History of South Africa

South Africa's ancient past is categorized into two eras: the Stone Age and the Iron Age, distinguished by overarching technological traits. The designation of these areas as a World Heritage site ensued from the discovery of hominins in Taung and australopithecine fossils within limestone caves at Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, and Kromdraai. The early inhabitants of South Africa were denoted as the Khoisan, Khoi Khoi, and San.The Middle Paleolithic predecessors are believed to be the forebears of the native San and Khoikhoi tribes. Their collective name, the Khoisan, is a recent European amalgamation of these two tribes. The Khoisan's habitation in southern Africa aligns with the earliest divergence of all contemporary Homo sapiens groups, genetically connected to matrilinear haplogroup L0 (mtDNA) and patrilinear haplogroup A (Y-DNA), originating in the northwestern region of southern Africa.The key distinction between the San and Khoikhoi lies in their respective occupations. The Khoikhoi were pastoral herders, while the San were hunter-gatherers. The historical origins of the Khoikhoi remain unclear.