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South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human-fossilsites in the

world. Archaeologists have recovered extensive fossil Gauteng Province UNESCO World remains from a series of caves in  . The area, a 

Heritage site Cradle of Humankind

, has been branded "the 
Sterkfontein hominin ". The sites include  , one of the richest sites for   fossils in the world. Other sites

Swartkrans Gondolin Cave Kromdraai Coopers Cave Malapa Raymond Dart

include  ,    ,   and  .   identified the first hominin fossil discovered in Africa,

Taung Child Taung

the   (found near 
Makapansgat Limpopo Cornelia Florisbad Free
) in 1924. Further hominin remains have come from the sites of   in  Province,   and   in the 

State Province Border Cave KwaZulu-Natal Province Klasies River Mouth

,   in 
Pinnacle ,   in Eastern Cape Province and 

Point Elandsfontein
, 
Western Cape Province
 and Die Kelders Cave in  .

These finds suggest that various hominid species existed in South Africa from about three
million years ago, starting with Australopithecus africanus. There followed species
including Australopithecus sediba, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo rhodesiensis, Homo
helmei, Homo nalediand modern humans (Homo sapiens). Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for at least
170,000 years.

Various researchers have located pebble tools within the Vaal River valley.

Bantu expansion

2
Mapungubwe Hill , the site of the former capital of the 
Kingdom of Mapungubwe
Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturistsand herdsmen, were
already present south of the Limpopo River (now the northern border
with Botswana and Zimbabwe) by the 4th or 5th century CE (see Bantu expansion). They
displaced, conquered and absorbed the original Khoisan speakers,
the Khoikhoi and San peoples. The Bantu slowly moved south. The earliest ironworks in
modern-day KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost
group was the Xhosa people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the
earlier Khoisan people. The Xhosa reached the Great Fish River, in today's Eastern Cape
Province. As they migrated, these larger Iron Agepopulations displaced or assimilated earlier
peoples. In MpumalangaProvince, several stone circles have been found along with the stone
arrangement that has been named Adam's Calendar, the ruins are thought to be created by
the Bakone a Northern Sotho people.