The archaeological sites at Mossel Bay’s Pinnacle Point – which have revealed some of the earliest evidence for modern human behaviour – have been declared Provincial Heritage Sites.

The declaration was made in terms of section 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act (Number 25 of 1999), and was announced in the Western Cape Government’s Provincial Gazette.

“This is a significant step towards having Pinnacle Point declared a World Heritage Site,” said Professor Curtis Marean, who heads the South African Coastal Palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironment, Palaeoecology, and Palaeoanthropology (SACP4) Project, which is studying the finds from Pinnacle Point.

Prof. Marean is an associate director of the Institute of Human Origins and professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at the Arizona State University.