From 100th century BCE
Lower Omo Basin, southwestern Ethiopia
The Kibish Formation human remains are fossil hominid specimens recovered in 1967 from Member 1 of the lower Omo Basin in southwestern Ethiopia. Thorium–uranium measurements have suggested an age as old as about 130,000 years, but the extract treats that estimate as unconfirmed and the temporal position as insecure. Kibish 1 and Kibish 2 are described as morphologically different specimens representing a subspecies of Homo sapiens, probably more recent than Homo sapiens rhodesiensis.
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The Story
Human cranial remains and associated postcranial elements were recovered in 1967 from the lower part of Member 1 of the Kibish Formation in the lower Omo Basin. The deposits accumulated when Lake Rudolf stood approximately sixty metres above its present level and flooded the lower Omo valley. At least two specimens are thought to derive from different localities associated with upper sedimentary units of the member, yet comparable nitrogen and uranium values have led to the view that they are broadly contemporaneous.
The proposed chronology remains unsettled. Thorium–uranium measurements have suggested an age as old as about 130,000 years, but the reliability of the method had not been adequately demonstrated. Radiocarbon determinations from overlying members, with a minimum age greater than 37,000 years, were also questioned, leaving the temporal position of the fossils insecure.
Kibish 1 includes a partial cranial vault, half a mandible, and postcranial elements that fall within the modern Homo sapiens range of variation. Kibish 2 consists largely of a cranial vault. The passage identifies both as representatives of a subspecies of Homo sapiens morphologically different from and probably more recent than H. sapiens rhodesiensis, while emphasizing that the two specimens may not represent the same population.
From 100th century BCE
Lower Omo Basin, southwestern Ethiopia
The Kibish Formation human remains are fossil hominid specimens recovered in 1967 from Member 1 of the lower Omo Basin in southwestern Ethiopia. Thorium–uranium measurements have suggested an age as old as about 130,000 years, but the extract treats that estimate as unconfirmed and the temporal position as insecure. Kibish 1 and Kibish 2 are described as morphologically different specimens representing a subspecies of Homo sapiens, probably more recent than Homo sapiens rhodesiensis.
Continue exploring
The Story
Human cranial remains and associated postcranial elements were recovered in 1967 from the lower part of Member 1 of the Kibish Formation in the lower Omo Basin. The deposits accumulated when Lake Rudolf stood approximately sixty metres above its present level and flooded the lower Omo valley. At least two specimens are thought to derive from different localities associated with upper sedimentary units of the member, yet comparable nitrogen and uranium values have led to the view that they are broadly contemporaneous.
The proposed chronology remains unsettled. Thorium–uranium measurements have suggested an age as old as about 130,000 years, but the reliability of the method had not been adequately demonstrated. Radiocarbon determinations from overlying members, with a minimum age greater than 37,000 years, were also questioned, leaving the temporal position of the fossils insecure.
Kibish 1 includes a partial cranial vault, half a mandible, and postcranial elements that fall within the modern Homo sapiens range of variation. Kibish 2 consists largely of a cranial vault. The passage identifies both as representatives of a subspecies of Homo sapiens morphologically different from and probably more recent than H. sapiens rhodesiensis, while emphasizing that the two specimens may not represent the same population.