Cradle of Humankind The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage
Site. It was first named by UNESCO in 1999. The site is about 50
kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the
Gauteng province, and occupies 47,000 hectares (180 sq mi). The
site's limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves, were
where fossils were found. A 2.3-million year-old fossil
Australopithecus africanus (nicknamed 'Mrs. Ples') was found in
1947 by Robert Broom and John T. Robinson. The find followed the
1924 discovery of the juvenile Australopithecus africanus skull,
'Taung Child', by Raymond Dart, at Taung in the North West
Province of South Africa, where excavations still continue. The
name Cradle of Humankind reflects the fact that the site has
produced a large number, as well as some of the oldest, hominid
fossils ever found, some dating back as far as 3.5 million years
ago. Sterkfontein alone has produced more than a third of early
hominid fossils ever found. Recent work [change] The remains of
several partial ske