Human Origins: Early Hominins

Front 1

Location: Central Africa
Major Site: Chad
Date Range: 6-7 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Michel Brunet
Additional points: may be bipedal due to placement of the foramen magnum

Back 1

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Front 2

Location: East Africa, Rift Valley
Major Site: Tugen Hills, Kenya
Date Range: ~6 mya
Additional points: proximal femur shows bipedalism

Back 2

Orrorin tugenensis

Front 3

Location: East AfricaMajor sites: Ethiopia

Date range: 5.8-5.2 mya

Additional points: a robust toe bone suggests biped?; cranial capacity and body probably similar to modern chimpanzee

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Ardepithecus kadabba

Front 4

Location: East Africa
Major Site: Aramis, Ethiopia
Date Range: 5.5-4.4 mya
Additional points: very primitive cranium, ape-like thin enamel, large canines

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Ardepithecus ramidus

Front 5

Location: East Africa
Major Site: Kenya
Date Range: 4.2-3.9 mya
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Meave Leakey
Average cranial capacity: small, apelike, ~400cc
Additional points: tibia suggests biped, ape-like jaw and cranium, thick enamel, small cranial capacity

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Australopithecus anamensis

Front 6

Location: East Africa
Major site: Radar, Laetoli, Ethiopia
Date range: 4-3 mya
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Don Johanson
Average Cranial capacity: 420cc
Additional points: Lucy=40% of a skeleton from Hadar, Laetoli footprints uncovered by Mary Leakey in Tanzania (4-3.5 mya), very sexually dimorphic, long upper limbs suggest climbing ability, thick enamel, large teeth, ape-like face with low forehead, flat nose, protruding jaw

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Australopithecus afarensis

Front 7

Location: East Africa
Major site: West Turkana, Kenya
Date Range: 3.5 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Meave Leakey
Additional points: large flat face, small human-like molars, only early hominid with these features

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Kenyanthropus platyops

Front 8

Location: North and Central Africa
Major Site: Chad
Date Range: 3.4-3 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Michel Brunet
Additional points: jaw and teeth similar to A. afarensis; first and only Australopithecine found in N. & Central Africa

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Australopithecus bahrelghazal

Front 9

Location: South Africa
Major site: Taung
Date Range: 3-2.5mya
Gracile
Associated Paleoanthropologist: Raymond Dart
Average cranial capacity: 440cc
Additional points: first australopithecine found was Taung; lower face projecting, high mandibular ramus, small incisors and canines, rounded dental arcade, more globular cranium,

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Australopithecus africanus

Front 10

Location: East Africa
Major site: Middle Awash (Bouri), Ethiopia
Date range: 2.5 mya
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Tim White
Average cranial capcity: 450cc
Additional points: possible first tool users (Oldowan industry), newest addition to Australopithecus genus, long forelimbs and hindlimbs, large teeth and projecting face

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Australopithecus garhi

Front 11

Location: East Africa
Major site: West Lake Turkana, Kenya
Date Range: 2.5 mya
Average cranial capacity: 410cc
Additional points: hyper robust, large teeth and jaw with small brain, sagittal crest, massive projectile upper face

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Australopithecus/Paranthropus aethiopicus

Front 12

Location: East Africa
Major site: Olduvai Gorge, North Tanzania
Date range: 2.5-1.6 mya
Robust
Associated paleoanthropologist: Louis Leakey
Average cranial capacity: 680cc
Additional points: significant increase in cranial capcity, not restricted to either south or east africa, reduction in size of molars/premolars, increase in size of incisors, tool use (oldowan tool technology), extreme sexual dimorphism

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Homo habilis

Front 13

Location: South Africa
Date Range: 1.9 mya
Additional points: 400 cc, femur and pelvis suggest bipedealism, small premolars and molars, long upper limbs, small cranial capacity

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Australopithecus sediba

Front 14

Location: East Africa
Major Site: Koobi Fora
Date Range: 1.9 mya

Associated paleoanthropologist: Richard Leakey
Additional points: 725 cc, rounded cranial vault; no heavy crests; robust face

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Homo rudolfensis

Front 15

Location: South Africa
Major Site: Swartkrans, Kromdraai
Date range: 1.8-1 mya
Robust
Average cranial capacity: 450-550cc

Additional points: thick bones, biped, flattened face, face positioned high with low forehead, large flat molars, sagittal crest smaller than A. boisei, body similar to A. afarensis

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Australopithecus/Paranthropus robustus

Front 16

Location: East Africa
Major Site: Olduvai Gorge
Date Range: 1.8 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey
Additional points: 500-530 cc; heavy, massive skull; sagittal and nuchal crest; massive palate and premolars, cheekbones flare out to the sides, prominent brow ridges, robust

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Australopithecus boisei

Front 17

Location: Europe
Major Site: Dmanisi, Georgia
Date Range: 1.8 mya
Additional points: 650 cc, skull widest at the base, sagittal keel, smaller face than H. erectus

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Homo georgicus

Front 18

Location: East Asia
Major sites: Java
Date range: 1.8 mya-500 kya (Pleistocene - Ice Age)
Average cranial capcity: 1000cc

Associated paleoanthropologist: Eugene Dubois

Additional points: 1st hominin species to exist outside of Africa, but African origin, impressive longevity; extensive geographical spread; use acheulian tool technology

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Homo erectus

Front 19

Location: Africa, Europe
Major Sites: Nariokotome (West Lake Turkana), East Turkana, Olduvai Gorge, Ternifine, Dmanisi
Date Range: 1.6 mya-300 kya

Associated paleoanthropologist: Kamoya Kimeu

Average cranial capacity: 880cc

Additional points: post cranial similar to modern humans, long limbs and smaller brow ridges, Asian specimen has shorter limbs and larger brow ridges

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Homo ergaster

Front 20

Location: Europe

Major Site: Gran Dolina, Spain

Date Range: 800 kya

Additional points:heavy brow ridge but more modern-looking face; primitive teeth similar to H. erestus; H. heidelbergensis?

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Homo antecessor

Front 21

Location: Europe (first discovered in Heidelberg, Germany), possibly Asia (China), E & S Africa

Date Range: 700-200 kya

Average cranial capacity: 1280 cc

Additional points: very large browridge; large brain case, flat face, and wide body; use levalloisian tool technology; first Homo to live in cold climate and routinely hunt large game animal

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Homo heidelbergensis

Front 22

Location: Europe, Southwestern to Central Asia

Date Range: 200-40 kya

Average cranial capacity: 1400-1500 cc

Additional points: large middle face; huge nose; angled cheekbones; short and stocky body; intentional burial; use mousterian tool technology

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Homo neanderthalensis

Front 23

Tools believed to create by Homo habilis; found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania; dating between 2.6-1.7 mya

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Oldowan tool industry

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Tools believed to create by Homo erectus; first appeared in E Africa; dating between 1.7mya -250 kya

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Acheulian tool tradition