Hundreds Of Ancient Human Footprints Found In 19,000-Year-Old Volcanic Ash
Volcanoes
destroy everything in their path when they erupt, but
they are also good at preserving archaeological remains –
if not consumed by the fire.
At a newly discovered site in Tanzania, next to
a volcano, a team of researchers stumbled across a
400 ancient
human footprints.
These footprints are anywhere from 5,800 to 19,100 years
old according to radiocarbon dating. Right
around a time when agriculture was developing and human civilizations were beginning to
plant crops around the world.
The tracks reveal that an enormous gathering of people were crisscrossing the region, with many of them migrating towards an unknown destination to the southwest. Some of these long-gone Homo sapiens were moving at a brisk walking pace, while others appeared to be jogging.
Small groups of closely-spaced footprints show that women and children were traveling together. One particularly tall person was walking slightly strangely, with his imprints indicating he may have had a broken big toe.
“Human origins is a huge interest of mine: where we came from, and why we are who we are,” lead researcher Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce, a geologist from Appalachian State University, told National Geographic. “It was definitely emotional to see our own history in this.”
“The first time we went out there, I remember getting out of the vehicle, and I teared up a little bit.”
The Engare Sero site, named after the nearby village, is one of the most well-preserved snapshots of ancient human culture ever found.
