Sahelanthropus tchadensis
7 to 6 Ma
Human evolution and archaeology7 Ma to today
The story of us, told through the bones.
Meet the species that came before us, see when they lived, and explore the places where their stories were found.
The species13 entries
Meet our ancestors, oldest to newest
Ardipithecus ramidus
4.5 to 4.3 Ma
Australopithecus anamensis
4.2 to 3.8 Ma
Australopithecus afarensis
3.85 to 2.95 Ma
Kenyanthropus platyops
3.5 to 3.3 Ma
Australopithecus africanus
3.3 to 2.1 Ma
Paranthropus aethiopicus
2.7 to 2.3 Ma
Homo habilis
2.4 to 1.4 Ma
Paranthropus boisei
2.3 to 1.2 Ma
Paranthropus robustus
2 to 1.2 Ma
Homo erectus
1.9 to 0.11 Ma
Homo neanderthalensis
0.43 to 0.04 Ma
Homo sapiens
0.3 Ma to today
World map42 sites
Where the stories were found
An interactive map of famous fossil sites, painted caves, monuments and ancient cities. Click a marker to read about the place.
Open the world map