Laetoli Footprint Trail G2 North
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇹🇿 Arusha, Laetoli, Tanzania
About
About Laetoli Footprint Trail G2 North
Laetoli Footprint Trail G2 North in Arusha, Laetoli, Tanzania is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at -3.2170N 35.2070E controls access to Arusha resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Arusha, Laetoli, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1989 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Laetoli Footprint Trail G2 North main structure
c. 1929
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1989–2019
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Laetoli Footprint Trail G2 North) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
3.2170° S · 35.2070° E · 283 m · 3 mapped features
Laetoli Footprint Trail G2 North — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
3.2162° S · 35.2079° ELaetoli Footprint Trail G2 North — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
3.2180° S · 35.2063° ELaetoli Footprint Trail G2 North — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
3.2155° S · 35.2082° E