The Klasies river and cave sites are located on of South Africa and Swaziland. At the Klasies River, foot print fossils were found, dating back 100,000 years. In addition, Homo sapiens fossils were found at the Klasies River cave, dating 115,000 years ago. Archeologists believe that there may be fossils that date as far back as 200,000 years ago. Red ochre has been found, which was used to decorate men before going on a hunt or for tribal rituals. There was evidence that the Klasies River cave people fished and harvested shellfish from the sea using some type of a boat. This scene was depicted in pictorials and impressions embedded in the rocks and sand. The Klasies River cave people, also, hunted the giant buffalo, a species now extinct. Archeologist determined that the Klasies River cave people slept on grass mats. After tens of thousands of years, a lot of the caves on the Klasies River have been filled in with sediment, causing most of the fossils to covered or ruined.
Written By: Aaron Schlingmann
Sources:
Singer, R. & Wymer, J.J. The Middle Stone Age at Klasies River Mouth in South Africa. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1982
Klein, R The archaeology of modern human origins. Evolutionary anthropology. 1992
Burkitt, M.C. South Africa's past in stone and paint. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1928