 Archaeological heritage |
Human existence in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area goes back beyond the dawn of history as evidenced by the numerous remains of hominids, mankind's earliest recognisable ancestors. The world's two most famous prehistoric archaeological sites- Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli- are both inside the Conservation area in Tanzania. Visit Ngorongoro and see the work sites of Louis and Mary Leakey, named by Time Magazine in March 1999, among the 20 most important scientists and thinkers of the 20th Century.
 Zinjanthropus Man |
About 1,800,000 years ago, Mt. Olmoti erupted and thick lava covered the area now occupied by Olduvai Gorge, burying earlier remains beneath. Then an alkaline lake was formed in the area, providing ideal conditions for fossilisation. From time to time volcanic eruptions added layers of ash, forming what we now call Bed I and Bed II of the Gorge.
The Leakeys and other prehistorians worked for many years in Olduvai Gorge. In 1959, patience and perseverance paid off when Mary Leaky found the fossil of part of a skull buried in that long ago Olmoti eruption.
Louis Leakey nicknamed the find "Zinjanthropos Man". This hominid, Australopithecus boisei, was a vegetarian with a small brain.
| Homo Habilis |
Soon after, in the same bed with A. boisei, Louis
found a smaller hominid with a larger brain who
is believed to have made simple wood and stone tools
and to have hunted small animals and scavenged from
carnivore's kills. This hominid, Homo habilis is
believed to be a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens,
i.e.. humans. |
Also in Bed I were found fossils of a number of animals, including Sivatherium, a massive giraffe with large, sweeping horns.
| Further Find |
A skeleton found by Leakey in the Naisiusiu Bed has been classed as Homo sapiens that is, modern man with the largest brain.
| Ngorongoro through the year |
The story of our ancient ancestors as told in the fossils of Olduvai and Laetoli confirms that humans and huminids have been living in the area for millions of years. In historic times, humankind in Ngorongoro includes the Hadzabe (or Watindiga). A small group of these people are still living in the lake Eyasi basin bordering the Conservation Area.
The Hadzabe, who speak a click language, have a simple lifestyle that is well integrated with their environment: they gather roots and tubers, wild fruits and honey, and arrows.
In the last two thousand or so years, the Iraqw (or Mbulu) people arrived in the area, they speak a Cushitic language, with origins in Ethiopia, and historically lived in Ngorongoro as pastoralists; they are now mainly agricultural and live to the eats of Ngorongoro and lake Eyasi.
Three hundred year ago, new wave of Nilo-Hamiti speaking peoples began moving into the Area. They included the Datoga (also called Barabaig or Mang'ati), who fought hard in the 1800's against other new immigrants, the Masaai. The Maasai eventually won most of the area, and many now live inside the Ngorongoro Conservation area, the Datoga live Southeast of Conservation Area in the Lake Eyasi basin and beyond. |
