Olduvai Gorge is perhaps the most important archaeology site in the world
relating to the evolution of man. For millions of years, precursors of man
lived in the area. Their habitats were covered up by successive layers of
ash from nearby volcanic eruptions, preserving a particular slice of time with
each eruption. These layers were buried for eternity, until an earthquake
rerouted a stream about half a million years ago. The stream started
cutting a canyon along its new route, cutting through the ash layers, and
exposing early settlements long ago buried.
In the 1950's, Louis Leakey pioneered excavation of this site and made important
discoveries of pre-human species up to 2.5 millions years old. The strata,
of which there are seven important beds, represent various groupings dating from
over 2 million years ago to 15,000 years ago. From oldest to newest, the
beds are: Bed I, Bed II, Bed III, Bed IV, Masek Beds, Ndutu Beds, and
Naisiusiu Beds.
