Laetoli

An Appraisal of the Historic Site of Laetoli
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An Appraisal of the Historic Site of Laetoli
Background
Laetoli is a famous excavation site that was discovered in Tanzania. The site is famous for the fossil remains of Plio-Pleistocene hominids Australopithecus afarensis. The hominid footprints were found to be preserved in the volcanic ashes. The exact site is located 45 kilometers away and south of Olduvai Gorge. The site was discovered by Mary Leakey, an archeologist during 1976. The entire excavations were completed in 1978. The hominid footprints provided the first conclusive evidence regarding the presence of bipedal mammals in the Pliocene era. The era traces back to 3.7 million years ago, and bipedal movement was not at all speculated. The fossils of Ardipithecus ramidus confirmed the presence of bipedalism during such period. The bipedalism was confirmed from the footprints. Moreover, other discoveries and findings in the excavations at Laetoli included the animal skeletal remains and hominin fossils. Earlier in the history of evolution, it was predicted that enlarged brains were earlier to develop before bipedalism in man. However, this excavation proved the earlier speculations wrong and it was concluded by various scientists and researchers that bipedalism was earlier to develop compared to enlarged brain in humans or mammals. The site became so important from the perspective of evolution that it was vi…