Discoveries of Ancient Hominin Footprints on South African Coast: Dating Reveals Oldest Homo Sapiens Print at 153000 Years Old

The Discovery of Ancient Hominin Footprints in Africa

A little over two decades ago, at the beginning of the new millennium, the traces left by our ancient human ancestors, who are more than 50,000 years old, seemed extremely rare.

Early Discoveries and Misconceptions

At the time, only four sites were reported in all of Africa, two from East Africa: Laetoli in Tanzania and Koobi Fora in Kenya; and 2 from South Africa (Nakhon and Langban). In fact, the Nakhon site reported in 1966 was the first hominid tracking site ever described.

A Surge in Discoveries

But in 2023, the situation is completely different. It seems that people searched badly or searched in the wrong place. Today, only 14 dated African hominin ichnosites (a term that includes both footprints and other footprints) are over 50,000 years old.

It can be easily divided into the East African Group (five sites) and the South African Cape Coast Group (nine sites). Another 10 are located in other countries of the world, including the UK and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Significance of Hominin Footprints

Given that relatively few hominin remains have been found on the coast of the Cape, the footprints left by our human ancestors as they moved through the ancient landscape are a useful way to supplement and improve our understanding of ancient hominids in Africa.

In a recent article published in Ichnos, the International Journal of Archaeological Paleontology, the ages of seven recently dated hominin ichnosites discovered in the last five years off the southern coast of South Africa were presented. These sites are now part of the “South African Group” of nine sites.

Remarkable Finds

It turned out that the sites are of different ages. The most recent of these date back to about 71,000 years ago. The oldest of these, at 153,000 years old, is one of the most remarkable finds recorded in this study: it is the oldest footprint so far attributed to our species, Homo sapiens.

Confirmation through Archaeological Data

The new dates are confirmed by archaeological data. Combined with other evidence from the region and time period, including the development of complex stone tools, art, jewelry, and oyster harvesting, this confirms that the coast south of the Cape was an area where early anatomical modern humans survived, developed, and prospered.

Differences between East and South African Sites

There are significant differences between track groups in East and South Africa. Sites in East Africa are much older, with the oldest Laetoli 3.66 million years old and the youngest 0.7 million years old.

The tracks were not left by Homo sapiens, but by earlier species such as Australopithecus, Homo heidelbergensis, and Homo erectus.

Preservation Challenges

In contrast, the South African sites on the Cape Coast are much smaller. All of them were classified as Homo sapiens. The tracks are usually completely exposed when verified versions of ancient sand dunes are found in rocks known as Eolianites.

As such, they are not generally considered for excavation, and due to the exposure of these sites to the elements and the relatively coarse nature of the dune sand, they are generally not as well preserved as East African sites.

They are also subject to erosion, so we often have to work quickly to record and analyze them before the oceans and winds destroy them.

The Importance of Dating Methods

Although this limits the scope for detailed interpretation, we may retain dated deposits. And this is where the visually stimulating brightness comes in.

The main problem in studying Paleoera records—traces, fossils, or any other type of ancient deposits—is determining the age of the materials.

Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating Method

This dating method shows the period of time that a grain of sand has been exposed to sunlight. In other words, how long this part of the sediment has been buried.

The coast of the Southern Cape is an excellent place for the application of optically stimulated luminescence.

First, the sediment is rich in quartz grains, which give a strong luster. Second, the abundance of sunlight, wide beaches, and ready transport of sand to form coastal dunes means that any pre-existing bright signals are completely removed prior to the burial event of interest, making age estimates reliable. This method has been supported by many datings of previous discoveries in the region.

Expanding Knowledge and Future Prospects

The overall date range of our finds for hominin ichnosites, from 153,000 to 71,000 years, is consistent with the age of previously published studies of similar geological deposits in the region.

The work of the research group is not completed. They expect new hominin ichnosites to be discovered on the south coast of the Cape and elsewhere along the coast. The study also needs to be expanded to include ancient deposits in the region ranging from 400,000 years old to over two million years old.

It is expected that in ten years the list of ancient hominids will be much longer than today, and that scientists will be able to learn a lot about our ancient ancestors and the natural environment in which they lived.

The report was prepared by Charles Helm, Research Fellow, African Center for Coastal Paleontology, Nelson Mandela University, and Andrew Carr, Senior Lecturer, University of Leicester.

Source: Science Alert

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