117,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Are Found Near South African Lagoon
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events: 1900-2001
- Categories: Science, Archaeology
- Subcategories: Scientists, Anthropology, Anthropologists, Prehistoric Humans
- Curriculum: African History
- Geographical Location: South Africa
- Date: August 14, 1997
Article abstract: Scientists discovered ancient fossil footprints left by a woman who walked on the shores of a South African lagoon 117,000 years ago.
Footprints in the Sand
About 117,000 years ago, a human being walked in the sand beside the shores of Langebaan Lagoon, located on the western seacoast of South Africa about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Capetown. The sand was wet and soft because of a recent rainstorm, and as the human walked, the individual’s feet created a right-left-right pattern of footprints on the sand dune. By comparing the...
[The entire page is 993 words long]
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