Dikika

Dikika is a paleoanthropological and palaeontological locality in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, within the Afar Depression. The site is known for early Pliocene fossil deposits that have yielded hominin remains and associated fauna.

Most prominently, Dikika produced the juvenile Australopithecus afarensis specimen nicknamed “Selam,” recovered in fieldwork around 2000 and subsequently described in scientific publications; the specimen is dated to about 3.3 million years ago. The site has also produced animal bones, stone tool traces and other material that inform research on environment and behaviour in the early Pliocene.

Excavations at Dikika have been led by international teams under Ethiopian leadership, with major field campaigns in the early 2000s that brought the site to wide scientific attention. Findings from Dikika are cited in studies of Australopithecus anatomy, development and palaeoecology.

Dikika lies in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, within the broad Afar Depression and Rift landscape of northeastern Ethiopia, and is visited primarily by researchers rather than general tourists.

• Selam (A. afarensis): Location where the juvenile Australopithecus afarensis specimen nicknamed "Selam" was recovered; the fossil is dated to about 3.3 million years old.
• Research significance: Excavated in the early 21st century by teams led by paleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged, the site has produced hominin and abundant faunal remains important to studies of early hominins.