Swartkrans
Encyclopedia
Swartkrans is a location in South Africa
, around 20 miles (32.2 km) from Johannesburg
.
Swartkrans is a farm near to Sterkfontein
, notable for being extremely rich in archaeological material
, particularly hominid
remains. It was purchased by the University of the Witwatersrand
in 1968. The oldest deposits present at the site are believed to be between 1.8 and 2 million years old.
Some of the earliest evidence of controlled use of fire by humans
can be found at Swartkrans.
Fossils discovered in the limestone
of Swartkrans include Telanthropus capensis
(a variety of Homo erectus
), Paranthropus
and Homo habilis
Noted paleontologist
Robert Broom
was a frequent digger. He was followed by Charles Kimberlin Brain
(C.K. 'Bob' Brain), whose excavations at the site inspired his book The Hunters or the Hunted? in which he demonstrated that instead of being bloodthirsty killer apes, the hominin fossils found at the site were themselves victims of predation by big cats.
Swartkrans is part of the Cradle of Humankind
World Heritage Site
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, around 20 miles (32.2 km) from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
.
Swartkrans is a farm near to Sterkfontein
Sterkfontein
-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
, notable for being extremely rich in archaeological material
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, particularly hominid
Hominidae
The Hominidae or include them .), as the term is used here, form a taxonomic family, including four extant genera: chimpanzees , gorillas , humans , and orangutans ....
remains. It was purchased by the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
in 1968. The oldest deposits present at the site are believed to be between 1.8 and 2 million years old.
Some of the earliest evidence of controlled use of fire by humans
Control of fire by early humans
The control of fire by early humans was a turning point in the cultural aspect of human evolution that allowed humans to cook food and obtain warmth and protection...
can be found at Swartkrans.
Fossils discovered in the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
of Swartkrans include Telanthropus capensis
Telanthropus capensis
Telanthropus capensis is the name given by the archaeologist John T. Robinson to a species of hominids. Robinson discovered fossils of this species in 1949 in Swartkrans, South Africa....
(a variety of Homo erectus
Homo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
), Paranthropus
Paranthropus
The robust australopithecines, members of the extinct hominin genus Paranthropus , were bipedal hominids that probably descended from the gracile australopithecine hominids...
and Homo habilis
Homo habilis
Homo habilis is a species of the genus Homo, which lived from approximately at the beginning of the Pleistocene period. The discovery and description of this species is credited to both Mary and Louis Leakey, who found fossils in Tanzania, East Africa, between 1962 and 1964. Homo habilis Homo...
Noted paleontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
Robert Broom
Robert Broom
Professor Robert Broom was a Scottish South African doctor and paleontologist. He qualified as a medical practitioner in 1895 and received his DSc in 1905 from the University of Glasgow...
was a frequent digger. He was followed by Charles Kimberlin Brain
Charles Kimberlin Brain
Charles Kimberlin Brain , born in Southern Rhodesia in 1931, is an eminent South African paleontologist who has studied and taught African cave taphonomy for more than fifty years.-Biography:From 1965 to 1991, Dr...
(C.K. 'Bob' Brain), whose excavations at the site inspired his book The Hunters or the Hunted? in which he demonstrated that instead of being bloodthirsty killer apes, the hominin fossils found at the site were themselves victims of predation by big cats.
Swartkrans is part of the Cradle of Humankind
Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site first named by UNESCO in 1999, about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Gauteng province. This site currently occupies ; it contains a complex of limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves, where the 2.3-million...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
External links
- University of Chicago Press page for The Hunters or the Hunted?