Hominid Trackway at Laetoli
Conservation and site maintenance program, including reburial, to protect the 3.6 million–year–old hominid footprints
Project Details
- Category
- Years 1992 – 1998
- Status
- Organizer
About
Goal
Discovered in 1977 by Mary Leakey and her team, the 3.6 million-year-old fossil hominid trackway at Laetoli in northwest Tanzania is among the oldest evidence of hominids walking upright. Excavated and documented, the trackway was reburied for its protection in 1979, but without maintenance, the site gradually began to re-vegetate. The Hominid Trackway at Laetoli project aimed to implement a conservation program for the trackway's long-term preservation.
Outcomes
- Detailed condition reporting and documentation of hominid, hipparion, lagomorph, and carnivore prints along the trackway
- Reburial of the hominid trackway as a long-term conservation strategy
- Implementation of berms and stabilization measures to protect the site from erosion
- Bilingual exhibitions for the renovated Olduvai Gorge Museum, which reopened in October 1998
Background
Partner
Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Education and Culture, Tanzania
Resources
All Resources
- 2011
Publication
The Laetoli Conservation Project (1993–1998): A Visual Summary, Revised
- 2001
Publication
Laetoli Hominid Trackway, Site G: Condition Records, G1 and G2/3 Footprints
- 2000
Publication
Laetoli Project: Conservation of the Hominid Trackway Site at Laetoli, Tanzania: Report on the 1996–1997 Field Seasons and the Olduvai Museum Exhibition
- 1998
Video
Laetoli Footprints: Protecting Traces of Our Earliest Ancestors
- 1996
Publication
Laetoli Project: Conservation of the Hominid Trackway Site at Laetoli, Tanzania: Report on the 1995 Field Season