Sites

Laetoli in northern Tanzania is one of the most significant paleontological and paleoanthropological sites in Africa. This series of fossil-bearing outcrops, spanning over 1,600 km² [1][2][3] has produced an extensive sample of mid-Pliocene hominin Australopithecus afarensis, including the type specimen. Apart from Hadar, Laetoli has produced the largest collection of such fossils, underscoring the its importance in the study of human evolution [4][5][6][7].

Notably, the site is best known for the 3.66 million-year-old hominin footprints discovered at Laetoli Site G, approximately 45 km south of Olduvai Gorge. The tracks, discovered by Leakey’s team in 1976 and excavated in 1978 [1][8][9], provide the oldest known evidence of human footprints and bipedalism. The footprints were fossilized when volcanic ash from a subsequent eruption covered the tracks left by three early humans. Since their discovery, the prints have been the subject of extensive research into the locomotion, speed, and behavior of the track-makers [6][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The footprints likely belong to Australopithecus afarensis, as fossils of this species, dated to the same period, have been found at the same location [20][21][22].

Boncuklu Tarla is an archaeological site in the Southeastern Anatolia of Turkey. It is the remains of a settlement occupied from the Late Epipalaeolithic to Pre-Pottery Neolithic B periods, starting over 12,000 years ago. It was discovered in 2008 during an archaeological survey in advance of the construction of the Ilısu Dam and has been excavated by a team from Mardin Museum since 2012.

The discovery of a large communal building with stone pillars was reported at Boncuklu Tarla in 2019, prompting comparisons to Göbekli Tepe. It is an early example of rectangular plan architecture. The excavators also claimed to have found a sewer system, which if confirmed would be the oldest known in the world.

Pomongwe Cave is a cave and rock art site in Zimbabwe, located inside the Matobo National Park, one kilometer east of Maleme Dam. The cave, formed by negative exfoliation, lays the end of a small valley facing northeast. It is 20m long and 20 wide. The name Pomongwe is derived from the Kalanga word for 'melon' referring to the dome shaped hill.

The Mumbwa Caves are an archeological site in Zambia. The site has yielded artifacts that date from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and the Iron Age. The caves are a source of stratified, in situ deposits with faunal and human remains. Mumbwa, with its interior structures, demonstrates the complexity of the behavioral abilities of the people from the Mesolithic. Selection of raw materials along with features such as hearths suggests a population which was modern in its behaviors used to inhabit the Mumbwa Caves. Study and excavation of the Mumbwa Caves is helping to fill in the gaps in the late Pleistocene prehistory of south central Africa.