The following tables give an overview of notable finds of homini fossils and remains relating to human evolution, beginning with the formation of the tribe Hominini (the divergence of the human and chimpanzee lineages) in the late Miocene, roughly 7 to 8 million years ago. This overview is not complete, but shows some of the most important findings. It is rare to find a complete skull or skeleton, and there are thousands of mostly fragmentary fossils, often consisting of single bones or isolated teeth, making it difficult to accurately identify them. The fossils are arranged by approximate age as determined by radiometric dating and/or incremental dating and the species name represents current consensus; if there is no clear scientific consensus the other possible classifications are indicated. The early fossils shown are not considered ancestors to Homo sapiens but are closely related to ancestors and are therefore important to the study of the lineage. After 1.5 million years ago (extinction of Paranthropus), all fossils shown are human (genus Homo). After 11,500 years ago (11.5 ka, beginning of the Holocene), all fossils shown are Homo sapiens (anatomically modern humans), illustrating recent divergence in the formation of modern human sub-populations.
Late Miocene (7.2–5.5 million years old)
The chimpanzee–human divergence likely took place around 10 to 7 million years ago. The list of fossils begins with Sahelanthropus, dated some 7 million years ago, which may or may not be ancestral to both the human and the chimpanzee lineage, although its status as a hominin or a hominin ancestor remains debated. For the earlier history of the human lineage, see Timeline of human evolution#Hominidae, Hominidae#Phylogeny.
The Trachilos footprints from the island of Crete as well as the Graecopithecus fossils are not included in the list due to taxonomic uncertainty.
Pliocene (5.3–2.58 million years old)
Pleistocene
Lower Paleolithic: 2.58–0.3 million years old
Middle Paleolithic: 300,000–50,000 years old
Upper Paleolithic: 50,000–11,500 years old
Holocene (11,500–5,000 years old)
Abbreviations used in fossil catalog name AL – Afar Locality, Ethiopia ARA-VP – Aramis Vertebrate Paleontology, Ethiopia BAR – (Lukeino, Tugen Hills) Baringo District, Kenya BOU-VP – Bouri Vertebrate Paleontology, Ethiopia D – Dmanisi, Georgia ER – East (Lake) Rudolf, Kenya KGA – Konso-Gardula, Ethiopia KNM – Kenya National Museum KP – Kanapoi, Kenya LB – Liang Bua, Indonesia LH – Laetoli Hominid 4, Tanzania MH – Malapa Hominin, South Africa NG – Ngandong, Indonesia OH – Olduvai Hominid, Tanzania SK – Swartkrans, South Africa Sts, Stw – Sterkfontein, South Africa TM – Transvaal Museum, South Africa TM – Toros-Menalla, Chad WT – West (Lake) Turkana, Kenya
See also
References
Bibliography Tattersall, Ian; Schwartz, Jeffery (2000). Extinct Humans. Boulder CO: Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-8133-3482-0. Larsen, Clark Spencer; Matter, Robert M; Gebo, Daniel L (1991). Human Origins: the fossil record. Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, IL. ISBN 978-0-88133-575-0. "Smithsonian Human Origins Program". Retrieved 2006-08-29. "Prominent Hominid Fossils". Retrieved 2006-08-31. Grine, F.E.; Jungers, W.L.; Schultz, J. (1996). "Phenetic Affinities Among Early Homo Crania from East and South Africa". Journal of Human Evolution. 30 (3): 189–225. Bibcode:1996JHumE..30..189G. doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0019.
Further reading
External links Interactive map of primate fossil finds around the world Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine Informative lecture on Australopithecines The Age of Homo sapiens – Interactive Map of Human Evolution Fossils Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).