1 a New Absolute Date from Swartkrans Cave for the Oldest
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Palaeontology of Haas Gat a Preliminary Account
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wits Institutional Repository on DSPACE Palaeont. afr., 28, 29-33 (1991) THE PALAEONTOLOGY OF HAAS GAT A PRELIMINARY ACCOUNT by A.W. Keyser Geological Survey, Private Bag X112, Pretoria 0001, Republic of South Africa ABSTRACT Haasgat is a cave on the steep western slope of the upper reach of the Witwatersrand Spruit, on the farm Leeuwenkloof 480 lQ, in the Brits District. It was heavily mined for flowstone (calcite). The cave contains a deposit offossiliferous cave silt and breccia that was partially removed by the miners and dumped on the steep slopes of the valley. The original entrance was probably a shallow inclined pit, leading into an upper chamber and then into the preserved depository. Both porcupines and carnivores served as accumulating agents for the bones. Fossils of the primates Parapapio and Cercopifhecoides, hyaena (Chasmaporthetes), fox, porcupines, several species of bovids and two species of Hyrax have been recovered. An insufficient number of fossils have been prepared to determine the age of the deposit with certainty. The deposit was provisionally thought to be of Pliocene age because of the occurrence of Parapapio. At this stage it would be unwise to correlate this occurrence with any other caves in this age range. It is concluded that the cave silts were deposited by flash floods, under a wetter climatic regime than that of the present. MAIN FEATURES AND ORIGIN OF THE DEPOSIT Haasgat is the remains of what once was a more extensive cave on the farm Leeuwenkloof 48 JQ in the Brits District. -
Human Origins in South Africa
Human Origins in South Africa September 8-22, 2018 (15 days) with paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall © Thomas T. oin Dr. Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus at the Makapansgat American Museum of Natural History and renowned SOUTH AFRICA Valley & Jpaleoanthropologist and author, on this diverse South African # = Hotel nights 2 Polokwane Mapungubwe adventure featuring fascinating paleontological localities; evocative Sterkfontein Caves 1 Pretoria historical sites and modern cities; sublime mountain, veld, and coastal scenery; wildlife viewing and photography opportunities; delicious cuisine; and 4- and 5-star accommodations. Travel from 2 Magaliesberg the lovely Magaliesberg Mountains to early human sites in the Johannesburg “Cradle of Humankind,” such as Sterkfontein Caves, and as far Hoedspruit afield as the Makapansgat Valley, plus archaeological sites in the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and the West Coast Fossil Park. Visit Blombos Museum of Archaeology and Pinnacle Point Caves, West Coast Fossil Park 4 Cape Town 2 Kapama Game with private tours of both by a guest archaeologist. Spend two Reserve nights at a luxurious camp to explore the Kapama Game Reserve, Cape Winelands enjoying morning and afternoon game drives. Take guided tours Darling 2 George of Pretoria and Cape Town, and tour the Cape Winelands, where you will sample some of South Africa’s most renowned wines. Indian Ocean Cango Dr. Tattersall and local guides will accompany you throughout, Pinnacle Point Caves Atlantic Ocean Caves weaving together the threads of past and present that make up the rich tapestry of human evolution. Cover, Cape Town. Below, Mapungubwe Hill, Mapungubwe National Park. Bottom, the entrance to the Sterkfontein Caves. Itinerary (B)= Breakfast, (L)= Lunch, (D)= Dinner Saturday, September 8, 2018: Depart Home Depart home on independent flights to Johannesburg, South Africa. -
Remains of a Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) from the Dinaledi Chamber, Rising
Research Article Page 1 of 5 Remains of a barn owl (Tyto alba) from the AUTHORS: Dinaledi Chamber, Rising Star Cave, South Africa Ashley Kruger1 Shaw Badenhorst1 AFFILIATION: 1Evolutionary Studies Institute, Excavations during November 2013 in the Rising Star Cave, South Africa, yielded more than 1550 University of the Witwatersrand, specimens of a new hominin, Homo naledi. Four bird bones were collected from the surface of the Johannesburg, South Africa Dinaledi Chamber during the first phase of the initial excavations. Although mentioned in the initial geological and taphonomic reports, the bird remains have not been formally identified and described CORRESPONDENCE TO: Ashley Kruger until now. Here we identify these remains as the extant barn owl (Tyto alba) which is today common in the region and which is considered to have been an important agent of accumulation of microfaunal EMAIL: remains at many local Plio-Pleistocene sites in the Cradle of Humankind. Based on the greatest length [email protected] measurement and breadth of the proximal articulation of the tarsometatarsus specimen, it is suggested that a single (female) individual is represented, despite the small sample sizes available for comparison. DATES: Although it is unclear how the remains of this female owl came to be accumulated in the remote Dinaledi Received: 06 June 2018 Chamber, we suggest several possible taphonomic scenarios and hypothesise that these remains are Revised: 27 July 2018 not directly associated with the Homo naledi remains. Accepted: 13 Sep. 2018 Published: 27 Nov. 2018 Significance: • Owl bones from the Dinaledi Chamber are the only other macro-vertebrate remains from this Chamber. -
1St Uj Palaeo-Research Symposium
PROGRAMME 1ST UJ PALAEO-RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM in combination with the 2ND PALAEO-TRACKS SYMPOSIUM Monday 13 November 2017 Funded by the African Origins Platform of the National Research Foundation of South Africa Through the Palaeo-TrACKS Research Programme 08:30 Arrival, coffee & loading of Power Point presentations Freshly brewed tea and coffee with a selection of freshly baked croissants, Danish pastries & muffins 09:00 5 min Welcome Prof Alex Broadbent (Executive Dean of Humanities & Professor of Philosophy, University of Johannesburg) Introduction of Chairs Morning session: Prof Kammila Naidoo, Humanities Deputy Dean Research & Professor of Sociology Afternoon session: Prof Marlize Lombard, Director of the Centre for Anthropological Research 09:05 10 min Opening address Prof Angina Parekh (Deputy Vice Chancellor: Academic and Institutional Planning, University of Johannesburg) SESSION 1: INVITED KEYNOTE LECTURES 09:15 30 min The Rising Star fossil discoveries and human origins Prof John Hawks (Vilas-Borghesi Distinguished Achievement Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) Abstract: Discoveries in the Dinaledi and Lesedi Chambers of the Rising Star cave system have transformed our knowledge of South African fossil hominins during the Middle Pleistocene. The research strategies undertaken in the Rising Star cave system provide a strong framework for inter- disciplinary work in palaeo-anthropology. This talk gives an overview of the Rising Star research project, focusing on the processes that have enabled effective -
Stakeholder Marketing and Museum Accountability: the Case of South Africa’S Cradle of Humankind
Stakeholder marketing and museum accountability: The case of South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind Howard Davey, Vida Botes, & Janet Davey Prof Howard Davey* Professor of Professional Accounting, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, NEW ZEALAND email: [email protected] telephone: +64 078384441 Dr Vida Botes, Senior Lecturer - Accounting, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, NEW ZEALAND email: [email protected] telephone: +64 078379304 Dr Janet Davey Coordinator - Student Internships Dean‟s Office, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, NEW ZEALAND email: [email protected] telephone: +64 078379260 *Conference paper presenter 1 Stakeholder marketing and museum accountability: The case of South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind Abstract Museums, fulfilling key functions as custodians of shared heritage, are highly dependent on public and donor funding. At the same time, they are increasingly outward-focussed, expanding their purpose and audience making them accountable to a growing, complex audience of stakeholders. This research analyses the accountability practices of one of South Africa‟s leading museums, the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COHWHS). Annual reports were analysed using a disclosure instrument and textual data from website- published press releases were interpreted using a hermeneutic approach. COHWHS‟ accountability practices varied considerably according to the medium used. We recommend that stakeholder marketing and accountability practices can be more effective if these practices are integrated across the COHWHS‟ multiple reporting media and diverse stakeholder audiences. Key words: Museums, accountability, hermeneutics, South Africa. Introduction Museums as key repositories of humankind‟s cultural heritage are trusted by the public to care for this shared heritage on behalf of current and future generations. -
Geological and Taphonomic Context for the New Hominin Species Homo Naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa
Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2015 Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa Dirks, Paul HGM; Berger, Lee R; Roberts, Eric M; Kramers, Jan D; Hawks, John; Randolph-Quinney, Patrick S; Elliott, Marina; Musiba, Charles M; Churchill, Steven E; de Ruiter, Darryl J; Schmid, Peter; Backwell, Lucinda R; Belyanin, Georgy A; Boshoff, Pedro; Hunter, K Lindsay; Feuerriegel, Elen M; Gurtov, Alia; Harrison, James du G; Hunter, Rick; Kruger, Ashley; Morris, Hannah; Makhubela, Tebogo V; Peixotto, Becca; Tucker, Steven Abstract: We describe the physical context of the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave, South Africa, which contains the fossils of Homo naledi. Approximately 1550 specimens of hominin remains have been recovered from at least 15 individuals, representing a small portion of the total fossil content. Macro-vertebrate fossils are exclusively H. naledi, and occur within clay-rich sediments derived from in situ weathering, and exogenous clay and silt, which entered the chamber through fractures that prevented passage of coarser-grained material. The chamber was always in the dark zone, and not accessible to non-hominins. Bone taphonomy indicates that hominin individuals reached the chamber complete, with disarticulation occurring during/after deposition. Hominins accumulated over time as older laminated mudstone units and sediment along the cave floor were eroded. Preliminary -
Duchamp Did Not Invent the Readymade. in Fact, It May Have Been the First Human Art Form
Duchamp Did Not Invent the Readymade. In Fact, It May Have Been the First Human Art Form Consider the case of the Makapansgat Pebble. Ben Davis, April 19, 2018 Installation view of the Makapansgat Pebble in "First Sculpture." Image courtesy Ben Davis. When you think of the oldest art, in all likelihood, you think of the cave paintings of Altamira or Lascaux, with their spooky, frozen, frolicking bison and stags. These images are to art history what the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey is to material culture in general: the mythic starting point for a long, mystery -shrouded evolution. This is part of why I find “First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone” at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas so cool. It smashes that narrative like an ape bashing a skull with a bone hammer. The show, the product of a team-up between artist Tony Berlant and anthropologist Thomas Wynn, claims to be the first museum exhibition to focus on the specifically aesthetic appreciation of these particular ancient objects. Among other things, “F irst Sculpture” contains a selection of the “Boxgrove Handaxes,” stone instruments found in England that are believed to be the first group of artifacts that identifiably come from the same maker. Which is a brain-bender in and of itself—to recall that, somewhere in the swamp of prehistoric time, there existed a first instance when identifiable, individual ways of making came into focus. The Boxgrove Handaxes on view at the Nasher Sculpture Park in “First Sculpture.” Image courtesy Ben Davis. But the teardrop-shaped handaxes are not, actually, what most interests me about this show. -
A Tswana Stone-Walled Structure Near Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind
South African Archaeological Bulletin 75 (213): 137–145, 2020 137 Field and Technical Report A TSWANA STONE-WALLED STRUCTURE NEAR STERKFONTEIN CAVES IN THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND TIM FORSSMAN1*, MATT LOTTER2, MATTHEW V. CARUANA2 & DOMINIC STRATFORD3 1Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Tshwane, 0028, South Africa (*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]) 2Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa 3School of Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa (Received April 2020. Revised June 2020) ABSTRACT to a traumatic past, including colonial oppression and racial The Cradle of Humankind is known for sites such as Sterkfontein, policies. Ignoring these histories perpetuates the historical Swartkrans, Drimolen and Kromdraai, among others, that offer a prioritisation of hominin evolution and early technologies at detailed understanding of the Plio-Pleistocene. However, the ‘Tswana’ the expense of more local/regional histories (Kusimba 2009; stone-walled structures that are found in this landscape have seen Schmidt 2009; Lane 2011). We aim to present the Sterkfontein comparatively less research. We present preliminary results from an Valley as a multifaceted archaeological landscape that includes ongoing mapping and research programme on the farm Project 58 pasts hardly acknowledged by previous researchers. where a multi-component settlement is located. The site is composed of A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF TSWANA HISTORY several distinct areas, a partially crenated boundary wall design, The origin of the ‘Tswana’ remains unclear. ‘Tswana’ com- kraals located inside and outside the settlement, and internal housing munities are thought to have migrated in ‘small-scale scattered and grain bin structures. -
Bone Tool Texture Analysis and the Role of Termites in the Diet of South African Hominids
Bone Tool Texture Analysis and the Role of Termites in the Diet of South African Hominids JULIE J. LESNIK Department of Anthropology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA; [email protected] ABSTRACT The Swartkrans cave, part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa, has yielded bone tool artifacts together with an abundance of hominid fossils attributed to Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus and some fossils attributed to the genusHomo . These bone tools were originally identified as digging implements by Brain and colleagues (1988). More recent studies by Backwell and d’Errico (2001; d’Errico and Backwell 2009) reach the conclusion that they were primarily used to dig into termite mounds. Here, the methods pioneered for dental microwear texture analysis are applied in an attempt to address a narrower question of what genus of ter- mites the hominids were foraging. Texture analysis did not prove to be more informative than previous 3D studies of the Swartkrans bone tools, but the ecology of differing termite genera suggest the conclusion that the genus Macrotermes should be further investigated as a hominid food resource. INTRODUCTION In this paper, texture analysis, a combination of confo- he heavy masticatory morphology of robust australo- cal microscopy and scale sensitive fractal analysis (SSFA), Tpithecines was central to Robinson’s ‘Dietary Hypoth- will be used to assess the wear patterns on the ends of the esis’ that suggested Paranthropus was a dietary specialist, Swartkrans bone tools. Texture analysis was developed for crushing and grinding hard-object food items (Robinson dental microwear studies as a solution to the errors created 1954). -
Renewed Investigations at Taung; 90 Years After the Discovery of Australopithecus Africanus
Renewed investigations at Taung; 90 years after the discovery of Australopithecus africanus Brian F. Kuhn1*, Andy I.R. Herries2,1, Gilbert J. Price3, Stephanie E. Baker1, Philip Hopley4,5, Colin Menter1 & Matthew V. Caruana1 1Centre for Anthropological Research (CfAR), House 10, Humanities Research Village, University of Johannesburg, Bunting Road Campus, Auckland Park, 2092, South Africa 2The Australian Archaeomagnetism Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Bundoora, 3086, VIC, Australia 3School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia 4Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, U.K. 5Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, U.K. Received 10 July 2015. Accepted 15 July 2016 2015 marked the 90th anniversary of the description of the first fossil of Australopithecus africanus, commonly known as the Taung Child, which was unearthed during blasting at the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks (referred to as the BNL) 15 km SE of the town of Taung, South Africa. Subsequently, this site has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site on the basis of its importance to southern African palaeoanthropology. Some other sites such as Equus Cave and Black Earth Cave have also been investigated; but the latter not since the 1940s. These sites indicate that the complex of palaeontological and archaeological localities at the BNL preserve a time sequence spanning the Pliocene to the Holocene. The relationship of these various sites and how they fit into the sequence of formation of tufa, landscapes and caves at the limeworks have also not been investigated or discussed in detail since Peabody’s efforts in the 1940s. -
Home Page of Professor Lee R. Berger
The Mystery of Our Human Story Lee Berger: Paleoanthropologist March 30, 2017 | 11:15am | Suggested grades: 5‐12 It is no exaggeration to say that paleoanthropologist Lee Berger’s 2013 discovery of Homo naledi signaled a profound shift in our understanding of human evolution. In a secret chamber of the remote Rising Star cave system near Johannesburg, South Africa, a massive collection of bones was discovered by his explorers assisted by recreational cavers. He rapidly assembled a team of “underground astronauts” with caving experience, scientific backgrounds, and the kind of physique that could fit in a chute averaging 7.9 inches in width. Their headline‐making discovery suggested something Home page of Professor Lee R. Berger unprecedented – and that was just the beginning. http://profleeberger.com/ Gladysvale, South Africa: http://profleeberger.com/Gladysvale1.html While a graduate student, this 1991 re‐discovery of hominin fossils at Gladysvale let to a greater understanding of methods of scientific excavation that best work in South Africa. Website includes a 3D reconstruction of the underground cave, photos and publications. Arizona State University – Ask An Anthropologist https://askananthropologist.asu.edu/famous‐anthropology‐finds Educator page – activities, teachers toolbox, quizzes, stories, vocab list, ask a question. Sortable. https://askananthropologist.asu.edu/activities Arizona State University – Institute of Human Origins https://iho.asu.edu/about Includes Lucy’s Story. Articles about Lee Berger Digging for Glory – 6/27/2016 article from The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/27/lee‐berger‐digs‐for‐bones‐and‐glory Lee Berger has announced one fossil find after another, and has proclaimed two new species of ancestral human. -
Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia
World Heritage papers41 HEADWORLD HERITAGES 4 Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia VOLUME I In support of UNESCO’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations United Nations [ Cultural Organization Human Origin Sites and the World Heritage Convention in Eurasia Nuria Sanz, Editor General Coordinator of HEADS Programme on Human Evolution HEADS 4 VOLUME I Published in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France and the UNESCO Office in Mexico, Presidente Masaryk 526, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, 11550 Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico. © UNESCO 2015 ISBN 978-92-3-100107-9 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover Photos: Top: Hohle Fels excavation. © Harry Vetter bottom (from left to right): Petroglyphs from Sikachi-Alyan rock art site.