Cradle Of Humankind & Sterkfontein Caves – Day Tour

Sterkfontein caves

 
The discovery of gold in Johannesburg around 1880 paved the way to uncover the Sterkfontein caves by the Italian prospectus.

It was here, in these caves, where Professor Robert Broom, a Scottish medical practitioner by profession made a very significant discovery to the Scientists world in 1947.

His relentless searching has been rewarded with the discovery of well preserved presumed female skull. South Africa’s first lady who quickly became known as Mrs. Ples and was later classified as Australopithecus Africanus.

Mrs. Ples confirmed the evolutionary link between her species and early man, vindicating what was first claimed by British naturalist Charles Darwin and Professor Raymond Dart`s Taung child putting an end to the robust evolutionary debate.

Maropeng visitors` center

 
The word Maropeng was extracted from the Setswana language meaning “returning to the place of origin”. This is the official visiting center for the Cradle of Humankind.

The tour begins from Tumulus, emulated from an ancient burial mound. The passage to Tumulus was sidelined by millions year old copies of original skulls.

Within the Tumulus, visitors are then transported billions of years back in time in an underground boat ride that passes through four elements of life. i.e. Air, earth, water, and fire.

Pass volcanos, waterfalls, wind funnels, and lightning displays towards the exhibition.

About Cradle of Humankind

 
What was first claimed by the British Naturalist, Geologist, Charles Darwin, and Thomas Huxley finally cemented here at the Cradle of Humankind in 1947. The fossils record confirms Darwin and Huxley were right to place Human origin.

Though they lacked supportive fossil evidence, theirs were much based on written correspondence with fellow naturalists around the world.

However, the additional fossils appeared only after Darwin`s death in 1882 and Huxley’s retirement in 1885.

The most significant South Africa contribution to evolutionary biology and arguably the most important contribution of the country science generally, resultant from discovery in 1924 of a well preserved skull of juvenile Hominid in lime works quarry at Taung near Kimberly.
The discovery was made by Professor Raymond Dart from the University of Witwatersrand Department of Anatomy. He named the ape-man Australopithecus Africanus. This was met with considerable skepticism by the Paleontological community.

Also, the book “The Descent of Man “ by Charles Robert Darwin had been overlooked in favor of the idea that humans evolved in Asia.

Broom`s Triumph

 
Mrs. Ples confirmed the evolutionary link between her species and early man, vindicating Dart and putting an end to the origin`s debate.

It was on the 8th of April 1947 when Broom discovered what he described as the most important fossil skull in the world`s history.

‘I have seen so many interesting sights in my long life, Broom recalled, but this was the most thrilling in my experience’.
The skull was clearly that of an adult Australopithecus – an adult version of the Taung child.