Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia

<p>Located in the Upper Awash Valley in Ethiopia, the serial property is a cluster of prehistoric sites that preserve archaeological and palaeontological records – including footprints – that testify to the area’s occupation by the hominin groups from two million years ago. The sites, situated about 2,000 to 2,200 metres above sea level, yielded <em>Homo erectus</em>, <em>Homo heidelbergensis</em> and archaic <em>Homo sapiens</em> fossils, documented in well-dated strata in association with various tools made from volcanic rocks. The cultural sequence includes four consecutive phases of the Ol