A trip to the Sterkfontein Caves takes you back through time about 20-million years. And situated just outside the entrance into the underground amphitheatre, the Millennium Sundial acts as an observer of time, a witness to the history Cradle of Humankind, and a guardian to the aging caves.

Visitors will come across the sundial at the end of their “Walk through time”, a paved pathway that contains 15 granite slabs which illustrate South Africa’s palaeontological and cultural heritage. This heritage is depicted through engravings on the granite slabs with images of various fossils or examples of art, representing the changing diversity of life.

A Sterkfontein Caves tour guide will demonstrate how the sundial works. Alongside it is a stand that holds a rod which is placed on the sundial according to the month and day of the year. Provided that the sun is out, the sundial should tell the approximate time.

What makes Sterkfontein’s Millennium Sundial unique is the fact that it has been positioned according to lines of longitude and latitude specific to Southern Africa; it tells the time accurately to within five to 10 minutes.

The Millenium Sundial uses ancient Egyptian technology that dates back to 1500 BC

Sundials date back to the Egyptian Period, around 1500 BC. They are considered to be the oldest known device for the measurement of time and the most ancient of scientific instruments. The use of sundials makes it possible to visualise our four-dimensional world, i.e. the three dimensions plus time, the fourth dimension.

After time-telling, visitors descend into the depths of the Sterkfontein Caves as far as 60m deep to continue their tour. And as time passes, the sundial remains the ever-faithful keeper of the entrance to the caves that captured fossilised time.

Why not make a booking for Maropeng’s winter special, spend a night at the boutique hotel and combine your family outing with a trip to the Sterkfontein Caves? An experience not to be missed.

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