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archaeology and palaeoanthropology 9
A R C H A E O L O G Y A N D P A L A E O A N T H R O P O L O G Y
Dart’s attention in 1925 as a source of fos- The discovery, excavation and analysis of
sil animal bones in breccia, the location was the early Hominin sites by teams from the
visited by Phillip Tobias who led a student Transvaal Museum and Wits have been the
expedition to the Makapansgat valley in
main thrust of palaeoanthropological re-
1945. Dart opened the investigation of the
search in South Africa, but they have not
limeworks site at Makapansgat in 1947 and
been the only actors in the play. Matthew
the following year announced the discovery
Drennan, Ron Singer and Keith Jolly from
of Australopithecine bones in the deposits.
UCT explored the sand deflation site at
Elandsfontein and reported the discovery
Phillip Tobias succeeded to the chair of of a Middle Pleistocene cranium in the early
anatomy at Wits on the retirement of Dart 1950s. TF Dreyer working out of the Na-
in 1959. Dart had already built a strong in- tional Museum in Bloemfontein discovered
ternational reputation for Wits, but Tobias
another archaic cranium from the site of
extended this by increasing the diversity of
Florisbad in the 1930s, which is also of Mid-
research and generating a substantial body
dle Pleistocene age, although more recent
of graduate students. Tobias has supervised
that the Elandsfontein find. Interest in the
over 30 PhDs in his career, amongst them
origin of anatomically modern Homo sapi-
John Wallace, Ron Clarke, Fred Grine, Alan
ens has also been great. Peter Beaumont re-
Morris, David Ricklan, Peter Christie and Lee
excavated the site of Border Cave, originally
Berger, all of whom have done research on
excavated by Dart and LH Wells in the 1940s
human origins. The growth of the Bernard
and he has been able to construct an al-
Price Institution for Palaeontology has par-
most continuous archaeological sequence
alleled the growth in the field of anatomy,
associated with some human remains go-
with research projects on the associated
ing back over 100 000 years. The Klasies
fauna and on the Hominins themselves in
River site on the southern Cape coast has
recent years under Lee Berger. Tobias and
his senior technician, Alun Hughes, began
been excavated by Singer and Wymer, as
systematic excavations at Sterkfontein in
well as Hilary Deacon over the years and
1966 that have continued without break
there are secure associations of specimens
until today. Ron Clarke is the current direc-
with modern human anatomy going back
tor of these excavations, but others are also
120 000 years. The South African sequence
active in new excavations at the Australop-
of fossils covering the period from the roots
ithecine sites. Jeff McKee, now of Ohio State
of humanity through to the rise of the mod-
University, and Kevin Kuykendall, now of
ern human form have provided detailed
the University of Sheffield, both past aca-
anatomical information to generations of
demic staff in the department of anatomy
academics from around the world and con-
at Wits, have examined the taphonomy of
tinue to be magnets drawing scholars to
the fossil-bearing South African cave sites, South African institutions.
specifically at Makapansgat, Taung and the
Sterkfontein Valley site of Gondolin.
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