Introductory Note

Summary

The Olduvai Gorge in the Republic of Tanzania came to the attention of the world shortly after my mother Mary discovered the ‘Zinjanthropus boisei’ skull on July 17th 1959. The field of African prehistory, and in particular the study of human evolution, has changed and developed dramatically over the past 50 years. I am particularly pleased that Cambridge University Press have decided to republish the 5 monographs that comprehensively cover the many scientific studies that have been undertaken on the Olduvai material collected by my parents, Louis and Mary, working with a number of colleagues. As the Golden Anniversary of the discovery approaches, it is timely to reflect on the importance of that find.

I was lucky to arrive at Olduvai two days after the discovery and I well recall the excitement of the occasion. My parents were operating on a very tight budget and the field season was short. Fortunately, on hand was world-renowned photographer Des Bartlett who, aided by his wife Jen, fully recorded on film the first few days of excavations and reassembly of bone fragments back in camp. As pieces were glued back together, and the shape of the skull and its morphology became clear, my parents showed uncharacteristic and unrestrained emotion! At the time, ages for fossils were wild guesses and radiometric dating had not been done anywhere in Africa.