List of human evolution fossils

The following tables give an overview of notable finds of hominin 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.

As there are thousands of fossils, mostly fragmentary, often consisting of single bones or isolated teeth with complete skulls and skeletons rare, this overview is not 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 and the species name represents current consensus; if there is no clear scientific consensus the other possible classifications are indicated.

Most of the early 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. 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.

Click here to see this page as a single large sortable table (except for the Holocene).

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

Further information: Chimpanzee–human last common ancestor, Ardipithecus, Sahelanthropus, Homininae, Hominini
The chimpanzee–human divergence likely took place during about 10 to 7 million years ago. The list of fossils begins with *Graecopithecus*, dated some 7.2 million years ago, which may or may not still be ancestral to both the human and the chimpanzee lineage. For the earlier history of the human lineage, see *Timeline of human evolution#Hominidae, Hominidae#Phylogeny*.

## Pliocene (5.3 – 2.58 million years old)

Further information: Kenyanthropus, Australopithecus, Paranthropus

## Pleistocene

### Lower Paleolithic: 2.58 – 0.3 million years old

Further information: Australopithecus, Paranthropus, Homo, Homo erectus

### Middle Paleolithic: 300,000 – 50,000 years old

Further information: Middle Stone Age, Southern Dispersal, Archaic humans, Anatomically modern humans

### Upper Paleolithic: 50,000 – 11,500 years old

Further information: Archaic humans, Anatomically modern humans, Archaic admixture, Recent human evolution, Epipalaeolithic
Further information: European\_early\_modern\_humans#Assemblages\_and\_fossils

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

Further information: Recent human evolution, Late Stone Age, Mesolithic, Neolithic

## 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