ABSTRACT

Knowledge of east African archaeology began in the 1920s. This was as a result of the work of the late Louis Leakey and, later, Mary Leakey. Their contribution during the first half of this century and through the 1960s laid a fairly firm foundation for the practice of archaeology in east Africa. Consequently, east Africa is today widely known for its rich archaeological information since it has the longest record of occupation by humans and their ancestors. The evidence for this-which is beyond the scope of this chapter-has been well documented (inter alia, Isaac & McCown 1976; Johanson&Edey 1981; Gowlett 1984; Ciochon & Fleagle 1985; Tobias 1985). Therefore, it will suffice to make just a few observations here.