User:Rdano001/Cradle of Humankind

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The Cradle of Humankind  is a paleoanthropological site and is located about 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the site currently occupies 47,000 hectares (180 sq mi) and contains a complex of limestone caves. The registered name of the site in the list of World Heritage Sites is Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa.

Debate Over the Title “Cradle of Humankind”:
The debate over which continent should receive the title of “Cradle of Humankind” has been a part of paleoanthropological study since Charles Darwin's Descent of Man, where he noted the similarities between African apes and modern humans. This conclusion was debated by other scholars at the time, and competing theories about humanity's origin were presented. St. George Jackson Mivart argued that the similarities of humans and gibbons were indicative that Modern humans originate from Asia rather than Africa. Aleš Hrdlička argued that Europe was instead the origin of humanity based on the age of neanderthal remains. The location for this title is still debated in some fields of paleoanthropology, however the overall consensus is that Africa is the origin of the genus Homo based on the age of the specimen found, their frequency, and their variety in adaptive strategies.

Controversy/Politics Surrounding Africa as the “Cradle of Humankind”:
In Sheela Arthreya’s and Rebecca Rigers Ackerman’s article titled “Colonialism and Narratives of Human Origins in Asia and Africa”, they highlight two reactions to Africa being named the “Cradle of Humanity”. The first reaction views people who live in Africa as more closely related to ancient hominids than people from other continents. Sheela Arthreya and Rebecca Rigers argue that this view furthers racist arguments regarding Africans as primitive compared to other people. The second reaction was described by a quote by Thabo Mbeki, who stated, “We are all Africans ''. Sheela Arthreya and Rebecca Rigers argue that this view undermines the existence of other hominid species from Asia and Europe who contributed to modern Homo sapien genetics. This second reaction is supported in Amanda Esterhuysen’s Article “If we are all African, then I am nothing” where she elaborates that the title cradle of humankind helped to start a new narrative for Africa as the location of Human origin which boosted national pride and highlights the importance of Africa in the history of humankind.

Geological context
The hominin remains at the Cradle of Humankind are found in dolomitic caves, and are often encased in a mixture of limestone and other sediments called breccia that fossilised over time. Hominids may have lived all over Africa, but their remains are found only at sites where conditions allowed for the formation and preservation of fossils.