[Rockhounds] Hundreds of Fossilized Human Footprints Provide a Glimpse of Ancient Life in Africa

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Over 400 fossilized human footprints have been discovered in Tanzania,
representing the largest collection of human prints ever found in Africa.
Dating back some 10,000 years, the footprints offer a snapshot of life
during the Late Pleistocene, including possible divisions of labor based on
sex.

New research <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64095-0> published
in Scientific Reports describes hundreds of fossilized human footprints
found at the Engare Sero site in northern Tanzania. The researchers, led by
archaeologist Kevin Hatala from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, weren’t
able to provide a tight timeframe for the prints, offering a range between
19,100 and 5,760 years ago, but the prints were most likely laid down
between 12,000 to 10,000 years ago, according to the study.

By analyzing the size of the footprints, the distances between steps, and
the orientations of each print, the researchers could make out individual
trackways. What’s more, these measures allowed them to infer walking speed,
relative body size, and even the sex of individuals.

https://gizmodo.com/hundreds-of-fossilized-human-footprints-provide-a-glimp-1843459093