VISIT TO THE DRIMOLEN FOSSIL HOMININ SITE IN THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
By:
Outing with Dr Stephanie Edwards Baker
Date:
Sun, 24/06/2018 - 09:45
Branch:
Northern
VISIT TO THE DRIMOLEN FOSSIL HOMININ SITE IN THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
Outing with Dr Stephanie Edwards Baker
Date: Sunday, 24 June 2018
Time: 9.45-10.15
Meet at: Entrance gate to the Rhino and Lion Park, Cradle of Humankind (directions will be supplied)
Charge: R170 per person.
The outing is open to ArchSoc members only.
Bring:
Sun hat, sun-tan lotion, solid shoes, water and a picnic basket
Booking is essential: Contact Anita Arnott, Email arnottanita@gmail.com / tel. 011 795 4056
A maximum of 30 members can participate in this outing
The Drimolen fossil hominin site in the Cradle of Humankind was discovered in 1992 by Dr Andre Keyser after he had explored the surrounding miners’ rubble. The site boasts two different deposits: the historically famous Main Quarry and the newly published older Makondo Deposit. The ~2,0 million-year-old Main Quarry has brought to light over 200 hominin specimens from either Paranthropus robustus or early Homo, as well as a vast array of associated faunal specimens. These include sabre-toothed cats, giraffes, zebras and a variety of baboons. In 2015, excavations began at another deposit called the Makondo, about 50 m west of the Main Quarry. While there have been no hominins recovered as yet, the 2,6 million-year-old deposit has yielded over 1 500 articulated and well-preserved antelope, monkey and carnivore taxa.
Our visit will consist of a historical overview of the Cradle of Humankind before moving on to the specifics of Drimolen’s history and its significant finds. We will discuss the hominins, dating, geology and fauna. The visit will include discussions with world experts in their relevant fields, including but not limited to Prof. Andy Herries (La Trobe University, Australia) and Prof. David Strait (Washington University of St Louis, USA). We will visit the site during The University of Johannesburg’s annual international field school. Members will thus see the site being excavated and will also have the opportunity to engage with the next generation of palaeo-scientist. A picnic lunch with the experts who have interacted with us will follow. The entrance fee that has to be paid to the Rhino and Lion Park will permit us to visit Wonder Cave (but not the park
itself). Wonder Cave is very interesting and provides an opportunity for those members who would like to see a pristine cave that models Drimolen’s two deposits. Wonder cave tours run throughout the day and participants could visit there on the way out in the afternoon.
Our host at the Drimolen site is the primary permit holder Dr Stephanie Edwards Baker of the Centre for Anthropological Research at the University of Johannesburg. She has been working at Drimolen since 2010, first as a teaching assistant and thereafter as co-permit holder and site manager. She took over the Drimolen permit in early 2017. Stephanie is in the process of completing her PhD with a focus on hominin–carnivore interactions in the Plio-Pleistocene of southern Africa.