StW 573 cranium

General

Object Auto ID

46933

Alternate Codes

objectautoid_sahrisv1_62593

Common Name

Cranium and associated mandible of StW 573 'Little Foot'

Local Name

Cranium and associated mandible of StW 573 'Little Foot'

Quantity

1.00

Object Description

This object represents the complete cranium and attached mandible of the StW 573 Australopithecus specimen. Also associated (cemented to the cranium) is the atlas vertebra. The mandible and atlas are not able to be individually separated from the cranium using mechanical techniques.

Provenance

StW 573 was excavated from the Member 2 deposit, which is exposed within the Silberberg Grotto at the Sterkfontein Caves.

Description

Distinguishing Features

Measurement Type	Unit	Value

Dimension Comments

Object is about 30cm x 20cm x 20cm

History

Object Age

2019

Object Age Comment

3.67 million years old

Geological Period

Pliocene

Cultural Association

Australopithecus fossil

Maker Comment

Not applicable. This is a fossil specimen. It was excavated from the Sterkfontein Caves.

Production Place

Sterkfontein Caves

User Comment

Not applicable. This is a fossil specimen. It was excavated from the Sterkfontein Caves.

Place of Use

Evolutionary Studies Institute

Wits University

Collector

Ron Clarke

Date Retrieved	Reference Types	Citation
	Journal	Clarke, Ronald J. "First ever discovery of a well-preserved skull and associated skeleton of Australopithecus." South African Journal of Science 94, no. 10 (1998): 460-463.	View

Site Association

Site Reference

Sterkfontein

Stratigraphic Unit

Member 2

x	y	z
2878771.56	-73582.51	1450.75	View

Assessments

Movements

Declaration