In an unprecedented venture, archaeologists from the University of Wrocław and the Polish Academy of Sciences will undertake unique research in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. In the heart of the cradle of humanity, amid lions, rhinos, and herds of zebras, they will seek the remains of early humans and traces of their lives.
Serengeti: A Haven for Archaeological Discovery
Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, the world’s largest protected area, lies on the plateau between Lake Victoria and the western edge of the Rift Valley—considered the cradle of humanity. In close proximity to the renowned Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites, the park holds evidence of human and hominid presence dating back 2.6-1.7 million years.
“After the surge in research on human origins in the 1970s and 80s, following excavations and major discoveries by figures like Prof. John Bower and Mary and Louis Leakey, we observe a waning scientific trend in this part of Africa and the vast African savannas. Researchers, especially, have shifted their focus to Asia and the Americas,”
notes Dr. Marta Osypińska from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Wrocław.
Revitalizing Archaeological Exploration
Presently, as the researcher highlights, Tanzania hosts few archaeologists, with foreign scientists primarily concentrated on the Olduvai Gorge. Beyond this site, only sporadic excavations take place.