Swartkrans

Swartkrans is a farm and archaeological site in South Africa, about 30 km from Johannesburg. The place is known for its wealth of archaeological finds, especially because of the fossils of early ancestors of the genus Homo ( Hominini ). He was acquired by the University of Witwatersrand in 1968. The paleontologist Robert Broom has dug here regularly since 1948.

Finds

In the limestone of Swartkrans fossils were found, which were first referred to as Telanthropus capensis, but are now asked to Homo erectus, also fossils of Paranthropus, a genre that is now often viewed as a variant of the genus Australopithecus.

The use of fire was in Swartkrans up 1 million years dated before today and is considered the second oldest known evidence of the use of fire in the world. From Member 3 come 59 488 bones, which are burned 270. CK Brain assumes that the fire has not yet been produced intentionally, but that burning pieces of wood were collected from bush fires. From the lower layer of Member 1 come three burnt bones ( bones found among 153 781 total), here Brain starts from grass fires, which also reached the cave.

From Swartkrans also originate a number of bone tools ( Members 1-3).

World Heritage

Swartkrans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 and, like other sites, as the " Cradle of Humankind " means ( Cradle of Humankind ).