This list includes fossils that are important for either their scientific or historic interest, or because they are often mentioned by creationists. One sometimes reads that all hominid fossils could fit in a coffin, or on a table, or a billiard table. That is a misleading image, as there are now thousands of hominid fossils. They are however mostly fragmentary, often consisting of single bones or isolated teeth. Complete skulls and skeletons are rare.
The list is sorted by species, going from older to more recent species. Within each species, finds are sorted by the order of their discovery. Each species has a type specimen which was used to define it.
Each entry will consist of a specimen number if known (or the site name, if many fossils were found in one place), any nicknames in quotes, and a species name. The species name will be followed by a '?' if suspect. If the fossil was originally placed in a different species, that name will also be given.
The following terminology is used. A skull refers to all the bones of the head. A cranium is a skull minus the lower jaw. A braincase is the cranium minus the face and upper jaw. A skullcap is the top portion of the braincase.
Abbreviations: ER East (Lake) Rudolf, Kenya WT West (Lake) Turkana, Kenya KP Kanapoi, Kenya SK Swartkrans, South Africa Sts,Stw Sterkfontein, South Africa TM Transvaal Museum, South Africa OH Olduvai Hominid, Tanzania AL Afar Locality, Ethiopia ARA-VP Aramis Vertebrate Paleontology, Ethiopia BOU-VP Bouri Vertebrate Paleontology, Ethiopia TM Toros-Menalla, ChadTM 266-01-060-1, "Toumai", Sahelanthropus tchadensis
"ARA-VP, Sites 1, 6 & 7", Ardipithecus
ramidus
Discovered by a team led by Tim White, Berhane Asfaw and Gen Suwa (1994)
in 1992 and 1993 at Aramis in Ethiopia. Estimated age is 4.4 million years.
The find consisted of fossils from 17 individuals. Most remains are teeth,
but there is also a partial lower jaw of a child, a partial cranium base,
and partial arm bone from 2 individuals.
ARA-VP-6/1 consists of 10 teeth from a single individual.
ARA-VP-7/2 consists of parts of all three bones from the left arm of
a single individual, with a mixture of hominid and ape features.
KP 271, "Kanapoi Hominid", Australopithecus
anamensis
Discovered by Bryan Patterson in 1965 at Kanapoi in Kenya (Patterson
and Howells 1967). This is a lower left humerus which is about 4.0 million
years old. (Creationist
arguments)
KP 29281, Australopithecus anamensis
Discovered by Peter Nzube in 1994 at Kanapoi in Kenya (Leakey et al.
1995). This is a lower jaw with all its teeth which is about 4.0 million
years old.
KP 29285, Australopithecus anamensis
Discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1994 at Kanapoi in Kenya. This is a tibia,
missing the middle portion of the bone, which is about 4.1 million years
old. It is the oldest known evidence for hominid bipedalism.
AL 129-1, Australopithecus
afarensis
Discovered by Donald
Johanson in 1973 at Hadar in Ethiopia (Johanson and Edey 1981; Johanson
and Taieb 1976). Estimated age is about 3.4 million years. This find consisted
of portions of both legs, including a complete right knee joint which is
almost a miniature of a human knee, but apparently belongs to an adult.
AL 288-1, "Lucy", Australopithecus afarensis
Discovered by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray in 1974 at Hadar in Ethiopia
(Johanson and Edey 1981; Johanson and Taieb 1976). Its age is about 3.2
million years. Lucy was an adult female of about 25 years. About 40% of
her skeleton was found, and her pelvis, femur (the upper leg bone) and
tibia show her to have been bipedal. She was about 107 cm (3'6") tall (small
for her species) and about 28 kg (62 lbs) in weight. (Creationist
arguments)
AL 333 Site, "The First Family",
Australopithecus
afarensis?
Discovered in 1975 by Donald Johanson's team at Hadar in Ethiopia (Johanson
and Edey 1981). Its age is about 3.2 million years. This find consisted
of remains of at least 13 individuals of all ages. The size of these specimens
varies considerably. Scientists debate whether the specimens belong to
one species, two or even three. Johanson believes they belong to a single
species in which males were considerably larger than females. Others believe
that the larger specimens belong to a primitive species of Homo.
"Laetoli footprints", Australopithecus afarensis?
Discovered in 1978 by Paul Abell at Laetoli in Tanzania. Estimated
age is 3.7 million years. The trail consists of the fossilized footprints
of two or three bipedal hominids. Their size and stride length indicate
that they were about 140 cm (4'8") and 120 cm (4'0") tall. Many scientists
claim that the footprints are effectively identical to those of modern
humans (Tattersall 1993; Feder and Park 1989), while others claim the big
toes diverged slightly (like apes) and that the toe lengths are longer
than humans but shorter than in apes (Burenhult 1993). The prints are tentatively
assigned to A. afarensis, because no other hominid species is known
from that time, although some scientists disagree with that classification.
(Creationist
arguments)
AL 444-2, Australopithecus afarensis
Discovered by Bill Kimbel and Yoel Rak in 1991 at Hadar in Ethiopia
(Kimbel et al. 1994). Estimated age is 3 million years. This is a 70% complete
skull of a large adult male, easily the most complete afarensis
skull known, with a brain size of 550 cc. According to its finders, it
strengthens the case that all the First Family fossils were members of
the same species, because the differences between AL 444-2 and the smaller
skulls in the collection are consistent with other sexually dimorphic hominoids.
KNM-WT 40000, Kenyanthropus
platyops
Discovered by Justus Erus in 1999 at Lomekwi in Kenya (Leakey et al.
2001, Lieberman 2001). Estimated age is about 3.5 million years. This is
a mostly complete, but heavily distorted, cranium with a large, flat face
and small teeth. The brain size is similar to that of australopithecines.
This fossil has considerable similarities with, and is possibly related
to, the habiline fossil ER 1470.
"Taung Child", Australopithecus
africanus
Discovered by Raymond
Dart in 1924 at Taung
in South Africa (Dart 1925). The find consisted of a full face, teeth and
jaws, and an endocranial cast of the brain. It is between 2 and 3 million
years old, but it and most other South African fossils are found in cave
deposits that are difficult to date. The teeth of this skull showed it
to be from an infant about 5 or 6 years old (it is now believed that australopithecines
matured faster than humans, and that the Taung child was about 3). The
brain size was 410 cc, and would have been around 440 cc as an adult. The
large rounded brain, canine teeth which were small and not apelike, and
the position of the foramen magnum(*) convinced Dart that this was a bipedal
human ancestor, which he named Australopithecus
africanus (African southern ape). Although the discovery became famous,
Dart's interpretation was rejected by the scientific community until the
mid-1940's, following the discovery of other similar fossils.
(*) Anatomical digression: the foramen magnum is the hole in the skull through which the spinal cord passes. In apes, it is towards the back of the skull, because of their quadrupedal posture. In humans it is at the bottom of the skull because our head is balanced on top of a vertical column. In australopithecines it is also placed forward from the ape position, although not always as far forward as in humans.
TM 1512, Australopithecus africanus (was Plesianthropus transvaalensis)
Discovered by Robert
Broom in 1936 at Sterkfontein
in South Africa (Broom 1936). The second australopithecine fossil found,
it consisted of parts of the face, upper jaw and braincase.
Sts 5, "Mrs Ples", Australopithecus africanus
Discovered by Robert Broom in 1947 at Sterkfontein in South Africa.
It is a very well preserved cranium of an adult. It has usually been thought
to be female, but there have been recent claims that it could be male.
It is the best specimen of africanus. The brain size is about 485
cc.
(It has recently been claimed that
Sts
5 and Sts 14 (below) belonged to the same individual)
Sts 14, Australopithecus africanus
Discovered by Robert Broom and J.T. Robinson in 1947 at Sterkfontein
(Broom and Robinson 1947). Estimated age is about 2.5 million years. This
find consisted of a nearly complete vertebral column, pelvis, some rib
fragments, and part of a femur of a very small adult. The pelvis is more
human than apelike, and is strong evidence that africanus was bipedal
(Brace et al. 1979), although it may not have had the strong striding gait
of modern humans (Burenhult 1993).
BOU-VP-12/130, Australopithecus
garhi
Discovered by Yohannes Haile-Selassie in 1997 at Bouri in Ethiopia
(Asfaw et al. 1999). This is a partial skull including an upper jaw with
teeth which is about 2.5 million years old.
Stw
573, "Little Foot",
Australopithecus
Discovered by Ron Clarke between 1994 and 1997 at Sterkfontein in South
Africa. Estimated age is 3.3 million years. This fossil consists, so far,
of many bones from the foot, leg, hand and arm, and a complete skull. More
bones are thought to be still embedded in rock. (Clarke and Tobias 1995,
Clarke
1998, Clarke 1999)
(An increasing number of scientists are placing the following three
species, aethiopicus, robustus and boisei, in the
genus Paranthropus)
KNM-WT 17000, "The Black Skull", Australopithecus
aethiopicus
Discovered by Alan Walker in 1985 near West Turkana in Kenya. Estimated
age is 2.5 million years. This find is an intact, almost complete cranium.
The brain size is very small for a hominid, about 410 cc, and the skull
has a puzzling mixture of primitive and advanced features. (Leakey and
Lewin 1992)
TM 1517, Australopithecus
robustus (was Paranthropus robustus)
Discovered by a schoolboy, Gert Terblanche, in 1938 at Kromdraai in
South Africa (Broom 1938). It consisted of skull fragments, including five
teeth, and a few skeletal fragments. This was the first specimen of robustus.
SK 48, Australopithecus robustus (was Paranthropus crassidens)
Discovered by Mr. Fourie in 1950 at Swartkrans in South Africa (Johanson
and Edgar 1996). It is a cranium, probably belonging to an adult female,
and 1.5-2.0 million years old. It is the most complete skull of robustus.
DNH
7, "Eurydice", Australopithecus robustus
Discovered by André Keyser in 1994 at the Drimolen cave in South
Africa. Estimated age is between 1.5 and 2.0 million years. This is an
almost complete skull and lower jaw of a female, one of the most complete
hominid skulls ever found, and the first significant fossil of a female
robustus.
A fossil of a male robustus lower jaw, nicknamed Orpheus (DNH 8),
was found a few inches away from it. (Keyser
2000)
OH 5, "Zinjanthropus", "Nutcracker Man", Australopithecus
boisei
Discovered by Mary
Leakey in 1959 at Olduvai
Gorge in Tanzania (Leakey 1959). Estimated age is 1.8 million years.
It is an almost complete cranium, with a brain size is about 530 cc. This
was the first specimen of this species. Louis Leakey briefly considered
this a human ancestor, but the claim was dropped when Homo habilis
was found soon afterwards.
KNM-ER 406, Australopithecus boisei
Discovered by Richard
Leakey in 1969 near Lake Turkana in Kenya. This find was a complete,
intact cranium lacking only the teeth (Lewin 1987). Estimated age is about
1.7 million years. The brain size is about 510 cc. (see also ER
3733)
KNM-ER 732, Australopithecus boisei
Discovered by Richard Leakey in 1970 near Lake Turkana in Kenya. The
cranium is similar to that of OH 5, but is smaller and has other differences
such as the lack of a sagittal crest. The estimated age is about 1.7 million
years. The brain size is about 500 cc. Most experts believe this is a case
of sexual dimorphism, with the female being smaller than the male.
KGA10-525, Australopithecus boisei
Discovered by A. Amzaye in 1993 at Konso in Ethiopia (Suwa et al. 1997).
This fossil consists of much of a skull, including a lower jaw. The estimated
age is 1.4 million years. The brain size is estimated to be about 545 cc.
Although it has many features specific to boisei, it also lies outside
the previously known range of variation of that species in many ways, suggesting
that boisei (and maybe other hominid species) may have been more
variable than is often thought (Delson 1997).
Homo
habilis
Discovered by the Leakeys
in the early 1960's at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. A number of fragmentary
specimens were found (Leakey et al. 1964).
KNM-ER 1470, Homo habilis (or Homo rudolfensis?)
Discovered by Bernard Ngeneo in 1972 at Koobi Fora in Kenya (Leakey
1973). Estimated age is 1.9 million years. This is the most complete habilis
skull known. Its brain size is 750 cc, large for habilis. It was
originally dated at nearly 3 million years old, a figure that caused much
confusion as at the time it was older than any known australopithecines,
from whom habilis had supposedly descended. A lively debate over
the dating of 1470 ensued (Lewin 1987; Johanson and Edey 1981; Lubenow
1992). The skull is surprisingly modern in some respects. The braincase
is much larger and less robust than any australopithecine skull, and is
also without the large brow ridges typical of Homo erectus. It is
however very large and robust in the face. A number of leg bones were found
within a couple of kilometers, and are thought to probably belong to the
same species. The most complete, KNM-ER 1481, consisted of a complete left
femur, both ends of a left tibia and the lower end of a left fibula (the
smaller of the two lower leg bones). These are quite similar to the bones
of modern humans. (Creationist
arguments)
KNM-ER 1805, "The Mystery Skull", Homo habilis??
Discovered by Paul Abell in 1973 at Koobi Fora in Kenya (Leakey 1974).
Estimated age is 1.85 million years. This find consisted of much of a heavily
built cranium containing many teeth. Its brain size is about 600 cc. Some
features, such as the sagittal crest, are typical of A. boisei,
but the teeth are too small for that species. (Willis 1989; Day 1986) Various
workers have assigned it to almost every conceivable species, but it seems
most similar to Homo habilis (Wood 1991).
KNM-ER 1813, Homo habilis?
Discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1973 at Koobi Fora in Kenya (Leakey 1974).
This specimen is similar to 1470, but is much smaller, with a brain size
of 510 cc. Estimated age is 1.8-1.9 million years. Some scientists believe
this a case of sexual dimorphism, others believe that the brain architecture
is different and that 1813 is another species of Homo, and others
believe it is an australopithecine. Like the previous skull, 1805, this
one is in the "Suspense Account". (Willis 1989)
Stw 53, Homo habilis?
Discovered by Alun Hughes in 1976 at Sterkfontein in South Africa (Hughes
and Tobias 1977). Estimated age is 1.5 to 2 million years. It consisted
of a number of cranium fragments including teeth. Many stone tools were
found in the same layer.
OH 62, "Dik-dik hominid", Homo habilis
Discovered by Tim White in 1986 at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania (Johanson
and Shreeve 1989; Johanson et al. 1987). Estimated age is 1.8 million years.
The find consisted of portions of skull, arm, leg bones and teeth. Almost
all the features of the skull closely resemble habilis fossils such
as OH 24, ER 1813 and ER 1470, rather than the australopithecines. But
the estimated height is very small, maybe about 105 cm (3'5"), and the
arms are very long in proportion to the legs. These are australopithecine
traits, and in fact the skeletal bones are very similar to those of Lucy.
This find is significant because it is the only fossil in which limb bones
have been securely assigned to habilis. Because of the small size,
this was almost certainly a female. As with the australopithecines, males
would have been considerably larger.
Trinil 2, "Java Man", "Pithecanthropus I", Homo
erectus (was Pithecanthropus erectus)
Discovered by Eugene
Dubois in 1891 near Trinil on the Indonesian island of Java. Its age
is uncertain, but thought to be about 700,000 years. This find consisted
of a flat, very thick skullcap, and a few teeth (which may belong to orang-utans).
The following year a femur was found about 12 meters away (Theunissen 1989).
The brain size is about 940 cc. The femur is fully modern, and many scientists
now believe that it belongs to a modern human.
(Creationist
arguments)
"Peking Man Site", Homo erectus (was Sinanthropus pekinensis)
Between 1929 and 1937, 14 partial craniums, 11 lower jaws, many teeth,
some skeletal bones and large numbers of stone tools were discovered in
the Lower Cave at Locality 1 of the Peking Man site at Zhoukoudian (formerly
Choukoutien), near Beijing (formerly Peking), in China. Their age is estimated
to be between 500,000 and 300,000 years old. (A number of fossils of modern
humans were also discovered in the Upper Cave at the same site in 1933.)
The most complete fossils, all of which were braincases or skullcaps, are:
Sangiran
2, "Pithecanthropus II", Homo erectus
Discovered by G.H.R. von Koenigswald in 1937 at Sangiran on the Indonesian
island of Java. This fossil is a braincase that is very similar to the
first Java Man skull cap, but more complete and smaller, with a brain size
of only about 815 cc.
OH
9, "Chellean Man", Homo erectus
Discovered by Louis
Leakey in 1960 at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania (Leakey 1961). Estimated
age is 1.4 million years. It consisted of a partial braincase with massive
browridges and a brain size of 1065 cc.
OH 12, "Pinhead", Homo erectus
Discovered by Margaret Cropper in 1962 at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
It is similar to but less complete than OH 9, and smaller, with an estimated
brain size of only 750 cc. It is estimated to be between 600,000 and 800,000
years old.
Sangiran 17, "Pithecanthropus VIII", Homo erectus
Discovered by Sastrohamidjojo Sartono in 1969 at Sangiran on Java.
This consists of a fairly complete cranium, with a brain size of about
1000 cc. It is the most complete erectus fossil from Java. This
skull is very robust, with a slightly projecting face and huge flaring
cheekbones. It has been thought to be about 800,000 years old, but a recent
dating has given a much older figure of nearly 1.7 million years. If the
older date is correct, it means Homo erectus migrated out of Africa
much earlier than previously thought.
KNM-ER 3733, Homo erectus (or Homo
ergaster)
Discovered by Bernard Ngeneo in 1975 at Koobi Fora in Kenya. Estimated
age is 1.7 million years. This superb find consisted of an almost complete
cranium. The brain size is about 850 cc, and the whole skull is similar
to the Peking Man fossils. The discovery of this fossil in the same stratum
as ER
406 (A. boisei) delivered the coup de grace to the single species
hypothesis: the idea that there has never been more than one hominid species
at any point in history. (Leakey and Walker 1976)
KNM-WT 15000, "Turkana Boy", Homo erectus (or Homo ergaster)
Discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1984 at Nariokotome near Lake Turkana
in Kenya (Brown et al. 1985; Leakey and Lewin 1992; Walker and Leakey 1993;
Walker and Shipman 1996). This is an almost complete skeleton of an 11
or 12 year old boy, the only major omissions being the hands and feet.
(Some scientists believe erectus matured faster than modern humans,
and that he was really about 9 years old (Leakey and Lewin 1992).) It is
the most complete known specimen of erectus, and also one of the
oldest, at 1.6 million years. The brain size was 880 cc, and it is estimated
that it would have been 910 cc at adulthood. The boy was 160 cm (5'3")
tall, and would have been about 185 cm (6'1") as an adult. This is surprisingly
tall, indicating that many erectus may have been as large as modern
humans. Except for the skull, the skeleton is very similar to that of modern
boys, although there are a number of small differences.
D2700, Homo erectus (or Homo ergaster)
Discovered in 2001 at Dmanisi in Georgia. Estimated age is 1.7 million
years. It consisted of a mostly complete skull, including a lower jaw (D2735)
belonging to the same individual. (Vekua et al. 2002, Balter and Gibbons
2002) At around 600 cc, this is the smallest and most primitive hominid
skull ever discovered outside of Africa.
This
skull and two others discovered nearby form a near-perfect transition series
between H. habilis and ergaster.
ATD6-69, Homo
antecessor?
Discovered at Atapuerca in Spain. This is a partial face of a child
who was probably about 10 to 11.5 years old. This fossil is over 780,000
years old. (Bermudez de Castro et al. 1997)
"Heidelberg Man", "Mauer Jaw", Homo
sapiens (archaic) (also Homo heidelbergensis)
Discovered by gravel pit workers in 1907 near Heidelberg in Germany.
Estimated age is between 400,000 and 700,000 years. This find consisted
of a lower jaw with a receding chin and all its teeth. The jaw is extremely
large and robust, like that of Homo erectus, but the teeth are at
the small end of the erectus range. It is often classified as Homo
heidelbergensis, but has also sometimes been considered to be a European
Homo erectus.
"Rhodesian Man", Homo sapiens (archaic) (was Homo rhodesiensis)
Discovered by a laborer in 1921 at Broken Hill in Northern Rhodesia
(now Kabwe in Zambia) (Woodward 1921). This was a complete cranium that
was very robust, with large brow ridges and a receding forehead. Estimated
age is between 200,000 and 125,000 years. The brain size was about 1280
cc. (Creationist
arguments)
Arago XXI, "Tautavel
Man", Homo sapiens (archaic) (also Homo heidelbergensis)
Discovered at Arago in southern France in 1971 by Henry de Lumley.
Estimated age is 400,000 years. The fossil consists of a fairly complete
face, with 5 molar teeth and part of the braincase. The brain size was
about 1150 cc. The skull contains a mixture of features from archaic
Homo
sapiens and Homo erectus, to which it is sometimes assigned.
Petralona 1,
Homo sapiens (archaic)
Discovered by villagers at Petralona in Greece in 1960. Estimated age
is 250,000-500,000 years. It could alternatively be considered to be a
late Homo erectus, and also has some Neandertal characteristics.
The brain size is 1220 cc, high for erectus but low for sapiens,
and the face is large with particularly wide jaws. (Day 1986)
Atapuerca 5, Homo sapiens (archaic)
Discovered in the Sima de los Huesos ("Pit of Bones") at the Atapuerca
cave site in northern Spain in 1992 and 1993 by Juan-Luis Arsuaga. It is
about 300,000 years old, with a brain size of 1125 cc. The face is broad
with a huge nasal opening, and resembles Neandertals in some traits but
not in others. This is the most complete pre-modern skull in the entire
hominid fossil record. (Arsuaga et al. 1993; Johanson and Edgar 1996)
Feldhofer, Neanderthal 1, Homo
sapiens neanderthalensis
Discovered by Johann Fuhlrott in 1856 in a small cave at Feldhofer
in the Neander Valley in Germany. The find consisted of a skullcap, thigh
bones, part of a pelvis, some ribs, and some arm and shoulder bones. The
lower left arm had been broken in life, and as a result the bones of the
left arm were smaller than those of the right. Fuhlrott recognized it as
a primitive human, but the German establishment headed by Rudolf Virchow
rejected this view, incorrectly claiming that it was a pathological modern
human. (Trinkaus and Shipman 1992) In
1999, the original site was rediscovered, and more bones from the same
specimen were recovered. (Creationist
arguments)
(There were actually two earlier Neandertal finds. A partial cranium of a 2.5 year old child found in 1829 in Belgium was not recognized until 1936. An adult cranium found on Gibraltar in 1848 gathered dust in a museum until it was recognized as a Neandertal in 1864.)
"Spy 1 and 2", Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Discovered by Marcel de Puydt and Max Lohest in 1886 at the Grotto
of Spy (pronounced Spee) d'Orneau in Belgium. Estimated age is about 60,000
years. This find consisted of two almost complete skeletons. The excellent
descriptions of the skeletons established that they were very old, and
largely discredited the idea that the Neandertal physique was a pathological
condition, but also erroneously concluded that Neandertal Man walked with
bent knees.
"Krapina Site", Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Discovered by Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger in 1899 near Krapina in
Croatia. This site yielded significant remains from two to three dozen
individuals, and teeth and jaw fragments from dozens more. When Gorjanovic
published on his finds in 1906, it confirmed for once and for all that
Neandertals were not pathological modern humans.
"Old Man",
Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Discovered by Amedee and Jean Bouyssonie in 1908 near La-Chapelle-aux-Saints
in France. It is about 50,000 years old, with a brain size of 1620 cc.
This nearly complete skeleton was reconstructed by Marcellin
Boule, who wrote a definitive and highly influential paper on it which
managed to be totally wrong in many of its conclusions. It
exaggerated the apelike characteristics of the fossil, popularizing
the stereotype, which would last for decades, of a stooping ape-man shuffling
along on bent knees. This specimen was between about 30 and 40 when he
died, but had a healed broken rib, severe arthritis of the hip, lower neck,
back and shoulders, and had lost most of his molar teeth. The fact that
he survived as long as he did indicates that Neandertals must have had
a complex social structure.
"Shanidar Site", Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Ralph Solecki discovered 9 Neandertal skeletons between 1953 and 1960
at the Shanidar cave in Iraq. They are thought to be between 70,000 and
40,000 years old. One of them, Shanidar 4, had apparently been buried with
offerings of flowers (although this interpretation has been disputed).
In 1971 Solecki wrote a book, "Shanidar,
the
First Flower People", reversing the earlier stereotypes of semi-human
brutes. Another skeleton, Shanidar 1, was partially blind, one-armed and
crippled. His survival also is evidence of a complex social structure.
"Saint-Cesaire Neandertal", Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Discovered by Francois Leveque in 1979 near the village of Saint-Cesaire
in France. It consisted of a badly crushed skeleton. The skull was mostly
complete, with only the back of the cranium missing. It is dated at about
35,000 years old, and is one of the latest Neandertals known. This find
was of special interest because it was found with tools that had previously
been assumed to belong to the Cro-Magnon culture, instead of the usual
Neandertal tool kit.
"Cro-Magnon Site", Homo
sapiens sapiens (modern)
Discovered by workmen in 1868 at Cro-Magnon in France. Estimated age
is 28,000 years. The site yielded skeletons of about half a dozen individuals,
along with stone tools, carved reindeer antlers, ivory pendants, and shells.
The Cro-Magnons lived in Europe between 35,000 and 10,000 years ago. They
are virtually identical to modern man, being tall and muscular and slightly
more robust than most modern humans. They were skilled hunters, toolmakers
and artists famous for the cave art at places such as Lascaux,
Chauvet,
and Altamira.
Creationist Wayne Jackson quotes the paragraph to the left in an online article. Read my response here. |
Despite this, there is little consensus on what our family tree is. Everyone accepts that the robust australopithecines (aethiopicus, robustus and boisei) are not ancestral to us, being a side branch that left no descendants. Whether H. habilis is descended from A. afarensis, africanus, both of them, or neither of them, is still a matter of debate. It is possible that none of the known australopithecines is our ancestor.
A number of new genera and species have been discovered within the last decade (Ar. ramidus, Au. amanensis, Au. bahrelghazali, Au. garhi, Orrorin, Kenyanthropus, Sahelanthropus) and no consensus has yet formed on how they are related to each other or to humans. It is generally accepted that Homo erectus is descended from Homo habilis (or, at least, some of the fossils often assigned to habilis), but the relationship between erectus, sapiens and the Neandertals is still unclear. Neandertal affinities can be detected in some specimens of both archaic and modern sapiens.
This page is part of the Fossil Hominids FAQ at the talk.origins Archive.
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http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/specimen.html, 07/31/2002
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