Motsetsi
Encyclopedia
Geographical Location
Motsetsi Cave (also known as Motsetse) is a fossil-bearing breccia filled cavity located about 14 km East of the well known South African hominid-bearing sites of SterkfonteinSterkfontein
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and Kromdraai and about 45 km North-Northwest of the City of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
History of Investigations
Motsetsi has been investigated since its discovery by Lee BergerLee R. Berger
Lee Rogers Berger is a paleoanthropologist, physical anthropologist and archeologist and is best known for his discovery of Australopithecus sediba and his work on Australopithecus africanus body proportions and the Taung Bird of Prey Hypothesis.-Background:Berger was born in Shawnee Mission,...
in 1999. Since then a series of part-time excavations have recovered tens of thousands of fossils. Excavations have been conducted at Motsetse by the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
and at times in conjunction with Peter Schmid of the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
. Only a very small part of this site has been excavated.
Recovered Fossils
Of the many thousands of fossils recovered from Motsetsi, as of yet, no hominid fossils have been found. Many very fine fossils of other animals, however, have been discovered including the remains of very well preserved DinofelisDinofelis
Dinofelis is a genus of sabre-toothed cats belonging to the tribe Metailurini. They were widespread in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America at least 5 million to about 1.2 million years ago...
fossils - a type of false saber-toothed cat.
Geology
Motsetse is a series of breccia-filled dolomitic caves that formed in a fissure along a geological fault.Age of the deposits
Motsetsi has been dated to 1.o to 1.6 million years old based on the animals recovered.Other Related Links
HominidsList of fossil sites
Lee Berger
Lee R. Berger
Lee Rogers Berger is a paleoanthropologist, physical anthropologist and archeologist and is best known for his discovery of Australopithecus sediba and his work on Australopithecus africanus body proportions and the Taung Bird of Prey Hypothesis.-Background:Berger was born in Shawnee Mission,...
Cradle of Humankind
Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site first named by UNESCO in 1999, about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Gauteng province. This site currently occupies ; it contains a complex of limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves, where the 2.3-million...
Paranthropus robustus
Paranthropus robustus
Paranthropus robustus was originally discovered in Southern Africa in 1938. The development of P. robustus, namely in cranial features, seemed to be aimed in the direction of a "heavy-chewing complex"...