Definition: The Taung site is a limestone quarry located in the Transvaal region of South Africa, and it is where in 1924 Raymond Dart found one of the first well-preserved early hominin skull, which he named Australopithecus africanus. The skull, of a juvenile and called the Taung Baby, was quite controversial at the time, but has since been accepted by the scientific community.
The Taung Child or Baby dates to the Late Pliocene; specific dates for the hominin range between about 2.3 to 2.8 million years ago. Other fairly recent debates involve how the Taung hominin received the holes in his skull.
The Taung Child or Baby dates to the Late Pliocene; specific dates for the hominin range between about 2.3 to 2.8 million years ago. Other fairly recent debates involve how the Taung hominin received the holes in his skull.
Sources
Berger, L. R. and R. J. Clarke 1995 Eagle involvement in accumulation of the Taung child fauna. Journal of Human Evolution 29:275-299.
McKee, Jeffrey. 1993. Faunal dating of the Taung hominid fossil deposit. Journal of Human Evolution 23:363-376.
McNulty, Kieran P., Stephen R. Frost, and David S. Strait 2006 Examining affinities of the Taung child by developmental simulation. Journal of Human Evolution 51:274-296.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Also Known As: Taung Baby site
