Cradle of Humankind

Where humanity's story begins

The Sterkfontein Caves and surrounding fossil sites, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, contain the richest concentration of early human ancestor fossils anywhere on Earth. More than 40% of the world's human ancestor fossils have been found here. Mrs. Ples — a 2.5 million year old Australopithecus africanus skull — was unearthed here in 1947. The Maropeng visitor centre (Returning to the Place of Origin in Setswana) provides one of the world's great natural history museum experiences.