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When archeologist Dave Roberts stumbled across a set of small indentations in a sandstone
boulder on South Africa's remote West Coast, he knew they were ancient human footprints.
What he did not anticipate, though, was the series of events that his discovery would set in
motion. In a country where the social, political and cultural history is being rewritten, the
footprints represent more than just scientific evidence of human evolution. From those with a
vested interest in challenging that evidence, to those who embrace the footprints as an
affirmation of the past, this is a story of perspective and policy in the new South Africa.
Footprints was produced by Gemma Hooley. Special thanks to Trevor Deerlove at the South African National Parks Board, and to the South African Museum. The story of Harry the Strandloper was read from the textbook, History II, by Greg Watt. This program was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
Links:
Langebaan Footprints: A Walk With Eve
An article by Dave Roberts, who found the Langebaan footprints.
South African Museum
The South African Museum (where two of the Langebaan footprints were taken) has a basic explanatory web site about the footprints, with photos.
Hominid Evolution Survey
includes a timeline, characteristics, and relationships of the
members of the Hominid family, from Australopithecus to Cro-Magnon.
Human Prehistory: An Exhibition
An online exhibition about human prehistory.
Books:
 In the Footsteps of Eve : The Mystery of Human Origins
by: Lee Berger 2001
Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist, worked closely with Dave Roberts to study the footprints he found near Langebaan canal.
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