A Search for Origins: Science, History and South Africa's 'Cradle of Humankind'

The 'Cradle of Humankind', bordering Gauteng and the North-West Province in South Africa, was declared a World Heritage Site for the wealth of the human and animal fossils found there.

Research based on fossils found in the area as well as signs of early human habitation have shed new light on the evolution of humankind and on the significant role that southern Africa played in the development of modern humans. A Search for Origins aims to provide an overview of the history of the Cradle of Humankind, and of the important discoveries that have been made there, for a non-specialist audience.

A number of general accounts have been written which have concentrated on the palaeontological discoveries made there. No systematic account written by specialists in their disciplines has, however, been published about the wider history of the Cradle of Humankind and surrounding areas. In particular, no overview spanning the evolution of early plant and animal life, human development, and recent and colonial history as reflected in discoveries linked to the Cradle of Humankind, has been attempted.

This edited volume frames the scientific advances that have been made in the Cradle of Humankind against the intellectual and political background out of which they emerged. It places the Cradle of Humankind within a recognisable South African context, which renders it a great deal more meaningful for both South African visitors and international tourists. The multi-disciplinary approach – from a wide range of specialists based in South Africa and the United Kingdom – is innovative and ground-breaking.

Philip Bonner, Amanda Esterhuysen and Trefor Jenkins are all academics based at the University of the Witwatersrand. Prof Bonner is a historian, Dr Esterhusyen an archaeologist and Prof Jenkins a world-renowned geneticist.