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Rising Star Cave
What is Rising Star Cave, and where is it?
Rising Star Cave is a dolomite cave system in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind, located 800 meters southwest of Swartkrans in the Malmani dolomites. In 2013, explorers discovered fossils of Homo naledi, a previously unknown hominin species that lived 236,000 to 335,000 years ago, fundamentally altering understanding of human evolution.
Location in the Malmani Dolomites
Rising Star Cave sits in the Bloubank River valley within South Africa's Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The cave system lies 800 meters southwest of Swartkrans and 2.2 kilometers west of Sterkfontein Cave, positioned at 1,450 meters above sea level. The mapped passageways cover an area of 250 by 150 meters, arranged within a gently west-dipping open fold of dolomite rock. The region's geology consists of stromatolitic dolomite from the Monte Christo Formation, with thin chert marker horizons used to orient different chambers within the system.
The cave system has been known to recreational cavers since the 1960s, though explorers used three interchangeable names—Empire, Westminster, and Rising Star—until the 1980s. The Speleological Exploration Club, a local branch of the South African Speleological Association, conducted formal exploration in the 1980s. Geologists estimate the cave itself formed no earlier than three million years ago. The site's proximity to other major fossil-bearing caves in the Cradle of Humankind made it a natural focus for paleontological investigation once the bone deposits were identified.
The Dinaledi Chamber and Its Narrow Access
On September 13, 2013, recreational cavers Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker discovered a narrow vertical chimney measuring 12 meters long with an average width of 20 centimeters. This passage led to the Dinaledi Chamber, a room situated 30 meters underground whose floor was scattered with fossil bones. The chamber's name derives from the Sesotho word for 'stars,' chosen by the Rising Star Expedition team. Reaching the chamber required passing through three distinct obstacles: Superman's Crawl, a horizontal passage so tight that most people must hold one arm against their body and extend the other overhead; the Dragon's Back, a 15-meter vertical climb up a sharp-edged dolomite block that fell from the cave roof in the distant past; and finally a slender opening before descending into the chamber itself.
The extreme difficulty of accessing the Dinaledi Chamber shaped the excavation strategy. Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist from the University of the Witwatersrand, recruited six women scientists through Facebook, specifically seeking individuals small and slender enough to navigate the narrow passages. These researchers, nicknamed the 'Underground Astronauts,' conducted the initial excavations beginning November 7, 2013. The tight confines meant that only one square meter of the chamber had been excavated as of 2014, leaving the possibility that additional remains remain undisturbed beneath the clay-rich sediments.
Homo naledi: A Gracile Ancestor Between Species
The fossils recovered from the Dinaledi Chamber represent at least fifteen individuals of Homo naledi, a hominin species previously unknown to science. Between November 2013 and September 2015, excavations yielded 1,550 specimens from the chamber, including skulls, jaws, ribs, teeth, nearly complete foot and hand bones, and inner ear structures. The remains represent both old and young individuals, including infants. Only 20 out of 206 bones in the human skeleton were absent from the assemblage. The species was formally announced on September 10, 2015, with its name chosen to honor the cave's location—'naledi' means 'star' in Sesotho.
Homo naledi possessed a small brain relative to later human species, yet exhibited anatomical features distinct from both apes and modern humans. The fossils dated to between 335,000 and 236,000 years ago, placing this population of small-brained hominins in the same time period as Homo sapiens. This temporal overlap challenged previous assumptions about human evolution, suggesting that multiple hominin species coexisted during this period. Recent proteomic analysis of tooth enamel from at least twenty individuals, conducted in June 2026, indicated that all analyzed specimens were likely female, raising questions about sex-specific mortuary practices or other biological factors.
Evidence of Intentional Burial and Symbolic Behavior
The arrangement and distribution of bones in the Dinaledi Chamber suggests deliberate placement rather than natural accumulation. The bones were deposited over an extended period, perhaps centuries, layered within clay-rich sediments. Paleoanthropologist John D. Hawks noted that all recovered bones were hominin except for those of a single owl, with no evidence of predation, water transport, or roof collapse. No predator known to science accumulates only hominins in this manner. These observations led researchers to hypothesize that members of Homo naledi deliberately placed the bodies in the cave after death, suggesting ritual behavior and symbolic thought.
This interpretation remains contested within the scientific community. The hypothesis of intentional burial implies cognitive and social complexity unexpected in a small-brained hominin species. In 2023, Lee Berger reported rock engravings on a pillar in the Hill Antechamber near where bodies were found—deeply impressed cross-hatchings and geometric shapes on prepared, smoothed surfaces. Berger noted that if confirmed, such markings would have profound archaeological implications, as geometric engravings are otherwise considered unique to Homo sapiens. However, researchers acknowledged that further work is required to confirm the markings' antiquity, intentionality, and authorship. Evidence of extensive fire use in the cave suggests the species may have used flames for illumination during visits to the chamber.
Excavation Methods and Ongoing Research
The Rising Star Expedition, funded by the South African National Research Foundation and National Geographic Society, began formal excavation on November 7, 2013. The initial team of six women scientists was selected through an unconventional social media recruitment process that drew both praise and criticism. Berger's transparency in documenting the excavation through daily blogs and radio updates earned him the nickname 'Mr. Paleodemocracy,' though some colleagues questioned whether the expedition had 'more hype than substance.' The team recovered more than 1,200 fossil elements in November 2013 alone, representing at least a dozen individuals. By April 2014, excavations at two localities had yielded 1,754 specimens.
A second site, the Lesedi Chamber (designated UW-102), was discovered on the final day of the first expedition and excavation began in April 2014. The layered distribution of bones and the recovery of remains from multiple individuals spanning different ages suggest the site accumulated deposits over considerable time. The limited excavation of only one square meter in the Dinaledi Chamber indicates substantial potential for future discoveries. Dating the fossils proved complex; initial statistical analysis suggested an age of 912,000 years, but subsequent uranium-series dating of flowstone deposits refined the age to between 236,000 and 335,000 years ago, a startlingly recent date for such a primitive hominin.
Rising Star Cave at a glance
Questions about Rising Star Cave
How did explorers reach the fossils in the Dinaledi Chamber?
Cavers had to pass through Superman's Crawl, a 20-centimeter-wide horizontal passage requiring one arm held tight against the body; climb 15 meters up the Dragon's Back, a sharp-edged dolomite ridge; and descend through a slender opening 30 meters underground. The extreme difficulty led Lee Berger to recruit six small, slender women scientists specifically for excavation work.
When did Homo naledi live?
Homo naledi lived between 335,000 and 236,000 years ago, according to uranium-series dating of flowstone deposits. This places the species in the same time period as Homo sapiens, making them contemporaries rather than direct ancestors. Initial statistical analysis had suggested a much older age of 912,000 years.
What evidence suggests Homo naledi engaged in ritual behavior?
The bones show no signs of predation or water transport, yet accumulated over centuries in a chamber accessible only through extremely narrow passages. Researchers hypothesize that members deliberately placed bodies in the cave after death. Additionally, 2023 reports describe geometric rock engravings on a pillar near the burial site, though their authorship and age require further confirmation.
How many fossils were recovered from Rising Star Cave?
By September 2015, excavations had recovered 1,550 specimens representing at least fifteen individuals. The remains include skulls, jaws, ribs, teeth, nearly complete foot and hand bones, and inner ear structures. Only 20 out of 206 human skeletal bones were absent from the assemblage, making it an exceptionally complete collection.
What did 2026 protein analysis reveal about the Homo naledi remains?
Proteomic analysis of tooth enamel from at least twenty individuals detected only female-specific AMELX proteins and no male-specific AMELY proteins, indicating all analyzed specimens were likely female. This finding raises questions about sex-specific mortuary practices or genetic factors, though researchers noted alternative explanations require investigation.
Sources and further reading
This article was written from the reference material below, retrieved and reviewed for source alignment on September 13, 2026. Use official local sources for changing access or travel information.
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Test yourself
Which African cave revealed a completely unknown hominin species in 2015, hidden just 800 meters from an already-famous archaeological site?
Rising Star Cave in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind is where Homo naledi fossils were discovered in 2013 and announced in 2015, a species unknown to science despite its proximity to the well-studied Swartkrans site.
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