Most Ethiopian fossil remain sites are located in the rift valley.
The East African Rift Valley seems to have been the home of human
evolution. Rich archeological evidences were found in the Awash and
Omo valleys in Ethiopia.
The Omo paleoanthropological site
The Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia is momentarily the scene of vast
paleo-anthropological research – the area is thought to be rich with
animal- and human fossils. This site is located in southern Ethiopia
along the Omo River. It was discovered in 1903 by a French
Expedition led by Bourg de Bozas. The Omo sites are dated to be
between 4 million and 100,000 years old. Four major geological
formations are recorded here.
Among these, the most important Fossil and artifact bearing sites
are the Shungura and Kibish. Australopithecus afaransis,
Australopithecus aethiopicus, Australopithecus boisis, Homo habilis,
Homo erectus, and archaic Homo sapiens are found from these sites.
Archeological materials from shungura formation are dated to 2.3
million years and this makes the Omo site the second oldest site of
archaeological occurrence next to Gona, in the Afar. (Yonas, 2005)
The Fijej paleoanthropological site
The fejej paleoanthropological site is located in southern Ethiopia,
in the Omo basin. The site was discovered in 1988. It is dated to be
between 4.2 million years and late Stone Age. The fejej site is
known for its site which shows the life ways of early Homo around 2
million years ago. Hominid remains attributed to Australopithecus
afaransis, Homo habilis and Australopithecus boisis were recovered.
New discoveries from this site await further investigations. (Yonas,
2005)
The Middle Awash paleoanthropological site
The Middle Awash site is located on both sides of the Awash River
between Gewane town in the south and the messelu / Tallalak Rivers
in the north. The site was first recorded by Maurice Taieb in the
late 1960’s and early 70’s. The most important hominid discoveries
include: Ardipithecus Kadabba, Ardipithecus ramidus,
Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus garhi, Homo erectus and
Homo Sapiens Idaltu.
The Hadar paleoanthropological site
Like the Middle Awash site, Hadar site was first reported by the
French Geologist Maurice Taieb in the beginning of the 1970’s. The
site is located in the afar region. The Hadar site has produced many
hominids include: Australopithecus afarensis and Homo Habilis. The
most important specimens are Lucy and Selam. The site is inscribed
in the world heritage site list on September 1980 as a part of lower
Awash. (ali, 2004)
The Gona paleoanthropological site
The Gona Palaeoanthropological Research Project (GPRP) study area is
located in the west-central Afar region of Ethiopia and it
encompasses more than 500 km2 area with artefact- and fossil-rich
Plio- Pleistocene sediments. The study area is bounded to the east
by the Hadar study area, to the north by the Mile-Bati Road, to the
south by the Asbole River and to the west by the Western Ethiopian
Escarpment. The major rivers within the study area, including the
Kada Gona, the Ounda Gona, the Busidima and the Asbole, and
associated small feeding streams, drain the surrounding areas
flowing seasonally into the Awash River. (Semaw, 2000)
The importance of the gona site for its archaeological materials was
recognized since mid 1970’s. Recent research in the site has
resulted in the discovery of older hominids named Ardipithecus
ramidus already known from the Middle Awash sites further south in
the same geographical region. (Yonas, 2005)
The Melka-kunture paleoanthropological site
It is located about 60 Kms south of Addis Ababa, along the Awash
River, near the Melka-kunture town. The site was first discovered in
1963. Hominid remains belonging to the genus Homo were also
recovered.
The Konso paleoanthropological site
The Konso paleoanthropological site was discovered in 1991. This
site is located in the southern part of Ethiopia, 595 Kms south of
Addis Ababa, south of Lake Chamo, around the Konso village. Hominid
remains attributed to Australopithecus boisis and Homo erectus are
recovered from this site. (Yonas, 2005)
The Dikika and Busidima paleoanthropological site
It is located on both sides of the Awash River south of the Hadar
and the Gona sites and the north of the Middle Awash Research area.
The site was first reported along with the Hadar and the Middle
Awash sites in early 1970’s. The site has produced many important
hominid remains attributed to Australopithecus afaransis.
The Gaili paleoanthropological site
The Gaili paleoanthropological site is located to the east of the
Gadamytu town along the Addis Ababa – Gawane road. Hominid fossils
discovered from this site include Australopithecus afaransis and
Australopithecus anamesis. (Yonas, 2005)
The Kessem – Kebena paleoanthropological site
The Kessem – Kebena paleoanthropological site was discovered in
1988. The site is located between the kessem and the kebena Rivers
to the west and north of the Yalow village. (Yonas, 2005)
The Gadamota Archaeological site
The Gadamota Archaeological site is located about 165 Kms south of
Addis Ababa near Zuway town. (Teklie, class room lecture)
Ethiopia’s Paleoanthroplogical Evidences
It is important to realize that in eastern Africa, especially in
Ethiopia the majority of the fossil discoveries have been made
within recent years. Study of many is as yet at a preliminary stage,
and there is often considerable controversy about their attribution
to named species and, on occasion, their dating. Likewise, new finds
are steadily being announced; these may require the modification or
abandonment of existing theories. The following paleoanthroplogical
evidences are discovered in the abovementioned paleoanthropological
sites of Ethiopia.
Ardipithecus ramidus
It is older than Lucy by more than one million years ago! The oldest
hominid fossils found so far, Ardipithecus ramidus, have been dated
at 5.8 million years old. The fossils of these individuals, who
lived in Ethiopia, show that the skull was balanced at the top of
the skeleton for walking erect. Meanwhile, other animal fossils
found nearby indicate that A. ramidus definitely lived in the
forest. If careful studies of the A. ramidus bones show that it
really did walk upright, the savanna hypothesis will be disproved.
It is well-known from Aramis in the middle Awash study area and Gona,
Afar rift, Ethiopia. The meaning of Ardipithecus ramidus is “root of
the ground ape,” after the Afar words ‘Ardi’ (ground) and ‘ramid’
(roots). The earliest known hominid was a small creature, which
stood upright, with thin enameled teeth and a skull closer to those
of apes, suggesting close links with ancestral chimpanzees.
Ardipithecus ramidus is known from relatively high altitude,
closed-canopy woodlands of Ethiopia. Ardipithecus ramidus apparently
lived in more wooded terrain than many of its successors and must
lie close to the first hominids to diverge from the African apes.
(Caption, national museum)
A site beside the Aramis tributary of the Middle Awash River in
Ethiopia has yielded a partial hominid skeleton plus fragments of
several other individuals, all now attributed to Ardipithecus
ramidus and dated to about 4.4 million years ago (White et al.
1994).
Ardipithecus Kadaba
Paleoanthropologists working in the Middle Awash Valley of the Afar
region, Ethiopia, have recovered more fossils of an early hominid
known as Ardipithecus Kadaba. The species name comes from the afar
word “Kadaba” which means “big father” or “basal family member”.
(Caption on national museum display) The fossils date to between
5.54 and 5.77 million years ago. The primitive teeth show that
Ardipithecus Kadaba was the earliest specious of its genus, and may
represent the first species on the human branch of the family tree
just after the evolutionary split between lines leading to modern
chimpanzees and humans. (caption national museum)
Ardipithecus Kadaba was first named in 2001 as a chronologically
older species of Ardipithecus ramidus. The younger sub species had
already been named by the Middle Awash team in 1994 and dated to 4.4
million years old. According to Haile Selasie now elevate the
subspecies kadabba is now the earliest, most primitive species of
Ardipithecus.
Ardipithecus Kadaba predates the younger “Lucy” skeleton by about
2.5 million years. The more evolved 4.4 million years, named
Australopihecus anamensis, appear to be the direct ancestors of
Australopithecus afaransis, the “Lucy” species.
Australopithecus anamensis
It is known in Ethiopia from Aramis and Assa Issie, middle Awash
study area, Afar rift. Australopithecus anamensis was first
announced and named in 1995 with Kenya fossils and are considered
the earliest species of Australopithecus. The Aramis and Assa Issie
fossils were found in 1994 and between 2000 and 2005, respectively.
These fossils confirm that the earliest known species of
Australopithecus lived in Ethiopia in the same general area as did
Ardipithecus ramidus, but at slightly younger age. (National Museum,
display)
Australopithecus anamensis (anam in is “lake” in turkana) is a name
given to complete upper and lower hominid jaws, some teeth, and limb
fragments of almost eighty individuals. A.anamensis is intermediate
in time between Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus afarensis,
and is morphologically distinct from both in several ways. The new
genus and species Ardipithecus ramidus was named for fossils from
horizons at Aramis in Ethiopia that have been securely dated by
single-crystal 40Ar/39Ar laser fusion dating to just less than 4.4
mya.
Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis is much more comprehensively represented
by fossils dating between 3.6 and 3.0 million years ago. Here, it is
appropriate to note that A. afarensis was a relatively lightly built
or gracile species showing several features, principally in the
teeth and face, which distinguish it from later australopithecines (Johanson
and White 1979).
Australopithecus afarensis is an early species of Australopithecus
from which the later species evolved. Many of the best and the most
abundant fossils of this species have been discovered at Hadar, Afar
rift. Two major fossil evidences that are discovered here as
follows.
Lucy
Australopithecus afarensis is best known from the Hadar region of
Ethiopia. The first and best known Australopithecus afarensis
discovered on November 30, 1974 in the world was the fossil known as
Lucy, found in the Hadar Valley and described by Donald Johansen,
Tim White and Yves Coppens. Fragments of 13 hominins were discovered
at Hadar including children.
Later on the night of November 30th there was much celebration and
excitement over the discovery of what appeared to be a fairly
complete hominid skeleton. There was drinking, dancing and singing;
the Beatles’ song “Lucy in sky with diamonds” was playing over and
over. As a result, the name is stuck from the song. It displays
considerable difference in size. Some individuals stood 1.5 m (5
feet) tall and probably weighted approximately 68 KG. (kirs, 2007)
Selam
Selam is the name of a juvenile Australopithecus afarensis found in
an area called Dikidik Ethiopia's Afar triangle. The first reports
were in Nature on September 21, 2006 by a team led by Zeresenay
Alemseged of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
in Leipzig. Selam means peace in several Ethiopian languages. She
represents the earliest and most complete skeleton of a child human
ancestor ever discovered in the history of paleoanthropology. She
was about three years old when she died and belongs to the ancient
species Australopithecus afarensis. She lived and died 3.3 million
years ago; i.e. 150, 000 years before “Lucy”.
Selam, sometimes known as the Dikika baby, is the most complete
fossil of a juvenile Australopithecus found to date. The find
included most of the skull, shoulders, part of the vertebral column,
parts of both knees and legs, parts of the right arm, and several
ribs.
Selam is a girl estimated at about 3 years old based on comparisons
with modern chimpanzee growth rates. She was found in 2001 in the
Rift Valley south of the Awash River, and recovered from the bed of
an ancient shallow, slow moving channel that filled about 3.4
million years ago. Researchers believe the Dikika Infant was likely
accidentally buried in the channel as an intact corpse.
Kadmu
Kadmu was found in mudstone at the base of an exposure of
Upward-coarsening clay stone, siltstone, and sandstone. The first
element, a proximal ulna, was found by Alemayehu Asfaw on February
10, 2005, from Korsi Dora vertebrate locality kadmu in\ the Woranso-Mille
paleontological study area of the Afar region, Ethiopia. However,
the specimen’s specific locality, kadmu, is isolated from known
stratigraphy by a normal fault trending northwest–southeast.
Fortunately, it has been possible, through radiometric dating and
pale magnetic reversal stratigraphy, to constrain the age of this
isolated block to ca. 3.60–3.58 Ma. (Haile-Selassie, 2010)
Australopithecus aethiopicus
It is known from Kenya and Ethiopia, Australopithecus aethiopicus is
the basal species of “robust” Australopithecus thought to have
evolved from Australopithecus Afarensis, and later became the more
specialized Australopithecus boisie. The species name shares with
the other “robust” Australopithecus species large molars and
premolars and large chewing muscles constructed to produce strong
vertical forces. They probably crushed and ground, hard and tough
food items at times of increasingly dry and seasonal environmental
conditions. (Caption, national museum)
Australopithecus Garhi
Between 1996 and 1998 archiologist Giday WoldeGabriel and his
collegues discovered Australopithecus Garhi in the Afar region
dating around 2.5 million years old. Similarly the Bouri area of the
Middle Awash Basin has yielded remains of an australopithecine,
designated A. garhi and dated around 2.5 million years ago, which,
it has been suggested, shows features transitional to those of Homo
(Asfaw et al. 1999; de Heinzelin et al. 1999).
Australopithecus Garhi (Garhi means “surprise” in the local
dialect), stood at about 1.46 m (4 feet 10 inches) tall and had
protruding features, not unlike those of a chimpanzee. The lower
molars are three times the size of those of modern humans, the
canines almost as large. Australopithecus Garhi’s brain was only a
third the size of that of a modern human. The legs are long and
human like, while the arms are long and more like an ape’s.
(Caption, national museum)
Australopithecus Garhi is a remarkable find and will renew debate
over the identity of the very first human tool maker. That this
hominid was eating meat suggests that a switch to a high energy,
high fat meat diet was under way. This, in turn, may have led to an
increase in brain size among some hominids, which occurred only a
few hundred thousand years later.