Today, we got an introduction to the paleo archeological work occurring at Olduvai Gorge. Dr. Manuel showed us around the Olduvai Museum, explaining to us the evidence of human and environmental evolution throughout the past six million years. The coolest part is that most of the fossils displayed were excavated from the same sites that Dr. Manuel’s team works at. It was awesome to see fossils of the extinct taxa we’ve been studying.
The view of Olduvai Gorge from the Olduvai Museum
Just like every museum visit (not), we then traversed down to the sites where many of the artifacts were excavated from. Dr. Manuel and the team geologist, David, toured us around the active excavation sites, explaining to us the different strata of interest and what time periods they represent. Most of the sites were in beds aged ~1.5 million years old.
An active excavation site at Olduvai Gorge
I assumed finding ancient artifacts would be a rare event for the team – I was sorely wrong. The fossil record was so vast that you had to be careful where you stepped at these sites, ensuring you weren’t stepping on a 1.5-million-year-old giraffid rib (literally). Most artifacts included stone tools and bone fragments, although there were still plenty of intact bones being uncovered.
An exposed giraffid rib on our hiking path
The rest of the day, we had time to relax. I tried desperately to nap in my tent, but the sun had other plans… like suffocation and heat stroke. We eventually took an excursion to a nearby lodge to enjoy their amenities. Sitting inside, we spent the afternoon chatting and looking out upon the incredible plains just outside. It was simply delightful.
We ended our evening with the first student presentations on paleoecology methods. Heading back to my tent, I saw the most beautiful stars I’ve ever seen; without any light pollution, you could see the Milky Way in the sky. Well done, outer space.
The night sky from our campsite at Olduvai
