FOSSIL SKULLS STONE TOOLS OVERVIEW HUMAN EVOLUTION 13 BIG QUESTIONS
Origins Exploring the Fossil Record Origins Exploring the Fossil Record
 
Modern humans left Africa between 90,000 and 75,000 years ago. We subsequently spread globally. But who are 'we'? Where do modern humans fit in with earlier hominins? Were they our ancestors?
 
Providing an overview of the evolutionary tree of hominids, based on skull morphology, brain size and other fossil evidence of the various genus species. We explore key questions raised in the fields of paleoanthropology, archaeology and genetic science in the search for our earliest ancestors, and provide a background and general context for the Journey of Mankind - Genetic Map.
 
 
SPECIES GENUS
Homo Kenyanthropus Paranthropus Australopithecus Ardipithecus Orrorin Sahelanthropus
Homo Kenyanthropus Paranthropus Australopithecus Ardipithecus Orrorin Sahelanthropus
Homo sapiens Denisova hominin Homo floresiensis Homo sapiens idaltu Homo neanderthalensis
200,000 years ago
to present
40,000
years ago
94,000 to 13,000
years ago
160,000
years ago
600,000 to 25,000
years ago
Homo rhodesiensis Homo helmei Homo heidelbergensis Homo antecessor Homo cepranensis
400,000 to 125,000
years ago
260,000
years ago
600,000 to 400,000
years ago
1.2 million to 800,000
years ago
500,000 to 350,000
years ago
Homo erectus Homo erectus georgicus Homo ergaster Homo rudolfensis Homo habilis
1.9m to 200,000
years ago
1.8 million
years ago
2 to 1.3 million
years ago
1.9 million
years ago
2.4 to 1.4 million
years ago
Homo gautengensis Kenyanthropus platyops Paranthropus robustus Paranthropus boisei Paranthropus aethiopicus
1.9 to 0.6 million
years ago
3.5 to 3.2 million
years ago
2 to 1.2 million
years ago
2.3 to 1.2 million
years ago
2.7 to 2.5 million
years ago
Australopithecus sediba Australopithecus garhi Australopithecus africanus A. bahrelghazali Australopithecus afarensis
2 million
years ago
2.6 to 2.5 million
years ago
3 to 2 million
years ago
3.6 million
years ago
3.9 to 2.9 million
years ago
A. anamensis Ardipithecus ramidus Ardipithecus kadabba Orrorin tugenensis Sahelanthropus tchadensis
4.2 million
years ago
4.4 million
years ago
5.6 million
years ago
6 to 5.8 million
years ago
7 million
years ago