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.
Professor Curtis Marean heads the South African Coastal Palaeoclimate, Palaeoenvironment, Palaeoecology, and Palaeoanthropology (SACP4) Project, which is studying the finds from Pinnacle Point.
Prof. Marean said that Pinnacle Point will now be put forward for National Heritage Site status before application can be made to have it declared a World Heritage Site.
None of the sites is accessible to the public at the moment, but Curtis Marean and Peter Nilssen, and with Fred Orban of the Oystercatcher Trail, are working to develop science-based tours that will bring the experience of the caves to as many people as possible while still retaining the archaeological integrity of the findings.
The full text of the declaration has been uploaded to http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/archaeology/pinnacle-point-now-a-provincial-heritage-site.
