Homo sapiens

 
Here, we are looking at ourselves, Homo sapiens.  We first appeared approximately 120,000 years ago.  Our average cranial capacity is, on average, 1350 cc.  at about 40,000 years ago, with Cro-Magnon culture first appearing, we use our first diversified tool kits.  such technological breakthroughs would lead to others, allowing Homo sapiens to take over and inhabit nearly every ecological niche on the planet.  
   

The Fossils:
From Asia:    
     

Dali front.gif (40104 bytes)   Dali 70 degree.gif (121798 bytes)

Dali side.gif (206879 bytes)

 Dali   Cranium

~Found in 1978 by Shuntang Liu at Dali County, Shaanxi Province, China

~Dated to 209,000 years

picture credit

  
     
  Darra-i-Kur   Skull Fragment

~From Darra-i-Kur, Afghanistan

 
     

Jinniushan front.gif (122248 bytes)   Jinniushan 35 degree.gif (91486 bytes)

 Jinniushan   Cranium

~Found by an excavation team under the direction of Professor Lu Zun'e at a collapsed limestone cave in Yingkou County, China in 1985

~Dated to between 250,000 - 280,000 years

picture and reference credit

  
     
  Laishui

~Dated to 60,000 years

 
     

Liujiang back.gif (35165 bytes)   Liujiang bottom.jpg (10872 bytes)

Liujiang maxilla.jpg (8573 bytes) Liujiang lside.jpg (12042 bytes)

 Liujiang   Skull

~From Liujiang, China

~Dated to 67,000 years

Liujiang front.jpg (9655 bytes)

 
     

Maba side.gif (168026 bytes)

 Maba   Cranium

~Found in 1958 at Guandong, China

~Dated to 120,000 years

picture and reference credit

  
     

   Minatogawa 1.jpg (12904 bytes)

 Minatogawa

~Dated to 18,000 years

Minatogawa 1 front.jpg (10784 bytes)   Minatogawa 1 lside.jpg (12120 bytes)   Minatogawa 1 mandible.jpg (5539 bytes)

 
     

nanjing front.gif (69642 bytes)

 Nanjing   Partial Skull

~Found in 1992 at Nanjing, Jiangsu

~Dated to between 200,000 - 400,000 years

picture and reference credit

  
     

Narmada fromnt.JPG (24132 bytes)

 Narmada   Partial Cranium

~Found in 1982 at Hathnora, Madhya Pradesh, India

~Dated to less than 150,000 years

picture credit

  
     

Ngandong 7.JPG (25492 bytes)

 Ngandong 7 or Solo Skull VI   Partial Cranium

~Discovered by C. ter Haar and G. H. R. von Koenigswald somewhere between 1931 - 1933 at Ngandong, Indonesia

~Dated to 250,000 years

  
     
  Niah Cave Material

~From Borneo

~Dated to 40,000 years

 
     
  Pinza-Abu   Cranial Fragment and Postcrania 

~Dated to 26,000 years

 
     

Qafzeh 9.jpg (10878 bytes)

 Qafzeh 9   Cranium

~From Qafzeh, Israel

 

  
     
  Salawusu

~Dated to between 50,000 and 37,000 years

  
     
  Shiyu   Occipital Fragment

~Dated to 28,000 years

  
     

Wadjak 1 lside.jpg (10473 bytes)   Wadjak 1 bottom.jpg (11431 bytes)

Wadjak 1 front.jpg (12292 bytes)   Wadjak 1 back.jpg (11708 bytes)

 Wadjak 1   Skull

~From Indonesia

  
     

Wadjak 2 front.jpg (9995 bytes)   Wadjak 2 mandible.jpg (6487 bytes)

Wadjak 2 maxilla.jpg (8401 bytes)   Wadjak 2 rside.jpg (13305 bytes)

 Wadjack 2   Maxilla and Mandible

~From Indonesia

  
     

Xujiayao 2 back.jpg (12708 bytes)

 Xujiayao 2

~From Shanxi, China

  
     

Xujiayao 3 back.jpg (12514 bytes)

 Xujiayao 3   Cranium

~From Shanxi, China

  
     

Xujiayao mandible.jpg (7162 bytes)

 Xujiayao Mandible

~From Shanxi, China

  
     
  The Yamashita-cho material 

~From Okinawa, Japan

~Dated to 32,000 years

  
     
  Ziyang

~Dated to either 39,000 to 36,000 years, or 7,000 years depending on which level it came from, though this can no longer be established

  
     
From Africa:    
     
BMNH 686   Cranium

~Found in 1921 at Broken Hill Mine, Kabwe, Zambia

~Dated to 125,000 years
     

Border cave 1 front.jpg (66873 bytes)   Border cave 1 lside.jpg (28600 bytes)

 Border Cave   Skull Fragments

~From Border Cave, South Africa

  
     

Florisbad front.JPG (6606 bytes)   Florisbad side.JPG (5866 bytes)

 Florisbad   Partial Cranium

~From Florisbad, South Africa

~Dated to 250,000 years

  
     

Klasies.jpg (40698 bytes)

 Klasies River Mouth   Skull Fragments

~From Klasies River Mouth, South Africa

~Dated to older than 90,000 years

  
     

KNM-ER 736.JPG (7333 bytes)

 KNM-ER 736   Partial Shaft of Broken Femur

~By M. G. Leakey in 1970, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

  
     

KNM-ER 803.JPG (34439 bytes)

 KNM-ER 803 (a-t)   Skeleton Fragments of an Individual

~By M. G. Leakey in 1971, from Ileret, Kenya

  
     

LH 18.JPG (33359 bytes)

 LH 18   Cranium

~Found in 1976 by E. Kandini at Laetoli, Tanzania

~Dated to 120,000 years

picture credit

  
     
  Ndutu    Cranium

~By A. A. Mturi in 1973 at Lake Ndutu, Tanzania

~Dated to 350,000 years

  
     

Omo 1 front.jpg (21765 bytes)

 Omo 1   Skull Fragments

~Found in 1967 at Omo River, Ethiopia

  
     

Omo 2 lside.jpg (32964 bytes)

 Omo 2   Cranium

~Found in 1967 at Omo River, Ethiopia

  
     
From Europe / Northwest Africa:    
     
  Atapuerca 5   Cranium

~By Juan Luis Asuaga in 1992 at Sierra de Atapuerca in Burgos, Spain

~Dated to greater than 300,000 years

  
     

Cromagnon 1 front.jpg (19544 bytes)   Cromagnon 1 fronta.jpg (31550 bytes)

Cromagnon 1 rangle.jpg (41490 bytes)   Cromagnon 1 rside.jpg (40524 bytes)

 Cro-magnon 1   Skull

~From Abri Cro-Magnon, Les Eyzies, France, in 1868

~Dated to between 32,000 and 30,000 years

 
     

Fontechevade.JPG (27781 bytes)

 Fontechevade   Cranium

~Found by Henri-Martin in 1947 at Charente, France

~Dated to 115,000 years

~Unable to determine if is Neanderthal or Sapiens specimen

picture and reference credit

  
     

Predmosti 3 lside.jpg (131540 bytes)

Predmosti   Skull

~This material was destroyed by Nazi burning

 
     
  Sale   Cranium

~Discovered by J. Jaeger in 1971 in El Hamra, Morocco

~Dated to between 200,000 - 250,000 years

  
     

steinheim under.JPG (6738 bytes)   Steinheim occipital.JPG (5621 bytes)Steinheim side.JPG (4813 bytes)

Steinheim   Cranium

~Found by K. Sigrist in 1933 at Steinheim an der Mun, Germany

~Dated to between 200,000 - 250,000 years

picture credit

     

swanscombe_skull.gif (15536 bytes)

 Swanscombe   Occipital and Left Parietal

~By A. T. Mason in the mid 1930's at Swanscombe, England

~Dated to between 200,000 - 250,000 years

picture credit

  

 

    
From Australia:    
     

coobool 16 langle.jpg (12901 bytes)

Coolbool 16   Skull

~Dated to 14,000 years

  
     

coobool 49 front.jpg (11058 bytes)

Coolbool 49   Skull

~Dated to 14,000 years

  
     

coobool 65 langle.jpg (20925 bytes)

Coolbool 65   Skull

~Dated to 14,000 years

  
     

coobool 76 front.jpg (11102 bytes)

Coolbool 76   Skull

~Dated to 14,000 years

  
     

coobool 86 mandible.jpg (7396 bytes)

Coolbool 86   Mandible

~Dated to 14,000 years

  
     

keilor front.jpg (9905 bytes)

Keilor   Femur and Cranium

~Dated to 12,000 years

  
     

Ks 1 front.jpg (11367 bytes)   Ks 1 langle.jpg (49329 bytes)

Kow Swamp 1   Skull

~Dated to 9,500 years

  
     

Ks 5 langle.jpg (54165 bytes)

Kow Swamp 5   Skull

~Dated to 9,500 years

  
     

Mungo 1 front.jpg (6656 bytes)   Mungo 1 top.jpg (10889 bytes)

WLH 1   Fragmentary Cremated Female  
     

Mungo 3 burial.jpg (205352 bytes)

 WLH 3   Skeleton

 

Mungo 3 back.jpg (9843 bytes)   Mungo 3 lside.jpg (11239 bytes)   Mungo 3 mandible.jpg (6888 bytes)

  
     

Wlh 50 front.jpg (9537 bytes)

 WLH 50   Cranium  
     
     
Click here to return to Ardipithecus ramidus

Click here to see other European/Northwest African fossil hominid specimens

Click here to see other Asian fossil hominid specimens

Click here to see other Eastern African fossil hominid specimens

Click here to return to the main page

  
     

A. ramidus ~ A. anamensis ~ A. afarensis ~ A. africanus ~ A. gahri ~ A. bahrelghazali ~ P. boisei ~ P. aethiopicus ~ P. robustus ~ H. habilis ~ H. rudolfensis ~ H. erectus ~ H. ergaster ~ H. antecessor ~ H. heidelbergensis ~ H. neanderthalensis ~ H. sapiens

Southern Africa ~ Eastern Africa ~ North Central Africa ~ Asia ~ Europe/Northwestern Africa

  
     

Steven Heslip ~ 2001 ~ heslipst@msu.edu