 million to 1 million years ago.

Encyclopedia Record: Cradle of Humankind

The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site that is located about 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the site is home to the largest known concentration of human ancestral remains anywhere in the world. The site currently occupies 47,000 hectares and contains a complex system of limestone caves. The registered name of the site in the list of World Heritage Sites is Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa.

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