Anthropological Collection (#9)

Personality types, caricature artwork. These caricatures exaggerate features and traits associated with personality types, such as reserved people (left) compared to expressive people (right)

Viking ring fortress and ships, artwork
Viking ring fortress. Artwork of one of the circular Viking fortresses known as trelleborgs, the remains of which have been found in what is now Denmark and Sweden

Aboriginal man, 18th century artwork C016 / 6114
Portrait of an Aboriginal man named Colebee. Drawing 30 from the Watling Collection titled Portrait of Colebee by Thomas Watling, 1792-1797. Natural History Museum, London, UK

Prehistoric human skull (Omo 1) C016 / 5937
Prehistoric human skull (Omo 1). Reconstruction of the modern human (Homo sapiens) skull discovered in 1967 by a team led by Richard Leakey

Flint handaxe with fossil echinoid C016 / 6004
Cat of a flint handaxe incorporating a fossil echinoid. Specimen from the Middle Gravels of Swanscombe, Kent

Neanderthal fossil skull La Ferrassie 1 C016 / 0566
Neanderthal fossil skull La Ferrassie 1. This specimen, from an elderly male, dates from around 70, 000 years ago. It was discovered in the Dordogne region in southern France in 1909

Sadhu holy man in India C017 / 9988
Sadhu holy man, in Varanasi, India. The Naga sect of Hindu ascetics are known as the naked sadhus, and do not wear clothing, instead covering their body with paint and ash

Stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka C017 / 9991
Stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka. Fishing from stilts is carried out on coral reefs along the south-western coast of Sri Lanka near Galle. The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a petta

Bedouin nomads, 19th Century artwork C018 / 7013
Bedouin nomads. 1870 woodcut print of wandering Bedouin people with their camels in the desert. The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group

Cavemen hunting mammoth, historic artwork C018 / 7096
Cavemen hunting mammoth. 1883 engraving of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) trapped in a pit by cavemen

Prehistoric flint tools C014 / 1014
Prehistoric flint tools. Selection of flint tools found in Mauritania, West Africa, dating to 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago

Neolithic flint arrowhead C014 / 1024
Neolithic flint arrowhead. Stone-age flint arrowhead dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. This specimen was found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowheads C014 / 1031
Neolithic flint arrowheads. Stone-age flint arrowheads dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. These specimens were found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowheads C014 / 1029
Neolithic flint arrowheads. Stone-age flint arrowheads dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. These specimens were found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowheads C014 / 1036
Neolithic flint arrowheads. Stone-age flint arrowheads dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. These specimens were found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowhead C014 / 1027
Neolithic flint arrowhead. Stone-age flint arrowhead dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. This specimen was found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowheads C014 / 1035
Neolithic flint arrowheads. Stone-age flint arrowheads dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. These specimens were found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowhead C014 / 1021
Neolithic flint arrowhead. Stone-age flint arrowhead dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. This specimen was found in Mauritania, West Africa

Neolithic flint arrowhead C014 / 1028
Neolithic flint arrowhead. Stone-age flint arrowhead dating from around 8, 000 to 10, 000 years ago. This specimen was found in Mauritania, West Africa

Yamana harpoons C014 / 0995
Yamana harpoons. Two harpoon heads carved from animal bones by the Yamana, or Yaghan, people of Chile. The Yamana are the indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone

Stone Age spatula, Magdalenian culture. This carved prehistoric object is thought to be a spatula, though the attribution is uncertain

Migration to the Americas, diagram
Migration to the Americas. Diagram showing the three theories (arrowed) for when and how humans first arrived in the Americas

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

Bronze Age livestock farming, artwork C016 / 8291
Bronze Age livestock farming. Artwork of humans tending to livestock in a coastal area of Bronze Age Europe. Animals being farmed or used here include goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses

Bronze Age human culture, artwork C016 / 8290
Bronze Age human culture. Artwork of humans socialising in a wooden thatched hall in Bronze Age Europe. Activities shown include playing musical instruments, singing, tending a fire, dancing

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

Rock paintings, Algerian Sahara C014 / 1633
Rock paintings of animals, including giraffes, in the Algerian Sahara. The variation in climate in North Africa over the past 12

Rock painting, Algerian Sahara C014 / 1635
Rock painting, Algerian Sahara. The variation in climate in North Africa over the past 12, 000 years has had a profound effect on human occupation and subsistence

Rock painting, Algerian Sahara C014 / 1624
Rock painting, Algerian Sahara. The variation in climate in North Africa over the past 12, 000 years has had a profound effect on human occupation and subsistence

Head of the Ukok Princess ice mummy C015 / 6821
Ice maiden mummy. Also known as the Altai Princess or Ukok Princess, this womans mummified body was found frozen in her burial mound (kurgan) in Siberia in 1993

Bronze Age arrowheads C015 / 6759
Bronze Age arrowheads. These arrowheads are from the Portalon cave (the entrance cave) to the Cueva Mayor, a cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca foothills near Burgos, Spain

Prehistoric bear jaws C015 / 6762
Prehistoric bear jaws. These fossil jaw bones are from an extinct bear species (Ursus dolinensis). They were found in 1991

Prehistoric cave bear skull C015 / 6763
Prehistoric cave bear skull. This fossil skull is from the extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). This cave bear lived in Europe during the Pleistocene, from around 250, 000 to 27, 500 years ago

Islamic gold coin C015 / 6755
Islamic gold coin. This gold coin is from the Portalon cave (the entrance cave) to the Cueva Mayor, a cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca foothills near Burgos, Spain

Bronze Age bone punches C015 / 6758
Bronze Age bone punches. These tools, also called awls or perforators, were tapered and worked pieces of bone used to punch holes in animal skins or leather when making clothes

Prehistoric jaguar jaw bone C015 / 6761
Prehistoric jaguar jaw bone. This fossil jaw bone is from the extinct European jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis). It was found in 1990 at the TD-4 level in the Gran Dolina cave in the Sierra de

Prehistoric bison skull C015 / 6760
Prehistoric bison skull. The two European bison species, both hunted by prehistoric humans, are the European bison (Bison bonasus) and the extinct steppe bison (Bison priscus)

Islamic gold coin C015 / 6756
Islamic gold coin. This gold coin is from the Portalon cave (the entrance cave) to the Cueva Mayor, a cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca foothills near Burgos, Spain

Bronze Age gold bracelet C015 / 6751
Bronze Age gold bracelet. This gold bracelet dates from around 3000 years ago. It is thought to have been used in ceremonial or religious settings

Prehistoric rib bone C015 / 6754
Prehistoric rib bone. This rib bone was found at the TD-6 level in the Gran Dolina cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca foothills near Burgos, Spain

Bronze Age bone punches C015 / 6757
Bronze Age bone punches. These tools, also called awls or perforators, were tapered and worked pieces of bone used to punch holes in animal skins or leather when making clothes

Bronze Age gold bracelet C015 / 6752
Bronze Age gold bracelet. This gold bracelet dates from around 3000 years ago. It is thought to have been used in ceremonial or religious settings

Bronze Age gold bracelet C015 / 6753
Bronze Age gold bracelet. This gold bracelet dates from around 3000 years ago. It is thought to have been used in ceremonial or religious settings

Prehistoric carved horse C015 / 6733
Prehistoric carved horse. Such carvings were made in ivory and bone by prehistoric peoples. The earliest such carvings date to around 30, 000 years ago

Prehistoric carved lion, Vogelherd Cave C015 / 6731
Prehistoric carved lion. Prehistoric carving in mammoth ivory of a lion. Some have identified the animal as a hippopotamus, hyena or rhinoceros

Petroglyphs, South Africa
Petroglyphs. San (bushman) paintings on a rock in the Cederberg Mountains, South Africa. The San are indigenous people of southern Africa that span areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho

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"Unveiling the Secrets of our Ancestors: Exploring Anthropological Treasures" Step into the captivating world of anthropology as we embark on a journey through time. From the mesmerizing Lascaux II cave painting replica to the enigmatic Stone-age cave paintings in Chauvet, France, these ancient artworks offer us a glimpse into humanity's past. Delve deeper and encounter the Cave of Hands in Argentina, where handprints left by our ancestors thousands of years ago continue to intrigue and mystify. These imprints serve as a testament to their existence and leave us pondering about their lives. As we shift our focus from art to anatomy, hominid crania take center stage. The Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1), fondly known as Lucy, stands tall among her counterparts. Her fossilized remains provide valuable insights into early human evolution and ignite curiosity about our own origins. But it doesn't stop there; prehistoric tools like spear-throwers remind us of our ancestors' resourcefulness and ingenuity. These artifacts shed light on how they survived and thrived in challenging environments. And let's not forget the Laetoli fossil footprints that tell an extraordinary story etched in volcanic ash. Preserved for millions of years, these footprints capture moments frozen in time – evidence of bipedal locomotion long before modern humans roamed the Earth. Returning once again to Chauvet, France, stone-age cave paintings continue to captivate with their intricate details and symbolic representations. Each stroke carries whispers from those who came before us – messages waiting patiently for interpretation. Finally, we encounter the Venus of Brassempouy – an exquisite ivory figurine representing fertility or perhaps even spirituality. This timeless masterpiece reminds us that throughout history, humans have sought meaning beyond survival alone. Anthropology unravels stories hidden within these remarkable artifacts – stories of resilience, creativity, and the unending quest for knowledge.