African Origins

In the footsteps of Mrs Ples

We’re back on the road –and this time our journey starts with a visit to the Sterkfontein Caves at the Cradle of Humankind. I must say, I was very excited because that’s where our famous human ancestor, Mrs. Ples (scientific name: Australopithecus africanus) was found – and most recently a “brand new” – (can something be brand new if it’s 1.9 million years old?) species: Australopithecus sediba.

Boy was I glad that I had my jeans and sneakers on coz I found out later that I was going to have the exercise of a lifetime (which was great for me since I’m a size 36, and have always wanted to lose weight…LOL). Off I went down the stairs, with my guide Maropeng. What I saw down there was phenomenal!!! All the pillars created by the stalagmites and the stalactites were something out of this world; they even “created” beautiful sculptures (like “Mary and baby Jesus”…LOL; I know, how weird that is: Religion and Evolution)!!
Maropeng showed us the water table inside the cave; How Pure!! Apparently this water is very deep and as pure as Valpré! I should have brought a 20 L bucket with me, since bottled water is a bit expensive…ha!!

From there, it was tunnel after tunnel, where I had to squat (luckily I’m a reasonable short being), but if you’re tall, then you’ll have to crawl. See, I’m very clever coz I took by ancestors’ (Mrs. Ples, Taung Child, and Little Foot) height…LOL!! But I must say, it was such a great experience; when you’re in the cave, you tend to feel different; to actually walk on the land that our ancestors once walked on, is just out of this world…I’m very proud to have taken this tour!!!

Two hours later, out we emerged from the darkness, and back to the sunlight; where there are two statues. The on is of Prof. Phillip Tobias who is famous for his selflessness in finding out about our history as humans; and that of Dr Robert Broom, who discovered Mrs. Ples. It is believed that if you rub Dr Broom’s nose (the statue, that is) you’ll acquire Luck, and if you rub his hand, then you’ll acquire Wisdom; but the tricky part is that you have to rub ONE…I know, that is so NOT FAIR! In the end, I decided to rub the hand, as wisdom tends to LAST…

The Sterkfontein Caves at the Cradle of Humankind are an awesome site for learning about Human Origins. About 3.3 Million Years Ago (Ma), Australopithecus africanus roamed planet earth. These hominids (human ancestors) were quite strange in that they had both human and ape features. They walked upright, had small canines, no diastema (all human features), but they also had a prognathic face, small cranial capacity, and long forelimbs (ape features).

These caves were brought into the international spotlight by a discovery of Dr Robert Broom in 1974. He found an almost complete skull of an australopithecine; which was nicknamed Mrs. Ples. This australopithecine dates back about 2.3 Million years ago. This discovery brought attention to South Africa, as it had previously been speculated that humans originated in Europe.

Ever since the discovery of Mrs. Ples, palaeontologists have been digging in these caves, with the hope of finding more hominids. In 1997, Prof. Ron Clarke discovered an almost complete skeleton of an australopithecine, dating back about 3.3 million years. This skeleton was nicknamed Little Foot (because the foot was the first part of the skeleton they found, approximately a size 3).

Dominic Stratford, a PhD student from the University of the Witwatersrand, studies a site in Sterkfontein Caves looking at bones together with the stone tools found here. It is speculated that these tools were used by the australopithecines because they are probably the most basic tools found (nothing specialised).

More work still needs to be done at the caves for us to better understand our lineage. The caves are definitely worth visiting as they tell us about our history; where we come from and (possibly) where we are going.