Laetoli

The Lower Paleolithic site of Laetoli in Tanzania is famous for its human footprints, preserved in volcanic ash (Site G). The site is located 45 km south of Olduvai.

The footprints

A line of hominid footprints, discovered in 1978-79 by Mary Leakey, Richard Hay and their team, is preserved in powdery ash from an eruption of the 20 km distant Sadiman Volcano. Soft rain cemented the ash-layer (15 cm thick) to tufa without destroying the prints. In time, they were covered by other ash deposits. The hominid prints were produced by three individuals, one walking in the footprints of the other, making the original tracks difficult to discover. As the tracks lead in the same direction, they might have been produced by a group. but there is nothing else to support the common reconstruction of a nuclear familiy visiting the waterhole together.

Related Topics:
Hominid - 1978 - 79 - Mary Leakey - Richard Hay - Sadiman - Volcano - Tufa

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hominid 1

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hominid 2

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length of footprint21.5 cm18.5 cm

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width of footprint10 cm8.8 cm

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length of pace47.2 cm28.7 cm

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reconstructed body-size1.34-1,56 m1.15-1.34 m

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The footprints demonstrate that the hominids walked upright habitually, as there are no knuckle-impressions. The feet do not have the mobile big toe of apes; instead, they have an arch (the bending of the sole of the foot) typical of modern humans. They seem to have moved in a leisurely stroll.

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