Kaitlyn Tull

Archaeology 2030 (T, Th, 1-2:20)

Alan Griffiths

10/1/18

Archaeology Research Project: Mary Leakey and Olduvai Gorge

I was originally going to do this research project on Mesa Verde in Colorado, as that is

one of the sights I really wish to visit. However, as I was going through Chapter 1 of the

textbook and reading about the trail blazers of what is now modern archaeology I found myself

becoming increasingly interested in Mary Leakey’s work at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. She was

one of the first female archaeologists, and what really peaked my interest, is how the book

described her as “a cigar-smoking, whisky-drinking, British archaeologist” (Renfrew and Bahn.

2007. Pg. 35). I thought it was interesting that this was how she was first introduced in the

textbook, and I immediately wanted to know what findings and knowledge she contributed to

modern-day Archaeology.

She, along with her husband Louis Leakey, “[were] famed paleoanthropologists who

greatly contributed to world knowledge about humanity’s early ancestors” (The Biography.com

Editors (The name of the author was not provided). 2014. Online). They excavated numerous

sights in South Africa, but none as popular as Olduvai Gorge. There “the team made

unprecedented discoveries of hominins millions of years

old linked to human evolution” (The Biography.com.

2014. Online). Olduvai Gorge is located in the eastern

Serengeti Plain in Northern Tanzania. It has been the site

of numerous archaeological finds, many discovered by

the Leakey’s. The most famous discoveries by Mary Leakey were early hominid bone fragments.

She discovered a fragment of skull in 1959 belonging to an early hominins named Zinjanthropus

boisei (later reclassified as Paranthropus boisei (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016.

Online). Below is a picture of the replicated Paranthropus boisei skull.

These fragments, dubbed “Nutcracker man because of its huge

molars (indicative of a vegetarian diet)” (The Editors of Encyclopedia

Britannica, 2016. Online), were found in what is known as Bed 1,

which is the first of many different stratigraphy differentiations. Bed 1

“consists largely of lava flows, volcanic ash deposits, and detrital

sediments” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Online). The upper part of the bed is

approximately “1.7 million to 1.85 million years old” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica,

2016. Online), where the “Nutcracker man” was found “contains a rich and varied fauna and

archaeological sites of the Oldowan Industry” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016.

Online).

We learned in class that in order for most things to be preserved, bones for example, the

right environment, so to speak is required. I like to use this example when I think about

fossilization: If you are trying to make a stew you need all the right ingredients in order to

achieve your desired outcome. This applies to the process of fossilization, if bones are to be

preserved, the right environment and right time needs to happen, in order to achieve fossils. The

environment that pertained to Bed 1, was adequate enough for preservation. “Streams from

volcanic highlands brought fresh water to the southern margin of an alkaline lake that existed at

Olduvai… conditions for preservation were unusually favorable at these sites because ash falls
from nearby volcanoes and fluctuations of the lade led to rapid burial of the hominin and

associated remains” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Online).

One of the other ground breaking discoveries was the specimen of bone fragment from

“Homo Habilis, [which] is a more human like species, [that] was also found at Olduvai” (The

Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Online). In the articles I used for my research, it did

not give a specific part or strata where the fragments were discovered; but based on the discovery

of the “Nut Cracker man” I am going to assume it was found up near the beginning of the

formation of the Gorge; most likely Bed 1 or 2, since the environment was perfect for

preservation. Below is a picture of the reconstructed skull known as “Twiggy, because it had to

be reconstructed from a flattened state” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Online).

The articles I used did not give explicit detail about what

archaeological techniques were used, however excavation was

utilized in order to unearth the previously buried fragments.

Another technique that was also heavily utilized as well was the

process of replication, which is the recreation of missing bone

fragments in order to view a specimen/artifact as a whole. In doing my research, I came to the

conclusion, at least my opinion of one, that Olduvai Gorge was a burial ground of some sort.

Over the years of various excavations of the gorge, Archaeologists such as Mary Leakey, her

husband Louis Leakey and others “have yielded the fossil remains of more than 60 hominins

(members of the human lineage), [which has] provid[ed] the most continuous known record of

human evolution during the past 2 million years, as well as the longest known archaeological

record of stone-tool industries” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Online).

Although no burial goods were found with the fragments, I still believe that this was indeed
some kind of burial ground, on the basis of have quite a number of fragments discovered. I first

had the assumption, that this could have been a village of some kind, as “other finds include

Oldowan tools” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Online). However, the number

of fragments that were discovered over the years and the fact that it is one of the most influential

sights for human evolution leads me to believe this was a burial ground.

This was an interesting site to research, as I was first interested by one of the lead

archaeologists, Mary Leakey, and her introduction in the textbook. Not only was the discovery of

these fragments a huge leap forward for modern day evolution theories, it was also a huge

accomplishment for women in the archaeological field as well. We gained knowledge about how

we evolved, and I feel that has helped spur our interest even further into finding out how exactly

we came to form today as a society. Each person has their own opinion about how we evolved,

whether it be through Darwin’s Theory of Evolution or Creationism; but we can’t deny the fact

that what the Leakey’s discovered at Olduvai Gorge has influenced how today, Evolutionists,

view evolution, and that we indeed evolved from past hominids.

 Work Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. “Olduvai Gorge.” Encyclopedia Britannica,

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 22 Nov. 2016, www.britannica.com/place/Olduvai-Gorge

“Louis Leakey.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 July 2014,

www.biography.com/people/louis-leakey-21243935.

Renfrew, Colin and Paul Bahn. Archaeology Essentials. 3rd e., Thames & Hudson, 2007