The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site: Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa

Описание: The Cradle of Humankind is one of eight World Heritage Sites in South Africa. It is widely recognised as the place from which all of humankind originated.

Our visit to the museum and one of the active cave excavations provided strong reflections us to who we are, where we come from and where we are going to.

An hour drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria, our ancestors lived in this area for more than 3-million years. Ongoing scientific discovery into our origins continues here.

The Mole visits with Michael Worsnip, Managing Director of Maropeng, The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa, with the adjoining Sterkfontein Caves.

There are 13 excavated sites which have been identified within the area. The Sterkfontein Caves are owned by the University of the Witwatersrand, whose scientists have been responsible for the main excavations of the World Heritage Site. They are credited with many of the famous discoveries including the world famous “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton dating back more than 3-million years. The tours at the Sterkfontein Caves, which start above ground and then take visitors deep into the caves.

Maropeng means “returning to the place of origin” in Setswana, the main indigenous language in this area of South Africa.

www.maropeng.co.za