3.7 mya–50,000 ya
Roots of our family tree
Bone fragments reveal that human ancestry is far more complex than first thought.
3.7 MILLION YEARS AGO*
The LAETOLI FOOTPRINTS, preserved in volcanic ash, prove that our earliest ancestors walked upright. •Tanzania, found in 1978
3. 2 MILLION YEARS AGO
A fossilized skeleton, LUCY, is the most complete set of bones of those ancestors. •Ethiopia, 1974
2.4 TO 1.4 MILLION YEARS AGO
Fossils from OLDUVAI GORGE include an early toolmaker and reveal East Africa as the cradle of humanity. •Tanzania, 1959
1. 8 TO 1.75 MILLION YEARS AGO
Fossils found in DMANISI show when early humans first migrated out of Africa. •Georgia, 1991
335,000-236,000 YEARS AGO
An entirely new species of human, HOMO NALEDI, is found in a cave. •South Africa, 2013…
