Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa

World Heritage

South Africa

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The Taung Skull Site is an extension of the site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999, where the famous Taung skull, a specimen of Australopithecus africanus, was discovered in 1924. The Macapan Valley is also located within the site, where many archaeological caves show traces of human habitation and evolution dating back to about 3.3 million years ago. The area contains important elements for determining the origin and evolution of humans. The fossils found there have allowed the identification of several early ape specimens, especially Paranthropus, dating back to 4.5 to 2.5 million years ago, as well as evidence of the use of fire by humans between 1.8 and 1 million years ago.