Klasies River Caves, South Africa

Early Human Life in South Africa

Beginning about 125,000 years ago, a handful of our human ancestors lived in a handful of caves on the beautiful Tsitsikamma coast of South Africa, near the small stream called Klasies River. The site located at the very southern tip of Africa provides evidence of the behavior of Homo sapiens at our very earliest moments of existence, and a slightly uncomfortable peek into our distant past.

Evidence for our other hominid ancestors--Homo erectus and Homo ergaster, for example--suggests that they primarily scavenged other animal's kills; the Homo sapiens of Klasies River caves knew how to hunt. The Klasies River people dined on shellfish, antelope, seals, penguins, and some unidentified plant foods, roasting them in hearths built for the purpose. They were truly pioneers, unequivocally modern humans who lived when no other modern humans are known--only Neanderthals and early modern Homo existed outside of Africa.

• Klasies River Caves, read more of this article
• South African Archaeology
• Early Modern Humans and why we don't call them Cro-Magnon any more
• Evolution and Human Origins