In Situ Preservation of 1.5-Million-Year-Old Footprints at Ileret, Northern Kenya: Evidence of Early Hominin Foot Morphology and Paleobiology

Project summary:

National Museums of Kenya will work with international partners to safeguard the globally important heritage of the 1.5-million-year-old hominin footprints found at Ileret, near Lake Turkana, an area known as the ‘cradle of humankind’. A physical canopy will protect the site from the effects of wind erosion driven by climate change and the local community will gain skills in heritage management in order to protect the site into the future and present the heritage at a new exhibition and community space. 

Target countries:

Kenya

Award date

October 2022

Lead organisation:

National Museums Kenya

Partners:

• Harvard University, USA
• Chatham University, USA
• Technical University of Kenya, Kenya
• Rutgers University, USA
• George Washington University, USA
• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Italy

Grant amount:

£384,151