Makapan Pebble/Face

Robert Thornton (031RTHOR@MUSE.ARTS.WITS.AC.ZA)
Fri, 22 Mar 1996 07:27:33 -0500

With respect to the query about the Makapan pebble 'face'. This was
found by Raymond Dart in the Makapan cave n. of Pretoria in the
Transvaal (I think it is in the Northern Province now after the new
provincial delimitations that eliminated the Transvaal). Dart
described it in the last article he wrote, edited by P. Beaumont, and
published in the South Africa Journal of Science in the 60s. I don't
have the precise ref., but could get it if this were important. It is
about 5 x 7 cm, and has features like face. Dart called it a
'manuport', that is something that presumptive australopithecines
whould have found interesting, and picked up, magpie style, and
carried back to the cave. The rock of which it is formed occurs about
15 kms fro the Makapan site, so it is not a natural occurance. It is
not carved, and appears to be a natural erosion of a pebble.
hope this helps.


===========Robert Thornton, Department of Social Anthropology======
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