Hominid Trackway at Laetoli

Conservation and site maintenance program, including reburial, to protect the 3.6 million–year–old hominid footprints

Project Details

Two people crouch while examining ancient hominid footprints on dry terrain

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