Definition: The ancient archaeological site of Sterkfontein is a cave in a dolomite hill of the Blaaubank River Valley, about 10 kilometers northwest of Krugersdorp, South Africa. The site was quarried as early as the late 19th century, and several fossil apes were discovered in the early decades of the 20th century. In the 1930s, excavations recovered fragments of hominids, eventually assigned to the Australopithecus africanus family. The site dates to between 3.5 and 1.5 million years ago.
In the 1940s, Robert Broom excavated in the site, and found the nearly entire skull of an adult Australopithecine called Mrs. Ples.
In the 1940s, Robert Broom excavated in the site, and found the nearly entire skull of an adult Australopithecine called Mrs. Ples.
Sources
Carrion, J. S. and L. Scott 1999 The challenge of pollen analysis in paleoenvironmental studies of hominid beds: The record from Sterkfontein caves. Journal of Human Evolution 36:401-408.
Kuman, Kathleen 1994 The archaeology of Sterkfontein--Past and present. Journal of Human Evolution 27:471-495.
Pickering, Travis R., Manual Dominguez-Rodrigo, Charles P. Egeland, and C. K. Brain 2004 Beyond leopards: Tooth marks and the contribution of multiple carnivore taxa to the accumulation of the Swartkrans Member 3 fossil assemblage. Journal of Human Evolution 46:595-604.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
