Heritage trail: Gauteng Flashcards
Which scientist found a skull in 1947 in a cave in Sterkfontein?
Robert Bloom
The skull became known as
Mrs Ples which is short for Plesianthropus transvaalensis
What did the scientist thought the skull was?
A bit of ape and a bit of human and he thought it could be a distant relative of early humans
Besides the skull, what else did scientists found?
Stone tools, which creatures like Mrs Ples had perhaps made and used.
What does “Hominid” Mean?
A being that walked upright and used tools
The Cradle of Humankind is called a
heritage site. More bones and skulls were found there.
A complete hominid skeleton was found in the Sterkfontein caves and was nicknamed?
Little foot
What is the difference between an archeologist and a paleontologist?
Archeologist studies remains of human beings
Palentologists studies fossils of plants and animals
What was recently discovered at the Cradle of Humankind
Homo Naledi
Why was the site called Cradle of Humankind?
It is believed that early ancestors lived in Sterkfontein over 3 million years ago. Scientists agree that humans originated in Africa. and the Cradle of Humankind provides clues about our earliest ancestors.
