Name
Class
The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Date
Biography
The Leakey Family
WHY THEY MADE HISTORY The Leakey
family discovered many hominid fossils in
East Africa during their work as anthropologists. This discovery showed that humans first
evolved in Africa.
As you read the biography below, think about
how the Leakeys’ perseverance to study in Africa
led them to important discoveries.
© Bettmann/CORBIS
LOUIS LEAKEY
1903–1972
Louis Leakey was born to missionary parents in
Kenya. He was the first white baby ever seen by
the Kikuyu, a native people of Kenya. Louis was
interested in anthropology and became an expert
on the culture of the Kikuyu. During a medical
leave from college, Louis joined his first archaeological expedition. He was so interested in this work
that he led four more expeditions in East Africa to
search for the ancestors of humans. Louis Leakey’s
decision to search in East Africa made him different than other scientists. At that time, scientists
believed that Asia, not Africa, was where hominids
and ancient humans existed. Louis, working with
his wife Mary, proved otherwise.
VOCABULARY
anthropology the science
of human beings
archaeology the scientific
study of the remains of
past human lives and
activities
MARY LEAKEY
1913–1996
Mary Leakey had been interested in archaeology
from an early age. Her father was a respected artist and Mary also developed her own art skills. She
combined her ability to draw with her interest in
science and was recognized as a master of
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7
The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Name
Class
Date
Biography
The Leakey Family, continued
scientific illustration. She met Louis Leakey in 1933.
He asked her to join him in Africa to draw stone
tools he had found. The Leakeys were married three
years later.
Mary and Louis searched throughout Africa.
Mary made an important discovery when she found
a set of footprints that were 3.6 million years old.
The footprints proved that ancestors of humans had
walked upright. Together, Mary and Louis found
three different sets of fossils, each believed to be a
human ancestor.
RICHARD LEAKEY
1944–
Richard Leakey was born to Mary and Louis in
1944. It is not hard to see why he, too, became
interested in learning about hominids and early
humans. Richard worked with the National
Museums of Kenya to lead expeditions in a region
of Kenya near Lake Turkana called Koobi Fora.
Richard and his team discovered Stone Age tools
that were 1.9 million years old. He also found
several skulls of early humans. Perhaps Richard’s
most important discovery is the almost-complete
1.6-million-year-old skeleton of a boy.
Richard Leakey is no longer active in fieldwork,
but he continues to educate people about the
dangers to the environment through his lectures
and books. Richard’s discoveries, and those of his
parents, remain some of the most important
contributions to anthropology to date.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Draw Conclusions Why do you think that Louis Leakey became interested in
studying human ancestors in Africa?
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
8
The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Name
Class
Date
Biography
The Leakey Family, continued
2. Evaluate Why do you think the Leakeys’ discoveries were so important?
ACTIVITY
Do research to find more information on the fossils found by the
Leakeys. Make a chart that shows how each species of human differed.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
9
The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Answer Key
The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Vocabulary Builder
Section 1
Biography Donald
Johanson & Tim White
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. a relative who lived long ago
2. an early ancestor of humans
3. people who hunt animals and gather wild
4.
5.
6.
7.
1. Possible response: When the scientists
date the fossils, they can figure out how
each species changed physically. This helps
them figure out why the species changed
and became extinct.
2. Their discoveries led them to develop a
radical theory that connected several
different fossils. Their discoveries are
also among the oldest known.
plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive
Old Stone Age
time before writing was invented
a community of people who share a
common culture
any handheld object that helps a person
accomplish a task
SUMMARY
Biography The Leakey
Family
The time before there was writing was
called prehistory. During this time, early
ancestors of humans, known as homonids,
started using stone tools. This time is known
as the Paleolithic Era.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Possible Response: Louis Leakey was born
to missionary parents in an area of Africa
where there were few white people. Louis
probably grew up learning about the
Kikuyu culture and history and wanted to
learn more.
2. Possible Response: The discoveries were
important because they were found in
Africa, not Asia. Also, they showed that
human ancestors walked upright. The
fossils also were the oldest found.
Vocabulary Builder
Section 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mesolithic Era
ice age
land bridge
migrate
strip of land, connects two continents,
allowed people to migrate
6. move, cross great distances, a response to
the changes in climate
Literature
CALL-OUT BOXES
1. He is dismayed that he may get in trouble
Vocabulary Builder
Section 3
and awed to meet a great shaman like
Graybeard.
2. He does not believe they are demons. He
believes they are owls and loons.
3. He believes that painting images of
animals in the caves will bring good
hunting.
1. False—Megaliths are huge stones used as
monuments.
2. False—Domestication is the process of
changing plants or animals to make them
more useful to humans.
3. True
4. True
ANALYZING LITERATURE
1. He is impressed with Tao’s wisdom and
bravery; and he shares important information with Tao and he agrees to eat with him.
2. Answers will vary, but may include
that because of his confidence and
independence, he will probably become
a cave painter.
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31
5371_MSH_Answer Key_Ch02.indd 31
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