Malapa Today
Initial excavations at Malapa in 2009 unveiled a fossil site rich in hominin and faunal material essential for the understanding of hominin and ecological evolution in South Africa. In order to protect this indispensable source of our human ancestral heritage a structure, equally as unique, had to be engineered to enable protection from the elements whilst at the same time enabling easier and more effective excavation of fossil material. This structure was specifically designed with three main criteria in mind. It should be environmentally friendly and be of low visibility to ensure that the beauty of the natural surroundings remain unspoiled. It should also be a functional piece of equipment which would assist in the excavation and retrieval of breccia containing fossil material. And lastly, even though its structural integrity should be the same as that of a permanent structure it should still be completely removable if need be.
With the completion of the structure, the next phase of excavations could begin. The original excavations were aimed at recovering the exposed fossil material, as well as determining the extent of the find. Once completed, it was decided that a systematic excavation of the site using archaeological excavation techniques should be undertaken. Excavation, in itself, is a destructive process; therefore, once soil and fossil material have been removed, its original depositional context and associated spatial information becomes lost. In order to preserve such information, meticulous documentation is required throughout the excavation process.
Therefore, the second phase of excavation, which commenced in 2015, implemented a grid system, based on 1m x 1m squares to enable more systematic excavation and more effective documentation. Each part of the excavation is methodically documented in order to allow for a detailed reconstruction of the site and the excavation afterwards. The documentation process involves photographic and descriptive documentation of each square and layer, before and after excavation, as well as of any in situ finds. Aspects usually documented are soil types, insect and root activity, descriptions of in situ breccia/fossil remains and/or archaeological material, as well as anything unusual or strange. This is followed by a scale drawing of all the exposed breccia blocks/fossil material and/or archaeological material as well as rock outcroppings observed within the square. Spatial information is also recorded electronically by means of a Total Station or Theodolite. This ensures that the site and the fossil material recovered can be reconstructed digitally. All excavated soil and material are sieved using a fine grained wet sieve. Wet sieving has the added advantage of cleaning the breccia blocks whilst removing soft soil, which helps with the identification of fossil material. Once completed, all the fossil material found are documented and given a field number before being transported to the University of the Witwatersrand for further prepping, analysis, and eventual storage for future research.
2015 excavations at Malapa focused on a section of the site known to have been used as a road by late 18th-century lime miners. Lime mining in the late 18th century was wide-spread across the Witwatersrand area following the discovery of gold, as lime was an essential element necessary for the smelting of gold. Access to this area was by means of a road constructed by these miners using material collected from the main pit located on Malapa, fully unaware of the rich fossil material located within the pit. Consequently, it was decided that the current phase of excavations should start at this old miner’s road in order to collect the fossil material accidentally used in the road’s construction. It may also be possible that some of the missing fossil material associated with Australopithecus sediba are located in this area.
At the close of the first year’s excavation, a number of interesting finds have been discovered. A number of hominin rib and teeth fragments have been found which are believed to be part of Australopithecus sediba. Another interesting find is the nearly intact skull of a small sabre tooth cat. The size of the skull indicates that this may be a new species or the smallest individual of the species yet found. Also unearthed was a foundation of a previously unknown structure located next to the main pit. It is currently believed that this foundation was constructed for the steam engine used as part of the lime mining process.
Once the excavation of the miner’s road is completed, the excavation can be moved to the two pit areas where known hominin and carnivore material is still located. With the richness of hominin and faunal material already recovered from Malapa, it is possible that more amazing finds are still buried in the sediments of Malapa.
2015 excavations at Malapa focused on a section of the site known to have been used as a road by late 18th-century lime miners. Lime mining in the late 18th century was wide-spread across the Witwatersrand area following the discovery of gold, as lime was an essential element necessary for the smelting of gold. Access to this area was by means of a road constructed by these miners using material collected from the main pit located on Malapa, fully unaware of the rich fossil material located within the pit. Consequently, it was decided that the current phase of excavations should start at this old miner’s road in order to collect the fossil material accidentally used in the road’s construction. It may also be possible that some of the missing fossil material associated with Australopithecus sediba are located in this area.
At the close of the first year’s excavation, a number of interesting finds have been discovered. A number of hominin rib and teeth fragments have been found which are believed to be part of Australopithecus sediba. Another interesting find is the nearly intact skull of a small sabre tooth cat. The size of the skull indicates that this may be a new species or the smallest individual of the species yet found. Also unearthed was a foundation of a previously unknown structure located next to the main pit. It is currently believed that this foundation was constructed for the steam engine used as part of the lime mining process.
Once the excavation of the miner’s road is completed, the excavation can be moved to the two pit areas where known hominin and carnivore material is still located. With the richness of hominin and faunal material already recovered from Malapa, it is possible that more amazing finds are still buried in the sediments of Malapa.
A New Milestone in the History of HumankindThe New Fossil SiteMalapa (meaning “homestead” in seSotho) is situated roughly 15 km NNE of the well-known sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans and Kromdraai in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is part of the “Cradle of Humankind”, a UNESCO world heritage site.
The first hominin specimen from this site, a right clavicle (UW88-1), was discovered by 9-year-old Matthew Berger on August 15, 2008. To date, more than 180 fossil elements of a previously unknown human ancestor have been found, making this one of the richest fossil hominin sites ever discovered. |