List of human evolution fossils
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The following charts give a brief overview of several notable primate fossil finds relating to human evolution. As there are thousands of fossils, mostly fragmentary, often consisting of single bones or isolated teeth with complete skulls and skeletons rare,[1] this overview is not meant to be complete, but does show some of the most important finds. The fossils are arranged by approximate age as determined by radiometric dating and/or incremental dating. The species name represents current consensus, when there is no clear scientific consensus the other possible classifications are indicated; deprecated classifications may be found on the fossil's page. Most of the fossils shown are not considered direct ancestors to Homo sapiens but are closely related to direct ancestors and are therefore important to the study of the lineage.
Late Miocene
7 million - 5.3 million years old
Name | Age | Species | Year discovered |
Country | Discovered by | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TM 266 (Toumai) | 7 Ma | Sahelanthropus tchadensis | 2001 | Chad | Alain Beauvilain, Fanone Gongdibe, Mahamat Adoum and Ahounta Djimdoumalbaye | |
BAR 1000'00 | 6 Ma | Orrorin tugenensis | 2000 | Kenya | Martin Pickford, Kiptalam Cheboi, Dominique Gommery, Pierre Mein, Brigitte Senut, |
5.3 million - 2.58 million years old
Lower Paleolithic: 2.58 million - 300,000
Middle Paleolithic: 300,000 - 50,000 years old
Upper Paleolithic: 50,000 - 10,000 years old
Holocene
Mesolithic / Neolithic: 10,000 - 5000 years old
Name | Age | Species | Year discovered |
Country | Discovered by | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cheddar Man | 9k | Homo sapiens | 1903 | UK | ||
Kow Swamp 1 | 9k - 13k | Homo sapiens | 1968 | Australia | A.G. Thorne | |
Afalou 13[citation needed] | 8k - 12k | Homo sapiens | 1920 | Algeria | C. Arambourg | |
Wadi Halfa 25[citation needed] | 8k - 12k | Homo sapiens | 1963 | Sudan | G. Armelagos, E. Ewing, D. Greene | |
Wadi Kubbaniya[citation needed] | 8k - 20k | Homo sapiens | 1982 | Egypt | Fred Wendorf | |
Lo 4b[citation needed] | 6k - 9k | Homo sapiens | 1965 | H. Robbins B.M. Lynch | ||
Tepexpan man | 5k - 11k | Homo sapiens | 1947 | Mexico | H. de Terra | |
SDM 16704[citation needed] | 4.9k - 11.8 | Homo sapiens | 1929 | United States | M.J. Rogers |
Abbreviations used in fossil catalog name
- AL - Afar Locality, Ethiopia
- ARA-VP - Aramis Vertebrate Paleontology, Ethiopia
- BOU-VP - Bouri Vertebrate Paleontology, Ethiopia
- ER - East (Lake) Rudolf, Kenya
- KGA - Konso-Gardula, Ethiopia
- KNM - Kenya National Museum
- KP - Kanapoi, Kenya
- 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
- Human evolution
- List of fossil primates
- List of fossil sites
- List of notable fossils
- List of transitional fossils
- Paleoanthropology
- Most recent common ancestor
Further reading
The following is a list of books that provide useful reviews or overviews of primate fossil histories, including (e.g.) diagrams, photos and good referencing.
- Weiss, M.L., & Mann, A.E (1985). "'Human Biology and Behaviour: An anthropological perspective" (Document). Boston: Little BrownTemplate:Inconsistent citations
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- Jones, Steve; Martin, Robert D.; Pilbeam, David R (Editors). (1994). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human evolution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-46786-5Template:Inconsistent citations
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- Hartwig, Walter, ed. (2002. Reprinted 2004). The Primate Fossil Record. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-08141-2Template:Inconsistent citations
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References
- ^ "Prominent Hominid Fossils". Retrieved 2006-08-31.
- ^ a b c Andrew Hill & Steven Ward (1988). "Origin of the Hominidae: The Record of African Large Hominoid Evolution Between 14 My and 4 My". Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. 31 (59): 49–83. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330310505Template:Inconsistent citations
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: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Bryan Patterson, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, & William D. Sill (6 June 1970). "Geology and Fauna of a New Pliocene Locality in North-western Kenya". Nature. 226 (5249): 918–921. doi:10.1038/226918a0. PMID 16057594Template:Inconsistent citations
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) Key details from select sources - ^ http://www.ntz.info/gen/n00467.html
- ^ Jonathan, Amos. "African fossils put new spin on human origins story". http://www.sciencemag.org/site/extra/sediba/index.xhtml. BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
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- ^ Mai, L.L., Owl, M.Y., & Kersting, M.P. (2005), p.286
- ^ http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080326/full/news.2008.691.html
- ^ http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/08/1010906107.full.pdf
- ^ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0047248488900632
- ^ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0047248488900632
- ^ Qafzeh IX
- ^ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0047248488900632
- ^ http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/08/1010906107.full.pdf
- ^ http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/08/1010906107.full.pdf
- ^ http://www.mos.org/evolution/fossils/fossilview.php?fid=54
- ^ http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/08/1010906107.full.pdf
- ^ http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/08/1010906107.full.pdf
- Tattersall, Ian, Schwartz, Jeffery (2000). Extinct Humans. Westview Press, Boulder CO. ISBN 978-0-8133-3482-0.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - 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.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "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. doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0019.