STERKFONTEIN

one of three neighbouring South African sites (the others being Swartkrans and Kromdraai) at which the remains of fossil hominids have been found. The region is one of dry, grassy, rolling hills near the Klip River, about 30 miles (50 km) west of Johannesburg. Sterkfontein is located on a kopje, or small hill, of limestone, pierced by caves. In the lime mined from this site, remains of the gracile australopithecine called Australopithecus africanus were found in 1936 and 194749. Kromdraai, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Sterkfontein, yielded remains of another australopithecine, then designated A. robustus, in 1938. Swartkrans, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Sterkfontein, produced many examples (194853) of A. robustus and fragments of two individuals later classified as Homo erectus. Early work at these three sites was largely carried out by R. Broom and J.T. Robinson.