Micromammals from Sterkfontein - Milner Hall

The paleoanthropological locality of Sterkfontein, South Africa, is well-known for its significant collection of hominin fossils, particularly from Australopithecus found in Member 4. Other Members from Sterkfontein have also yielded remains of Homo ergaster and Paranthropus robustus, along with tools from the Oldowan and Acheulean cultures. These discoveries have provided important insights into early human evolution. A less recognized part of Sterkfontein is Milner Hall (MH), a deep chamber extending about 100 meters east to west. This area is significant due to the presence of several dolomitic faults, which have created many interconnected openings between MH, other parts of the underground system, and the surface. Excavations from the T3 depositional unit have yielded a rich assemblage of micromammals that remains understudied. Given the ancient age of Milner Hall, estimated at 3.67 Ma, the study of these micromammals is promising for reconstructing climate and environments from a time period that is still poorly understood from a paleoenvironmental perspective. Micromammals, particularly small rodents and insectivores, are highly valuable for understanding past climatic conditions and habitat structure at a local scale due to their small home ranges and high sensitivity to environmental changes. By analyzing these micromammal fossils, this project aims to gain insights into the ecological dynamics of the region and how these environments may have influenced hominin behavior, adaptation, and evolution. It is part of a collaboration with Prof. Dominic Stratford and Dr. Pierre Linchamps (GAES, Wits University), Dr. Sara E. Rhodes and Nompumelelo Maringa (ICArEHB, University of Algarve) on the study of small mammal material from the Pliocene deposits of Jacovec Cavern and Milner Hall within the Sterkfontein Cave complex of the Cradle of Humankind, in Gauteng, South Africa. The research visit would take place at the Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB) at the University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal between June and July 2025.

The objectives of the visit are to
(1) review the current taxonomic identifications of small mammal material from Milner Hall,
(2) conduct a taphonomic analysis of the Milner Hall small mammal material,
(3) conduct a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Jacovec Cavern and Milner Hall small mammal taxonomic results using the Bioclimatic method.