Treasure Trove of Ancient Human Footprints Found Near Volcano

Foot prints of the past, i wonder if they were escaping the near by volcano eruption, both children and adults, some walking others running all set over a relatively small time periode.



SOURCE

Nine miles from the volcano the Maasai call the “Mountain of God,” researchers have cataloged a spectacularly rare find: an enormous set of well-preserved human footprints left in the mud between 5,000 and 19,000 years ago.

The more than 400 footprints cover an area slightly larger than a tennis court, crisscrossing the dark gray mudflat of Engare Sero, on the southern shore of Tanzania’s Lake Natron.
No other site in Africa has as many ancient Homo sapiens footprints—making it a treasure trove for scientists trying to tell the story of humankind’s earliest days.

Some of the tracks seem to show people jogging through the muck, keeping upwards of a 12-minute-mile pace. Other prints imply a person with a slightly strange, possibly broken big toe.

Yet more tracks suggest that around a dozen people, mostly women and children, traveled across the mudflat together, striking toward the southwest for parts unknown. The mud tracked it all—including the dirty droplets that fell from their feet with each step.

originally posted by: Mianeye
Foot prints of the past, i wonder if they were escaping the near by volcano eruption, both children and adults, some walking others running all set over a relatively small time periode.



SOURCE

Nine miles from the volcano the Maasai call the “Mountain of God,” researchers have cataloged a spectacularly rare find: an enormous set of well-preserved human footprints left in the mud between 5,000 and 19,000 years ago.

The more than 400 footprints cover an area slightly larger than a tennis court, crisscrossing the dark gray mudflat of Engare Sero, on the southern shore of Tanzania’s Lake Natron.
No other site in Africa has as many ancient Homo sapiens footprints—making it a treasure trove for scientists trying to tell the story of humankind’s earliest days.

Some of the tracks seem to show people jogging through the muck, keeping upwards of a 12-minute-mile pace. Other prints imply a person with a slightly strange, possibly broken big toe.

Yet more tracks suggest that around a dozen people, mostly women and children, traveled across the mudflat together, striking toward the southwest for parts unknown. The mud tracked it all—including the dirty droplets that fell from their feet with each step.

Well that is really cool. What a great find! Thanks for the link.

a reply to: Mianeye

i wonder if they were escaping the near by volcano eruption,

I would.

The prints are in mud soaked ash. From a tracking perspective one tell they were fleeing might be if they were all heading in the same direction.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Mianeye

i wonder if they were escaping the near by volcano eruption,

I would.

The prints are in mud soaked ash. From a tracking perspective one tell they were fleeing might be if they were all heading in the same direction.

The article says they were criss crossing....could be they were just madly running from an eruption in all directions I guess.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

The article says they were criss crossing....

Then they probably weren't 'fleeing' an eruption.

In the land before time, If you were going somewhere 'quickly', you were running.

That's very cool thanks for sharing.

a reply to: intrptr

I think you and Vasa are on the right track (non-intentional pun)

I was thinking that ash may have even started during, lightly,
if not directly after these foot prints were laid down.
and this is why they are so pristine.

Wouldn't it be cool if other remains correlating to this event
were uncovered in the area?

a reply to: Mianeye

WOW. Thanks for posting.

a reply to: grubblesnert

Wouldn't it be cool if other remains correlating to this event
were uncovered in the area?

Freeze frame of history like at Pompeii and Herculaneum?

Thats some treasure trove.

We're these footprints covered by ash layers?

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Vasa Croe

The article says they were criss crossing....

Then they probably weren't 'fleeing' an eruption.

In the land before time, If you were going somewhere 'quickly', you were running.

If they were fleeing something, it wasn't an eruption from Ol Doinyo Lengai. The ash itself was dated to an eruption ~120 KA. It then washed down the side of the volcano in a mud flow ~20 KA when the footprints were left.

Even without a cool back story such as looming danger from an erupting volcano, the vast array and sheer number of prints gives a nice little snapshot of a limited window into the social aspects of the people who lived in the area from the dozen, mostly women and kids, people moving together off to the southwest to the people running at a pretty quick pace to the line individual with a possibly injured toe, the site gives an interesting look at an average day for people who lived near Lake Natron as long ago as 20 KA to possibly as recent as a little over 5 KA.

The reason for the fairly open ended range of dates is because the ash is from a significantly older eruption that washed down the side of the mountain in more recent times so obtaining a specific date from the ash is impossible. This leaves dating organic material in the mudflow itself. A shell in a layer above the footprints was dated to ~5KA, so the footprints are older than that.

Since the National Geographic article deals mostly
With the discovery and the geology of the site, Here is a link to a short PDF that details some of the anthropological work done at the site where footprint comparisons were made between those left in the mudflow and those of modern local inhabitants in case anyone is interested.

a reply to: peter vlar

Thanks for the rundown, I am interested in past lives and the signs they left.