Ancestor Collection (#7)

WILD BOARS. AFTER SPECHT. Wild boar (Sus scrofa), also known as wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies

Dantes Ancestor, by Gustave Dore

Ancestor worship in a Hanoi home

Elders altar. Tu An pagoda

Prehistoric humans, artwork
Prehistoric humans. Computer artwork showing prehistoric humans travelling across a frozen land

Man evolving into a pig, conceptual image C014 / 0691
Man evolving into a pig, conceptual image

Man evolving into a pig, conceptual image C014 / 0690
Man evolving into a pig, conceptual image

Man evolving into a pig, conceptual image C014 / 0689
Man evolving into a pig, conceptual image

Australopithecus afarensis jaw comparison. Chimpanzee skull (top), A. afarensis jaws (centre) and human jaws. This comparison shows that the prominent jaws of A

Collection of hominid remains. These remains were found in the Omo valley, Ethiopia, in 1967 by teams led by Richard Leakey

Reconstruction of Neanderthal Man C016 / 2718
Neanderthal man. Bust of a Neanderthal man (Homo neanderthalensis), created by anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov. This hominid inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia between 230, 000 and 29

Prehistoric bear eating human bones C013 / 9584
Prehistoric bear eating human bones. Artwork of a now-extinct Ursus deningeri bear earing the remains of humans in the Sima de los Huesos (pit of bones), in the caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca

Prehistoric death ritual, artwork C013 / 9573
Prehistoric death ritual. Artwork showing Homo heidelbergensis hominids throwing one of their dead into the Sima de los Huesos (pit of bones), in the caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain

Early hominid killed by a leopard C013 / 9583
Early hominid killed by a leopard. Artwork of leopard in a tree with a Paranthropus robustus hominid it has killed. Also known as Australopithecus robustus

Prehistoric death ritual, artwork C013 / 9578
Prehistoric death ritual. Artwork showing Homo heidelbergensis hominids throwing one of their dead into the Sima de los Huesos (pit of bones), in the caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain

Paranthropus aethiopicus, artwork C013 / 9581
Paranthropus aethiopicus. Artwork of Paranthropus aethiopicus hominids collecting fruit. Paranthropus aethiopicus is an extinct species of hominid that lived during the Pliocene epoch

Prehistoric humans hunting, artwork C013 / 9580
Prehistoric humans hunting. Artwork of two early modern humans (Homo sapiens) killing a bison. Anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens)

Neanderthals hunting mammoth, artwork C013 / 9579
Neanderthals hunting mammoth. Artwork of neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) humans hunting woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). Like modern humans, Neanderthals are members of the Homo genus

Homo habilis hunting, artwork C013 / 9577
Homo habilis hunting. Artwork of Homo habilis early humans using tools to butcher their prey. H. habilis is thought to have lived approximately 2 to 1.6 million years ago in East Africa

Homo heidelbergensis hunting, artwork C013 / 9572
Homo heidelbergensis hunting. Artwork of two Homo heidelbergensis early humans hunting bison by a river in what is now the Atapuerca Mountains, Spain. H

Homo antecessor, artwork C013 / 9575
Homo antecessor. Artwork of a Homo antecessor early human using tools in the mouth of a cave. The remains of this hominid were discovered in level TD6 of the Gran Dolina archaeological sites in

Human evolution, conceptual image C013 / 9574
Human Evolution, conceptual image. Computer artwork representing the evolution of hominids from our distant ancestors (right) to present day humans (Homo sapiens sapiens, left)

Ardipithecus ramidus, artwork C013 / 9571
Ardipithecus ramidus. Artwork of an Ardipithecus ramidus hominid in a tree. This species is considered a basal hominid, one that is closely related to the common ancestor of apes and humans

Australopithecus africanus, artwork C013 / 9570
Australopithecus africanus. Artwork of a family of Australopithecus africanus hominins in a forest. A. africanus, which lived between 3 million and 2 million years ago

Australopithecus afarensis, artwork C013 / 9569
Australopithecus afarensis, artwork. This hominin lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago in what is now eastern Africa. It is thought that A

Scleractinian coral fossil C013 / 6611
Scleractininan coral (Thecosmilia trichotoma) fossil. This colonial coral is an ancestor of modern corals. This specimen dates to the Bathonian age of the Middle Jurassic

Homo heidelbergensis hunting C013 / 6560
Artwork of a Homo heidelbergensis tribe killing an elephant. H. heidelbergensis is an extinct hominid that formed a relatively recent part of the human evolutionary tree

Homo erectus lower jaw C013 / 6551
Cast of a Homo erectus mandible (lower jaw). The fossil this cast was taken from is known as SK 15 Member 2, and was found at Swartkrans, South Africa

Homo erectus cranium C013 / 6553
Cast of a Homo erectus cranium. The fossil this cast was taken from was discovered at Trinil, on the banks of the River Solo, Java, Indonesia

Homo heidelbergensis lower jaw C013 / 6550
Cast of a Homo heidelbergensis mandible (lower jaw). The jaw this cast was made from was found in Mauer, near Heidelberg, Germany, in 1907. It dates to around 500, 000 years ago. H

Swanscombe hand axe C013 / 6535
Swanscombe hand axe. One of many hand axes that have been discovered at the Homo neanderthalensis site at Swanscombe, Kent, UK, which was inhabited about 500, 000 to 300, 000 years ago

Lower jaw casts of Paranthropus robustus (Swartkrans 23) and
From Swartkrans, South Africa (left) and Peninj, Tanzania (right)

Casts of Australopithecus boisei jaw bones
Casts of Upper jaw (left) of Australopithecus (Paranthropus) boisei from the Olduvai Gorge; lower jaw (right) of Australopithecus (Paranthropus) boisei from Peninj

Homo erectus, Java man
A model of Homo erectus, known as Java man, based on fossil evidence found in archaeological sites along the Solo River, Indonesia. The fossils date back to around 500, 000 to 800, 000 years ago

Homo erectus, Peking man
A model head of Homo erectus known as Peking man, based upon evidence discovered at Zhoukoudian Cave (Locality 1), China dating back 500, 000 years. This model was created by Maurice Wilson

Homo neanderthalensis, neandertal man
The installation of a cranium (cast) considered to be that of a Neandertal man (Homo neanderthalesis). It was discovered in a cave diposit at Atapuerca-Sima de Los Huesos, Spain

Ichthyosaurus, Plesiosaurus, Stenosaurus and another marine
These reptiles lived during the Jurrassic period, about 150 million years ago. Watercolour by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins

Ichthyosaurus, Plesiosaurus, Stenosaurus
These reptiles lived during the Jurrassic period, about 150 million years ago. Watercolour by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins

Homo neanderthalensis, neanderthal man
The installation of a cranium (cast) considered to be that of a Neanderthal man (Homo neanderthalesis). It was discovered in a cave diposit at Atapuerca-Sima de Los Huesos, Spain

A Swanscombe Hand Axe
One of many hand axes that have been discovered at the Homo neanderthalensis site of Swanscombe, Kent which was inhabited about 500, 000 to 300, 000 years ago

Wupatki Ruins National Monument was home to an Anasazi culture, the ancestors to the Hopi, which began in 1064 AD

The Countess Spencer
Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Spencer (1897 - 1972), known until her marriage as Lady Cynthia Hamilton. The daughter of the third Duke of Abercorn, she married Viscount Althorp (later Earl Spencer) in 1919

Laughing Cavalier / C1930
The laughing Cavalier: the ancestor of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Date: Published: c.1930

PTOLEMAIC WORLD MAP, 1493. Ptolemaic world map, including depictions of Noahs sons, Japhet, Shem and Ham, progenitors of the human race in Judeo-Christian tradition

Human and chimpanzee jaws. Historical artwork comparing the jaws of a modern human (Homo sapiens sapiens, left) and a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes, right)

Artwork of Caudipteryx sp. a bird-like dinosaur
Caudipteryx. Artwork of Caudipteryx sp. a small bird-like dinosaur with feathers. This animal lived in the early Cretaceous period, about 100 to 130 million years ago

Ambulocetus, whale precursor, artwork
Ambulocetus pair swimming, artwork. Ambulocetus, meaning walking whale, lived during the Early Eocene (50 million years ago)

Early tetrapods
Tetrapods. Computer artwork of three tetrapods swimming. The first tetrapods evolved from lobe- finned fish in the late Devonian period, about 360 million years ago

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

"Journeying through Time: Unveiling the Ancestors" Delving into the rich tapestry of our past, we encounter an ivory mask from Benin, Nigeria. This exquisite artifact was once worn by the revered Oba of Benin on momentous ceremonial occasions. Amidst the ancient rock art at Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park, we come face to face with Namarrgon - the Lightning Man. A supernatural ancestor depicted in Aboriginal culture, his presence resonates within this UNESCO World Heritage Site. In a thought-provoking 1874 Monkey Darwin cartoon by Faustin, we witness a whimsical portrayal of our evolutionary ancestors and their connection to Charles Darwin's groundbreaking theories. Through intricate artwork depicting Australopithecus afarensis, we catch a glimpse of one of humanity's earliest known ancestors who walked upon this Earth millions of years ago. The captivating image showcases a female Australopithecus africanus – reminding us that women played an integral role throughout human evolution and continue to shape our world today. Frozen in time is a dramatic scene where a scimitar cat attacks a hominid; it serves as an eternal reminder of the challenges faced by our early ancestors and their struggle for survival against formidable predators. Haeckel's 1894 Pithecanthropus ape man crop illustration invites us to ponder over Homo heidelbergensis – another link in our ancestral chain that left its mark on prehistoric landscapes across continents. A model affectionately named Lucy takes center stage as she represents Australopithecus boisei – her existence providing valuable insights into human origins and evolution discovered deep within African soil. With grace and strength personified, we encounter Female Homo habilis – showcasing how gender diversity has been ingrained since ancient times among our forebears.