Kenya: Cradle of Humankind

Here we are on the Oloolua Nature Trail at the Institute of Primate Research in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya has played an important role in the research on the evolution of primates. In 1947‒48, Louis Leakey led an expedition to Rusinga Island, Lake Victoria, where Mary Leakey uncovered one of the oldest apes identified so far: Proconsul africanus, which lived about 25 million years ago and was the first true ape. Proconsul is believed to be the earliest ancestor of humans and the “new world” apes.

In 1960, Leakey established the Institute of Primate Research with monkeys as models to understand human evolution and as a facility for collection and studies of East African primates.

Koobi Fora, east of Lake Turkana, comprises approximately 700 square miles of sediment deposition from the Pliocene (5.0 million) to the Early Pleistocene (1.0 million) Ages. Extensive paleontological finds have been made here, starting in 1969. At Koobi Fora, the discovery of Homo habilis is evidence of the existence of a relatively intelligent hominid two million years ago. This discovery reflects the change in climate from moist forest grassland to the present hot desert.

The Kariandusi archaeological site is among the first discoveries of Lower Paleolithic sites in East Africa. Dating back between 700,000 to 1 million years old, Kariandusi is possibly the first Acheulean site to have been found in situ in East Africa. This living site of the hand-axe man was discovered in 1928. The Acheulean stage of the great hand-axe culture, to which this site belongs, is found over a very widespread area from England, France, and Southwest Europe generally to South Africa.

Louis Leakey believed that the Kariandusi archaeological site was a factory site of the Acheulian period. He made this conclusion after numerous collections of tool specimens were found lying in the Kariandusi riverbed.

Geological evidence shows that, in the past, large lakes, sometimes reaching levels hundreds of metres higher than the present Lake Nakuru, occupied this basin. As rising lake levels drove pre-historic humans from their lakeside homes, they buried their tools and weapons in a hurry.

Located in the town of Nakuru, Hyrax Hill Museum depicts the lifestyle of seasonal settlement by prehistoric people 3,000 years ago. As a region of archaeological interest, the East African Archaeological Expedition of 1926, led by Louis Leakey, first noted Hyrax Hill. In 1937, Mary Leakey undertook some archaeological surveys on the hill. Since then, research has been intermittent with major undertakings in 1965 by Ron Clarke.

The hill was named after the hyraxes—small, furry mammals—which were found in abundance in this area, living in cracks within the rocks.

The Thimlich Ohinga archaeological site is a unique architectural stone structure, situated in Nyanza province, Kenya. The archaeological record of materials found within the Ohinga, or settlement, goes beyond 500 years ago. The stone structure has walls ranging from 1 to 4.2 meters in height and was built of loose stones and blocks without any dressing or mortar. Experts believe it served as a fort for communities and livestock and defined social boundaries.

It seems most likely that Bantus who initially occupied this region prior to the arrival of Luos first built the stone structures. Abundant rocks on the hilly areas provided them with building materials to meet their security requirements.

During the 20th century, abandonment of Ohingnis started en mass. Stone structures were no longer built, and some structures were reduced to mere traces of circumferences or disappeared altogether. Thimlich Ohinga is one of the few stone structures that survived.

The Olorgesailie pre-historic site has the largest number of stone tools found at any site in Kenya. The accumulation of these human tools indicates that these were camping places of early humans. The site is in an ancient lake basin. Here you can see displays of prehistoric materials, including hand axes and fossilized skeletons of extinct species of elephants and hippopotamus from 1.2 million years ago.