According to Dr. Rick Potts the place has so many prehistoric tools and they can easily be found in sediments when digging through the layers of soil in the area.
The prehistoric site was originally discovered in 1919 by John Walter Gregory and was eventually visited by Louis and Mary Leakey in 1942 that have done great fossil hunting in Kenya over the last century. The area has a gang walk all over the area which was initiated by the first African Archaeology Congress which was held in 1947.
According to Mr. Potts who has studied the area more than any other person in the last 30 years, Olorgesailie has sediments with each layer telling a lot about the history of mankind. He has worked in conjunction with the National Museums of Kenya closely over the years.
The area is full of prehistoric tools and bones as well as fossilized papyrus which are buried deep in the layers of sediment. The papyrus suggests there was a lake in the area, however it is now a dry dusty area with day time temperatures soaring to 40 degrees celcius. The area is buried in dust layers from the volcanic ashes of the nearby Mount Olergesailie and Mount Esakut. Remains of elephus recki which is believed to be closely related to the present day Indian elephant and is larger than the present elephants have been unearthed in the area.
According to Dr. Potts during a conference which was organized by the Prehistory Club and Kenya Museum Society which was held in the National Museums of Kenya, hand axes keep rolling out the layers of sediment in the region and he believes that the tolds which have been used for over 1.5 million years were first used in Africa before the technology was transferred to areas like Asia and Europe. Kenya Safaris
Archaelogist says the olorgesailie sites represent two eras the most recent being the Middle stone-age site which dates back to 500,000 years to 100,000 years ago during which was the time that they used the sophisticate flakes. The flakes are sharp-edged tools which are made from a precise strike on a core stone. The earliest time being the hand axe site is between 1.2 million to 500,000 years ago. However according to Dr. Potts the stones used to make the tools are not found locally and were from 150 kilometers away an indication that people exchanged products even as far back. The Middle Stone age is a time that is characterized by increased social networks, smaller technology and increased use of symbols which corresponds with modern African wildlife.
The Olorgesailie is the largest studied site in the world for the period covering the period of 1.2 million years ago. It is also the oldest known middle Stone Age site in the whole world.
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Olorgesailies archaelogical site
