February 2, 2023 – Cradle of Humankind – Gauteng Province, South Africa
On our first major outing in Africa, we visited a rock star, and dropped in on a distant relative.
Our ancestor, Naledi (fourth from the left).
Homo Naledi lived in the Rising Star Cave System, northwest of Johannesburg.
Naledi and his lineage were among the first hominids on earth. They roamed these dolomite hills upright, about 250,000 years ago (which accounts for his cadaverous appearance).
We were introduced to Naledi, and another much more distant relative Australopithecus Sediba, by Howard, our tour guide extraordinaire.
Howard is an expert in anthropology, geology, botany, and zoology, with a solid grounding in politics and human nature.
He is also an excellent driver.
Nadeli’s age places him among the earliest hominids. He is not our direct ancestor, but a contemporary, although there is a family resemblance, (says the guy taking his picture).
Our day touring the Cradle of Humankind was as entertaining as it was enlightening.
I could nerd-out here and tell you about all the paleoanthropological data we collected, but I will table that for now. If any other fossil nerds out there want to learn more, I highly recommend this video, Dawn of Humanity by Lee Berger.
Berger is team leader on the Nadeli dig, and …
… the Elvis Presley of Anthropology
When we weren’t bone collecting today, we were observing the abundant flora and fauna populating the rolling hills of the Cradle of Humankind – Nature Conservancy.
G
Looks like there might be an opportunity for the Paton Acres to become a Nature Conservancy, and perhaps even an anthropology centre 😉
Russ
What could be more fun than herding giraffe and digging in the dirt!