Since the initial recovery of the remains of early human ancestors from cave deposits in South Africa roughly eighty years ago, anthropologists have attempted to identify the processes by which those remains became incorporated into the fossil record. However, the previously well-sampled South African sites are geographically constrained (most lie within a 3km-radius) and early collection techniques biased fossil assemblages in favor of certain skeletal elements and primate specimens. As such, it is difficult to model the means by which the fossil remains became incorporated within cave deposits or to reconstruct accurately the paleoenvironment of the sites. In 1979, excavation at Gondolin, a cave site 35km northwest of Pretoria, yielded an unusual fossil assemblage for a South African cave deposit: despite excellent preservation and extensive sampling, it is the only site from South Africa in this time period without a single primate or early human specimen. This is particularly intriguing as initial work done with the fossils indicates that the processes of incorporation and the environment at the time of site formation are similar to those suggested for other sites of similar age that have substantial primate remains. Excavation at Gondolin in 1997 has made interpretations of the site more complicated with the recovery of the first early human specimens, but from an area within the Gondolin cave deposits that have been poorly sampled. This research will further excavate and compare fossil assemblages from Gondolin in an attempt to clarify the processes that were (or were not) conducive for the incorporation of primate and early human specimens within the South African cave sites. Minimally, this research will provide a better context for the recovered hominid specimens. As a site from outside the geographic range of well-sampled sites, this research will begin to expand the range of excavated South African assemblages. As a larger research objective, through inter-site comparisons, this research will attempt to identify patterns among specific variables used in reconstructing processes of deposition and ancient environments to provide greater resolution in understanding the range of factors that influenced the incorporation of early human specimens within South African cave assemblages. With increased national and international interest in South African paleontology, due in part to the recent naming of the Sterkfontein Valley and surrounding cave sites as a World Heritage Site, further excavation and analysis of materials from Gondolin will provide the first detailed examination of one of the most poorly understood cave sites within the designated World Heritage Site region. Development of the site provides local students the opportunity to participate in paleontological research. Finally, this research will renew interest among both foreign researchers and the South African people in the continued exploration of human evolution in southern Africa.
