Anthropology Collection

Stone-age cave paintings, Chauvet, France
Stone-age cave paintings. Artwork depicting various animals painted on the wall of a cave. These paintings are found in the Chauvet Cave, France

Sensory homunculus
This model shows what a mans body would look like if each part grew in proportion to the area of the cortex of the brain concerned with its sensory perception

Lascaux II cave painting replica C013 / 7382
Lascaux II replica of a Lascaux cave painting. These are horse and cow figures in the central gallery. The original Lascaux cave was closed to the public in 1963

Cave of the hands, Argentina
Olympus Digital Camera

Stone-age cave paintings, Chauvet, France
Stone-age cave paintings. Artwork of horses painted on the wall of a cave. These paintings are found in the Chauvet Cave, France, the site of the earliest known cave paintings (as of 2011)

Lascaux II cave painting replica C013 / 7378
Lascaux II replica of a Lascaux cave painting. These are deer and auroch figures in the Great Hall of the Bulls. The original Lascaux cave was closed to the public in 1963

Motor homunculus
This model shows what a mans body would look like if each part grew in proportion to the area of the cortex of the brain concerned with its movement

Stone-age cave paintings, Chauvet, France
Stone-age cave paintings. Artwork depicting various animals painted on the wall of a cave. These paintings are found in the Chauvet Cave, France

Stages in human evolution
Human evolution. Illustration showing stages in the evolution of humans. At left, proconsul (23-15 million years ago) is depicted hypothetically as an African ape with both primitive

Venus of Willendorf, Stone Age figurine, rear view. Discovered in 1908 near Willendorf, Austria, this 11-centimetre-tall limestone figurine dates from around 23, 000 years ago

Hominid crania
L to R: Australopithecus africanus; Homo rudolfensis; H.erectus; H. heildebergensis; H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. Arranged in chronological order these specimens (casts)

Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1) (Lucy)
A cast of the partial skeleton (nicknamed Lucy) of Australopithecus afarensis found at the Hadar, North East Ethiopia in 1974 by Donald Johanson

Laetoli fossil footprints. Artwork showing the Laetoli footprints that were preserved in volcanic ash deposits around 3.5 million years ago. They were discovered in 1976 in Laetoli, Tanzania

Trail of Laetoli footprints
Trail of hominid footprints fossilized in volcanic ash. This 70 metre trail was found by Mary Leakeys expedition at Laetoli, Tanzania in 1978

Stone-age cave paintings, Chauvet, France
Stone-age cave paintings. Artwork depicting various animals painted on the wall of a cave. These paintings are found in the Chauvet Cave, France

Stone-age cave paintings, Chauvet, France
Stone-age cave paintings. Artwork of fighting rhinoceroses painted on the wall of a cave. These paintings are found in the Chauvet Cave, France

Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1) (Lucy)
A partial skeleton (nicknamed Lucy) of Australopithecus afarensis found at the Hadar, North East Ethiopia in 1974 by Donald Johanson

The Makapansgat Pebble
Three-million-year-old Makapansgat Pebble from South Africa. Perhaps the most ancient art object in the world. It is said to have been carried over a distance of four kilometers by Australopithecus

Prehistoric spear-thrower. Artwork of how a spear-thrower (or atlatl) is used to throw a feathered dart. At top and centre, the dart is loaded. At bottom, it is being thrown

Venus of Brassempouy
The Venus of Brassempouy carved out of ivory some 18, 000 years ago and discovered in Brassempouy, France. Believed to have been carved during the last stage of the Upper Palaeolithic age

Mursi tribe
Africa, Ethiopia, Debub Omo Zone, woman of the Mursi tribe. A nomadic cattle herder ethnic group located in Southern Ethiopia, close to the Sudanese border. Two Mursi men with bodypaint

1775 Captain James Cook explorer
James Cook, Captain of HMS Barc Endeavour (b. 7th November 1728 - d. 14th February 1779). Steel engraving by E. Scriven 1833 with later hand colouring, after the painting by N

Australopithecus and the Rhodesian Man
Reconstructed: Australopithecus and the Rhodesian Man. Links in the chain of human evolution: Australopithecus Africanus (3 ft high on the left), representing the Taungs skull

Trundholm Sun Chariot
The Trundholm Sun Chariot is a late Nordic branze Age artifact discovered in Denmark that has been interpreted as a dispiction of the sun being pulled by a mare that may have relation to later Norse

Neanderthal spear point
A spear point once belonging to that of Neanderthal Man (Homo neanderthalensis). This specimen was discovered in Gorhams Cave, Gibraltar

Paranthropus boisei (Zinjanthropus) cranium (OH5)
Cast of the cranium of a young male of Paranthropus boisei discovered by Mary Leakey in 1959 at Olduvai Gorge. The specimen which is the Holotype of Zinjanthropus boisei (Leakey 1959)

Homo neanderthalensis in action at Swanscombe, UK
An illustration by Angus McBride showing a group of Homo neanderthalensis on the ancient banks of the river Thames in modern day Swanscombe, Kent

Standing stones. This is Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria, England. It is on the level top of a hill in the Lake District

Avebury ring, aerial photograph. The circles of standing stones and the henge (ditch) at Avebury date from about 2500 BC. The entire site encompasses some 28 acres and comprises a perimeter ditch

Female Australopithecus africanus, artists impression. A. Africanus was a bipedal hominid that lived between 3.5 and 2 million years ago

Scimitar cat attacking a hominid, artists impression. The scimitar cat (Homotherium sp.) was a member of the sabre-toothed cat family (Machairodontinae) which lived throughout Africa

Artwork of the stages in human evolution
Human evolution. Illustration showing stages in the evolution of humans. At left, proconsul (23-15 million years ago) is depicted hypothetically as an African ape with both primitive

Richard Dawkins, British science writer
Richard Dawkins. Caricature of the British ethnologist, evolutionary biologist and controversial author Richard Dawkins (born 1941) holding one of his books

Cave painting of a mammoth, artwork
Cave painting of a mammoth. Artwork of a prehistoric cave drawing from the cave of Font-de Gaume, in the Dordogne region of France. It shows a mammoth (Elephas primigenius)

Modern Neanderthal, conceptual image. Computer artwork representing what a Neanderthal might have looked like today had the species survived

Australopithecus afarensis, artwork
Australopithecus afarensis. Artwork of a female Australopithecus afarensis hominid with her child. This hominid lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago

Hall of Man sculptures by Malvina Hoffman
Double page spread from The Illustrated London News featuring editorial and photographs relating to the range of sculptures by the American female sculptor, Malvina Hoffman

Footprints and skeleton of Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis). The fossilised bones of the A. afarensis specimen known as Lucy are superimposed over footprints made by the same species. A

1894 Haeckel Pithecanthropus ape man crop
Pithecanthropus europeaus alalus (european speechless ape-man) by Gabriel Max, 1894, reproduced as Photogravure Plate 29 in Ernst Haeckel " Naturliche Schopfungs-Geschichte"

Homo heidelbergensis. Artists impression of two male H. heidelbergensis hominids which lived between 600, 000 and 250, 000 years ago in the Pleistocene era

Sahelanthropus tchadensis skull. Artwork of a reconstruction of the Toumai skull, one of only a small number of fossils of the hominin Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Men-an-tol standing stones. This formation of standing stones is thought to be the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber, with the circular shaped stone forming the entrance

Callanish stone circle. This neolithic stone circle is situated near Callanish, on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. The site dates from around between 2900 and 2600 BC

A Cannibal Feast, Charles E Gordon Frazer
A Cannibal Feast on the island of Tanna in the New Hebrides, by Charles E Gordon Frazer (1863-1899)

Homo habilis in action
An illustration by Angus McBride showing Homo habilis using tools to kill an Antelope. Homo habilis lived in East Africa between 1.6 and 2 million years ago

Cleopatras obelisk or needle and the great sphinx of Giza.. Handcolored lithograph from Friedrich Wilhelm Goedsches Complete Gallery of Peoples in True Pictures, Meissen, circa 1835-1840

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

Model of Lucy, a young female Australopithecus afarensis hominid. The model was created from a cast of Lucys bones, and exhibited at the Kenya National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya

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"Unveiling the Tapestry of Human History: Exploring Anthropology through Time and Space" Embark on a captivating journey into the depths of human existence as we delve into anthropology, the study of our species' origins, development, and cultural diversity. From ancient cave paintings to fossil footprints, each artifact serves as a portal connecting us to our ancestors and shedding light on their lives. Step back in time with the Lascaux II cave painting replica C013/7378. Marvel at the intricate details etched by Stone-Age artists in Chauvet, France, transporting you to an era long gone. These vivid depictions offer glimpses into early human societies and their connection to nature. Venture further across continents to Argentina's Cave of the Hands—a mesmerizing display of prehistoric artistry. The handprints adorning its walls serve as a testament to humanity's desire for self-expression throughout history. It also unveils our physical evolution through hominid crania like Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1), affectionately known as Lucy. These fossilized remains provide invaluable insights into our ancestral lineage and shed light on how we evolved over millions of years. Follow in the footsteps—quite literally—of early humans along the Trail of Laetoli footprints. Preserved for eternity in volcanic ash, these imprints offer tangible evidence of bipedal locomotion among our distant relatives. As we explore anthropology's intricacies, we encounter not only artistic expressions but also scientific discoveries such as motor homunculus—an illustration mapping sensory perception onto specific brain regions. This revelation deepens our understanding of how humans interact with their surroundings. Delving deeper still reveals stages in human evolution that shaped who we are today—the gradual progression from primitive tools like prehistoric spear-throwers to complex civilizations that have flourished throughout time.