Provenance:
Excavated by Anthropologist Dr. Raymond A. Dart (1893-1988), South Africa.
Leighton A. Wilkie (1900-1974), Des Plaines, Illinois.
Wilkie Brothers Foundation, Illinois, 29 January 1974-2007; where acquired by the present owner.

Published:
L. Wilkie, Tools...Creator of Civilization: The Development of Man as Revealed by the Discoveries of Dr. Raymond A. Dart, Des Plaines, Illinois, 1965, (illus.).

Exhibited:
Illinois, Chicago, Palmer House Hotel, Testimonial Dinner Honoring Dr. Raymond A. Dart, 9 September 1965.

This breccia block, adorned with fossil bone flakes, comes from the Paleolithic site of Makapansgat in South Africa, renowned as the Cradle of Mankind. Dr. Raymond A. Dart (1893-1988), a prominent anthropologist, excavated this fragment from a cave floor, dating it back to approximately 3,000,000 to 2,500,000 years ago. The site, known for its hominin fossils, including the Taung Baby, discovered by Dart and initially classified as Australopithecus prometheus, sheds light on early human evolution.

This block of rock with its fossil bone flakes, stands as a tangible connection to Dr. Dart's contributions. It reflects his Osteodontokeratic culture (ODK) theory, suggesting tool use by early hominins. Beyond scholarly debates, this artifact symbolizes the ground where early human footsteps were taken—an evocative link to our ancestral past and a testament to Dart's pioneering work in paleoanthropology.