The Olduvai Gorge Part II

On a recent trip to Tanzania I was thrilled to visit the Ngorongoro Crater, which lies just three miles from the Olduvai Gorge. Our itinerary did not permit us to travel to the gorge, but seeing the crater was a glimpse into the historic area of which the gorge is the crown jewel. What makes this location so unique is its anthropological and archaeological significance. It was the excavations of the gorge in the 1930s that led to groundbreaking discoveries about human development.

In 1959, Mary Leakey, wife of Louis Leakey, discovered the skull of a robust australopithecine, initially named Zinjanthropus boisei (“Nutcracker Man”). This find, dated to about 2.3 to 1.75 million years ago, provided crucial evidence of early hominin diversity and adaptation. It was originally labeled the Nutcracker Man due to its large, powerful teeth, but was later formally categorized as Paranthropus boisei. Paranthropus is derived from the Greek words para (“beside”) and anthropus (“human”) This reflects the species’ position as a close cousin to our own lineage rather than a direct ancestor. The name boisei was added by Louis Leakey in 1959 to honor Charles Watson Boise, the philanthropist who funded the Leakey family’s archaeological expeditions.

As the Leakeys and their team continued their excavations in the 1960s, they discovered Homo habilis, the “handyman,” dating from 1.9 million years ago. It is one of the earliest members of the Homo genus.

Finally, the gorge surrendered the most recent human fossils, Homo erectus (1.2 million years) is the species that exhibited advanced tool-making skills and greater mobility. It is considered a direct ancestor of modern humans (Homo sapiens). Living for over 1.5 million years, it was the first hominin with human-like body proportions and the first to migrate out of Africa.

Mary Leakey founded the Olduvai Gorge Museum in 1970 to ensure that the fossils remained part of Tanzania’s cultural history and national heritage. It was updated in 1993 by the Getty Foundation and later replaced by a new visitor center in 2018.

The museum is located near the entrance to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.