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Wikipedia / List of human evolution fossils

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. <noinclude>

Late MioceneLate Miocene (7.2–5.5 million years old)Late Miocene

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.

</noinclude>The Trachilos footprints from the island of Crete as well as the Graecopithecus fossils are not included in the list due to taxonomic uncertainty.

PliocenePliocene (5.3–2.58 million years old)Pliocene

PleistocenePleistocene

Lower PaleolithicLower Paleolithic: 2.58–0.3 million years old

Middle PaleolithicMiddle Paleolithic: 300,000–50,000 years oldMiddle_Paleolithic

Upper PaleolithicUpper Paleolithic: 50,000–11,500 years oldUpper_Paleolithic

Holocene (11,500–5,000 years old)Holocene

Abbreviations used in fossil catalog name

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Gibbons, Ann. The First Human: The Race to Discover our Earliest Ancestor. Anchor Books (2007).

  • .

  • Johanson, Donald & Wong, Kate. Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins. Three Rivers Press (2009).

  • (Note: this book contains very useful, information dense chapters on primate evolution in general, and human evolution in particular, including fossil history).

  • Leakey, Richard & Lewin, Roger. Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes us Human. Little, Brown and Company (1992).

  • Lewin, Roger. Bones of Contention: Controversies in the Search for Human Origins. Penguin Books (1987).

  • Morwood, Mike & van Oosterzee, Penny. A New Human: The Startling Discovery and Strange Story of the 'Hobbits' of Flores, Indonesia. Smithsonian Books (2007).

  • Oppenheimer, Stephen. Out of Eden: The Peopling of the World. Constable (2003).

  • Roberts, Alice. The Incredible Human Journey: The Story of how we Colonised the Planet. Bloomsbury (2009).

  • Shreeve, James. The Neanderthal Enigma: Solving the Mystery of Modern Human Origins. Viking (1996).

  • Stringer, Chris. The Origin of Our Species. Allen Lane (2011).

  • Stringer, Chris & Andrews, Peter. The Complete World of Human Evolution. Thames & Hudson (2005).

  • Stringer, Chris & McKie, Robin. African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity. Jonathan Cape (1996).

  • van Oosterzee, Penny. The Story of Peking Man. Allen & Unwin (1999).

  • Walker, Allan & Shipman, Pat. The Wisdom of the Bones: In Search of Human Origins. Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1996).

  • Wade, Nicholas. Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of our Ancestors. Penguin Press (2006).

  • (Note: this book contains very accessible descriptions of human and non-human primates, their evolution, and fossil history).