Adventures in the Bone Trade: The Race to Discover Human Ancestors in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression

Description

Over the past 25 years, a stream of fossil and artifact discoveries in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia has produced the longest single record of human ancestors in the world. Many of the fossils found in this region are the missing links leading to modern humans. This book chronicles the exploration of this unique desert area, focusing especially on the 1970s when the valley was mapped and many fossils and archeological sites were discovered. The author gives his personal account of the 25 years he spent researching the region. As co-founder of the team that discovered Lucy, Jon Kalb has first-hand knowledge of the research that was involved in the findings of this region and of the intense rivalry that has accompanied those findings. He discusses the political drama of Ethiopia and the effects this chaos had on the Afar. This book covers the scientific discoveries of the area, the author's own explorations and findings, and the political struggles involved with these discoveries. Front Matter....Pages i-xx An Oceanic Desert....Pages 3-13 Afar Gold....Pages 14-20 The Awash Valley....Pages 21-41 Louis and Mary Leakey....Pages 42-53 Looking for Leadu Man....Pages 54-69 Hadar....Pages 70-89 Transition....Pages 90-97 Famine and Fame....Pages 98-110 Storm Clouds....Pages 111-122 Desert Origins....Pages 123-137 Dawn of Humanity....Pages 138-151 A New Mission....Pages 152-158 An Acheulean “City”....Pages 159-168 Rebellion....Pages 169-176 The Oldowan....Pages 177-188 The “First Movie”....Pages 189-193 The Miocene....Pages 194-206 Crossing the Talalak....Pages 207-215 The Central Awash....Pages 216-223 Baboons and Pigs....Pages 224-231 The Artifact Trail....Pages 232-237 Human Origins....Pages 238-246 Espionage Science....Pages 247-265 Big-Game Feeders....Pages 266-274 National Security....Pages 275-281 African Cake....Pages 282-288 The CIA Lives....Pages 289-294 Prehistoric Feast....Pages 295-307 Back Matter....Pages 308-405