Heritage Cases

The early discovery of fossiliferous caves in the now so-called “Cradle of Humankind” in South Africa has subsequently led to numerous studies on the evolution of the human lineage. Indeed, some of these sites, such as Sterkfontein, Swartkrans or Kromdraai, have yielded rich and informative fossil fauna assemblages. In contrast, the Motsetse site, which has yielded a rich faunal assemblage, has been understudied despite its strong scientific potential. The Motsetse faunal assemblage is estimated to have formed between 1.6 and 1.0 million years old (Ma), and is, therefore, potentially contemporaneous with other key deposits in the area, such as Swartkrans Members 2-3, Cooper’s D and Sterkfontein Member 5 West Acheulean. Many researchers have considered this time frame, shortly after 2.0 Ma, as a turning point in human evolutionary history by the appearance of Homo erectus in the fossil record along with an increased consumption of animal tissues. In South Africa, there is a chronological gap between 2.2 Ma (Swartkrans Member 1) and 1.4 Ma (Swartkrans Member 2) regarding zooarchaeological evidence for hominin subsistence behaviours. The Motsetse Archaeological Project aims to re-open investigations of this important site, which could fill the gap of knowledge in the evolution of hominin subsistence behaviours, lead to the discovery of new hominin remains and new archaeological evidence on their feeding behaviours.