Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania
The remains of the first humans
The Leaky family placed Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge (also known as Oldupai Gorge) on the map: in 1959 Mary Leakey shocked the world when she excavated the 1.8 million-year-old remains of what was believed to be the first human (Hominid). Later, in 1979, she made an even more impressive discovery: 3.5-million-year-old human-like footprints. For this reason, Olduvai Gorge is often also referred to as the birthplace of humanity. The artefacts that this family of anthropologists uncovered can be viewed in the small museum here.
Prehistoric archaeological site in Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai Gorge is a deep 45-kilometre-long gorge in Great Rift Valley that stretches between Ngorongoro and Serengeti. The gorge is named after the Masai name for the wild sisal plant, 'Oldupaai'.
Olduvai Gorge is one of the most important prehistoric archaeological excavation sites in the world. Louis and Mary Leakey carried out pioneering work here in the 1950s and since this time their offspring have continued their search for the oldest ever human.
Fossils and artefacts in Olduvai Gorge Museum
The discovery of this archaeological site is due to a concurrence of circumstances. Million of years ago there was a large lake here, the shores of which were covered in various layers of volcanic ash. Initially, some 500,000 years ago, the course of a small river changed as a result of seismic activity. Thanks to the erosion that this caused, seven layers ('beds') were exposed in the ravine. The finds that have been unearthed in these beds paint a good picture of how humans have developed. The oldest artefacts discovered here are 2 million years old, although the fossil remains of human ancestors discovered here date back some 2.5 million years. The various archaeological finds can be viewed at the Olduvai Gorge Museum, which is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
The Leakeys and Dian Fossey
The Leakey's interest in the similarities between people and monkey species is proof of their relationship with Dian Fossey, author of Gorillas in the Mist. Fossey, an occupational therapist interested in gorillas, visited the Leakeys in Olduvai Gorge and worked with them for a short time, before she travelled to Congo to study mountain gorillas. The animals made a great impression on her, yet when all of her money was gone she returned home and to her work as an occupational therapist. In 1966, Louis Leakey persuaded Dian Fossey to go and study gorillas in the wild by way of an experiment. Her work changed the way people think about gorillas and she was able to save the mountain gorilla from extinction.
