Ancestor Collection (#9)

Homo heidelbergensis male, artists impression. H. heidelbergensis lived between 600, 000 and 250, 000 years ago in the Pleistocene era

Paranthropus robustus. Artists impression of the skull and face of the early hominid Paranthropus robustus. P. robustus means " robust equal of man"

Taung skull
The original type specimen of Australopithecus africanus, known also as the Taung specimen, discovered in 1924 at a lime quarry near Taung in South Africa

Eves footprints. Cast of fossilised footprints made by an early modern human (Homo sapiens) about 117, 000 years ago. The prints were formed in wet sand by a small person

Homo ergaster behaviour, artists impression. H. ergaster is traditionally considered an early type of H. erectus by scientists. However, there are differences between the early populations of H

Australopithecus afarensis skull, computer artwork. Compared to the modern human skull the skull of A. afarensis had a more prominent brow ridge, a broader, flatter nose

Microraptor dinosaurs flying, artwork. Microraptor is a genus of feathered dinosaurs discovered in Early Cretaceous (128-124 million-year-old) deposits in Liaoning Province, China

Australopithecus africanus. Artists impression of the skull, facial muscle structure and face of an Australopithecus africanus hominid. A

Early invertebrate. Computer artwork of Vetustovermis planus, an invertebrate from the Early Cambrian Period, about 525 million years ago, swimming. A V

Homo heidelbergensis female, artists impression. H. heidelbergensis lived between 600, 000 and 250, 000 years ago in the Pleistocene era

Dimetrodon pair, artwork. Dimetrodon (meaning two-measure tooth ) lived in the early Permian period, around 270 million years ago

Tiktaalik prehistoric fish, artwork
Tiktaalik roseae, computer artwork. This extinct lobe-finned fish lived during the Late Devonian period (375 million years ago). A Tiktaalik roseae fossil was found in the Canadian Arctic in 2004

Homo antecessor. Artists impression of the skull, head and face of an adult male Homo antecessor. The remains of this hominid were discovered in level TD6 of the Gran Dolina archaeological sites in

Dimetrodon, artwork. Dimetrodon (meaning two-measure tooth ) lived in the early Permian period, around 270 million years ago

Taung Child skull. Artwork, from 1931, showing the appearance and size (scale in millimetres) of the fossil skull discovered by Dart in Taung, South Africa, in 1924

1868 Cro Magnon 1 Lartet first discovery
Chromolithograph Cromagnon " Skull of an old man" Plate 1, Section C. Edouard Lartet and Henry Christy. " Reliquiae Aquitanicae" 1865-1875, Williams and Norgate, London 1875

1824 Schinz apes, gibbon, orang, chimp
Contemporary coloured lithograph by Carl Brotdmann of " Der Orang-Uttang", " Der Hooloch" and " Der Shimpanzee" appearing as table 1 in " Naturhistorische

1868 Prehistoric Cromagnon necklace vignt
Chromolithograph of perforated Cromagnon 30, 000 ybp ornaments (shell, ivory). Edouard Lartet and Henry Christy. " Reliquiae Aquitanicae" 1865-1875, Williams and Norgate, London 1875

1809 reprint of Tyson 1698 Chimpanzee
1809 " Black Oran Otan" copper engraving from " Zoological Lectures Delivered at the Royal Institution"

Human evolution. Computer artwork of the skeletons of an ape-like animal and a human (Homo sapiens) separated by a molecule of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and surrounded by images of fossils

Human evolution. Computer artwork of four stages in human evolution. Comparisons of DNA and fossil records suggest that humans and modern African apes evolved from a common ape-like ancestor (left)

Neanderthal skeleton, Kebara Cave, Israel
Neanderthal skeleton. Close-up of the skeleton of a Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) found in the Kebara Cave, Israel, in 1982

Homo floresiensis mandible. Mould made from fragments of the mandible (jaw bone) of Homo floresiensis. This newly discovered hominid species was found in 2003 in Liang Bua cave, Flores, Indonesia

Homo floresiensis skull

1662 Schott Orangutan, hypertrichosis
I Hairy man who walks on his hands" & II " wild woman in Java" (can be traced back to Topsell & Gessners similar images)

1870 Fuegians by the Reverend J. G. Wood
Woodcut by Zwecker in the Rev. J.G.Woods Natural History of Man 1870. These unflattering portraits are clearly designed to accentuate the perceived primitive nature of the Fuegians

First tools, three North African handaxes
Three North African paleolithic bifacial Handaxes of Homo heidelbergensis / early H. sapiens dating from between 400, 000 to 100, 000 years ago

1731 Johann Scheuchzer Hairy Esau Bible
1731 Physica Sacra (Sacred Physics) by Johann Scheuchzer (1672-1733) " Hairy Esau" folio copper engraving drawn by a team of engravers under the direction of Johann Andreas Pfeffel

1795 Domesticated female orangutan
1795 " A Domesticated Female Orang Outang" (sic). J. Thle del et J. Chapman sculpt. from J. Frid Gmelin and Carl Linnaeus (posthumous)

1795 Wild Man of the woods - orangutan
1795 " The Orang Outang, or Wild Man of the Woods" (sic). J. Thle del et J. Chapman sculpt. from J. Frid Gmelin and Carl Linnaeus (posthumous)

1833 Jardine Plate 1 Black orang chimp
1833, Plate 1. Troglodytes niger, Black Orang. Probably a chimpanzee. The species was not well known yet with the first arriving in London zoo in 1835

Researcher holding fossil tooth cast
Researcher with virtual reality (VR) goggles holding a the cast of a fossil hominid molar tooth. 3D computed tomography (CT)

Homo erectus clay model. Sculptor modelling a clay Homo erectus head

Neanderthal skull, artwork
Neanderthal skull parts. Artwork of parts of a Neanderthal skull, found in 1856 in a limestone quarry in the Neandertal area of Germany, after which the Neanderthals are named

Legacy, conceptual image

Ta Prohm temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
View of Ta Prohm (Ancestor Brahma) Khmer Buddhist temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was built in the Bayon style in the late 12th and early 13th centuries

Entrance to Ta Prohm temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Entrance to the Ta Prohm (Ancestor Brahma) Khmer Buddhist temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was built in the Bayon style in the late 12th and early 13th centuries

Visit to Corsica - 5
The Prince Imperial and his mama pay homage to his illustrious ancestor in the room where Napoleon I was born at Ajaccio

Singer Bonnehee
Bonnehee (presumably an ancestor of the more famous singer of that name) in the role of Julien de Medicis in Pierre de Medicis

Devotions at a Grave
A pious Chinaman honours the burial place of his departed ancestors

Richard Lemon Lander
RICHARD LEMON LANDER Traveller in Africa, ancestor of Mary Evans

An ancient Beehive dwelling in County Kerry in Ireland
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

The Gallerus Oratory in County Kerry in Ireland. One of the oldest buildings in Europe
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Honourable Ancestors-
Honouring the ancestors in a Chinese household

Learning the Flute
A music student is instructed by his teacher in the art of playing the double pipe, an ancestor of the flute

Visiting a Grave
Visiting the grave of a deceased relative

Devotions at an Altar
A pious Chinese man honours his ancestors at a domestic altar

Darwin / Ancestor Cartoon
CHARLES DARWIN English naturalist Cartoon of the Darwinian ancestor; " For O it is such a Norrible Tail!"

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"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.