Berhane Asfaw

Quick Facts

Full Name	Berhane Asfaw
Occupation	Anthropologist
Date Of Birth	Aug 22, 1954(1954-08-22)
Age	70
Birthplace	Ethiopia
Country	Ethiopia
Horoscope	Leo

Berhane Asfaw Biography

Berhane Asfaw is one of the most popular and richest Anthropologist who was born on August 22, 1954 in Ethiopia, Ethiopia.

In 1972, Asfaw joined Addis Ababa University, and then Haile-Selassie I University, Alemaya Agricultural College campus, located about 500 kilometers away from Addis Ababa, in Harar town. Here he took Life Sciences as a first year student. In his second year, he joined the Geology Department of the Addis Ababa Science Campus, majoring in Geology and minoring in Chemistry. However, his University studies were interrupted because of the Ethiopian revolution in 1974. He later rejoined the University in 1978 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1980. He then joined the graduate program of the University of California at Berkeley in 1981, where his advisor was Professor J. Desmond Clark. His academic interest was to pursue and specialize in African Prehistory. Soon after he started taking different courses, especially that of Professor Tim White’s, his interest was rekindled in human biological evolution. Berhane was invited by Professor Desmond Clark to join Clark’s Middle Awash field research group. This exposure to fieldwork redefined his interest and he changed the focus of his field of study from African Prehistory to Physical Anthropology. His PhD thesis was supervised by Professor Tim White, and he graduated from Berkeley in 1989.

Before attending Berkeley for graduate school, Asfaw had a one-month archaeological field experience with French archaeologist, Jean Chavaillon, at Melaka Konture in 1979. This was his first field experience where he saw abundant stone tools and fossilized bones excavated. He’s a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Berhane has been working for the past 25 years as a private researcher at the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture, Centre for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage. He established the first research laboratory at the National Museum of Ethiopia. Berhane spearheaded major archeological expeditions into Afar region that led to the ground breaking discoveries in human evolution. In 1981 he co-founded the Middle Awash Research Group. He faced considerable challenges during the Derg period when many of his colleagues were arrested and killed. In addition, Berhane was critical of the Derg’s disregard of archeological sites when the Melka Wakena Dam was built in 1988 on a precious open archeological site. In 1992, his group discovered the earliest Acheulean in which the results were the cover feature in Nature. He credits this major discovery in part to the EPRDF bringing stability to Ethiopia thus allowing the research group to work in remote areas. The next major discovery was in 1997, when his group discovered Australopithecus garhi. The fossilized remains of Homo sapiens idaltu were discovered at Herto Bouri near the Middle Awash. Over the years his excavations continued to find Australopithecus anamensis and Homo erectus as well as discovering five new species making Ethiopia the richest site of early human ancestry.

Berhane Asfaw Net Worth

Berhane Asfaw is one of the richest Anthropologist from Ethiopia. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Berhane Asfaw 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Berhane Asfaw (Amharic: በርሃነ አስፋው) (born August 22, 1954 in Gondar, Ethiopia) is an Ethiopian paleontologist of Rift Valley Research Service, who co- discovered human skeletal remains at Herto Bouri, Ethiopia later classified as Homo sapiens idaltu, proposed as an early subspecies of anatomically modern humans.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

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Who is Berhane Asfaw Dating?

According to our records, Berhane Asfaw is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Berhane Asfaw’s is not dating anyone.

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Facts & Trivia

Otto Ranked on the list of most popular Anthropologist. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Ethiopia. Berhane Asfaw celebrates birthday on August 22 of every year.

Top Facts about Berhane Asfaw

1. Berhane Asfaw is an Ethiopian paleontologist born in 1954.
2. He discovered the remains of “Lucy,” a 3.2 million-year-old hominid.
3. Asfaw has also found other important fossils in Ethiopia’s Afar region.
4. He earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
5. Asfaw co-authored a book on human evolution with Donald Johanson.
6. He is currently a researcher at the Rift Valley Research Service in Addis Ababa.
7. Asfaw has been recognized for his contributions to science and education.
8. His work sheds light on early human evolution and migration patterns.
9. Asfaw advocates for preserving Ethiopia’s rich fossil heritage.
10. He continues to conduct research and mentor young scientists in Ethiopia.