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The Middle Awash is an archaeological site along the Awash River in Ethiopia's Afar Depression. A number of Pleistocene and late Miocene hominid remains have been found at the site,<ref>Middle Awash. About.com. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.</ref> along with some of the oldest known Olduwan stone artifacts<ref>Kipfer, Barbara Ann [2000-04-30]. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology. ISBN 0-306-46158-7.</ref> and patches of fire-baked clay, disputed evidence of the use of fire.<ref>Bogucki [1999-09-01]. Origins of Human Society. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-57718-112-3.</ref> Chimpanzee and human lineages are thought to have split around this time, somewhere between 5 million and 7 million years ago.<ref name="si">Late Miocene hominids from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.</ref>

Sediments at the site were originally deposited in lakes or rivers, and carbonates found there contain low carbon isotope ratios. This information suggests that, in contrast to the aridity of the current climate, the environment of the Middle Awash during the late Miocene was wet, and the region was occupied by woodland or grassy woodland habitats. The fossilized remains of vertebrates found with the hominids, including the cane rat, further suggest such an environment.<ref name="si"/> The region was also the site of periodic volcanism. This rifting probably created distinct ecological regions inhabited by different species of vertebrate animals.<ref name="confex">Bimodal volcanism and rift basin development in the Middle Awash region, Ethiopia. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.</ref>

Important hominid fossils found in the Middle Awash include:<ref name="confex"/><ref name=AP>Borenstein, Seth. New Fossil Links Up Human Evolution. The Associated Press. Retrieved on 2006-04-13.</ref>

• Ardipithecus kadabba
• Ardipithecus ramidus
• Australopithecus afarensis
• Australopithecus garhi
• Australopithecus anamensis
• Homo erectus
• Homo sapiens idaltu

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Coordinates: 10°0′0″N, 40°0′0″Ede:Mittlerer Awash