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Ancient discoveries
There is a piece of Africa where mankind first emerged in
the world - the Olduvai Gorge known as the 'Cradle
of Mankind'. It was in this area that Louis Leakey discovered
the skull of the Nutcracker Man, which dates back to
over 1.7 million years old. He describes the Gorge as “spectacular,
thrilling, awesome, beautiful, extraordinary….”
. His wife, Mary Leakey went one step better and in the Gorge
she discovered some footsteps dating back three million years.
Interest arose in the site in 1911 when German scientist
Professor Katurinkle happened upon the gorge when looking
for butterflies, and accidentally fell upon the skull of “Australopithecus-Zinjanthropus
Boisei” more commonly known as the “Nutcracker Man”.
In 1974, fossils of a 2.3 millions year old human relative
known as “homo erectus”, a prehistoric man who used
a hand axe tool, were discovered.
What's the history here?
The Gorge is situated in the Great African Rift Valley,
stretching from the Dead Sea in the north to Beira
in the south. The rift in the earth’s crust formed two
highland regions separated by a valley sinking far below sea
level. The main Olduvai Beds are in a lake basin sixteen
miles wide. The rocks under the basin are a staggering 5.3
millions years old. Evidence of early campsites and a butchery
over two millions years old have been excavated here. One
of the beds dating back 17,000 years contained a complete
Homo Sapien skeleton. These early ancestor made tools from
stones near the lake and nearby hills.
Strange creatures never seen by modern man walked the earth
here - hippos with eyes on stalks, giraffes with horns, dwarf
elephants, and sabre toothed cats which lived around the lake.
Other things to see and do
Nearby the giant Ngorongoro Crater is home to East
Africa’s most famous tribe, the Masai and a stunning
range of wildlife. |
