Paleoanthropologically significant South African sea caves dated to 1.1-1.0 million years using a combination of U-Pb, TT-OSL and palaeomagnetism

► Four chronological methods date South African coastal caves to 1.1-1.0 Ma. ► First internally consistent U-Pb and TT-OSL data set of this age. ► Palaeomagnetic reversal data are consistent with the ∼1 Ma age. ► Caves far older than anticipated, ancient cycles of formation, filling and erosion. ► Lack of ESA artefacts now cannot be explained by purely geological processes.