The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site, located about 50 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The Cradle of Humankind site occupies about 47,000 hectares, and contains a complex of limestone caves. It is in these limestone caves that the infamous Mrs Pless, a 2-3 million year old fossil was found in 1947 by Dr. Robert Broom and John T Robinson.

The Cradle of Humankind site has produced a large number, as well as some of the oldest hominid fossils ever found, some dating back as far as 3.5 million years ago. Although there are more than 3 dozen fossil-bearing caves in the Cradle of Humankind, the most important sites are: