Zinjanthropus

Zinjanthropus was opened in 1959 in the Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). So well-known archaeologist and anthropologist Luis Leakey (1903-1972) during the excavations found the remains of another predecessor of modern man. However, after a more thorough study it turned out that this is another branch of the genus Australopithecus, and the zynjanthropus was renamed the australopithecus of Bois. The potassium-argon method made it possible to determine the age of zinjanthropus: 1,8-1,6 million years.

Zinjanthropus was opened in 1959 in the Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

Olduvai Gorge is one of the most interesting places on Earth. It represents a huge canyon, deeply - up to 90 m crashed into the bed of the ancient valley. Within the walls of this gorge, researchers have identified five layers related to different geological epochs.

The overall massiveness of the addition was apparently also very large - with an increase of 1,2-1,6 m, zinjanthropines weighed from 40 to 90 kg. The Zinjanthropus was completely erect. The volume of the brain is 400-500 cm3 (in modern man an average of 1350).

Even before this discovery, Leakey found primitive stone tools in the Olduvai layers, which zinjanthropus could use. These were the simplest flakes with traces of retouching. These were the first consciously made guns!

First, of course, zinjanthropus was considered the first owner of these tools. But soon this assumption had to be dropped - tools of this type began to be extracted from much earlier layers. And yet there were no hominid remains in them!

The answer to this mystery was a new discovery, made on November 2, 1960. A lower jaw with teeth, one molar, two well-preserved parietal bones and the bones of the hominid's hand were found at a level about 50 cm below the level of occurrence of the remains of the zynjanthropus (corresponding to an age of approximately 2,1-1,5 million years), already at first glance significantly different from those that characterized zinjanthropus. Later, most of the skeleton of the leg and clavicle were removed.

Already preliminary study of these remains showed that the new find, despite its great antiquity, stands on the ladder of evolution higher than zinjanthropus. Zinjantropus is just an advanced version of the Australopithecus massive. The new Olduvai find was called Homo habilis - "man skilled".

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