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Craniodental material tends to be particularly well preserved and documented in the hominin fossil record, in part because teeth have a higher mineral content than other bones. Paleoanthropologists use the morphology of these skulls to infer species relationships, brain size, and dietary habits of hominins. Below, you can view photos of many of these skulls (or, in many cases, photos of casts or illustrations) with associated information, including their specimen name, species, the site at which they were found, their geological age, the year they were discovered, and their initial publication.
Early hominin species (e.g. Australopithecus afarensis) are comprehensively represented, but later species with abundant material (e.g. Homo neanderthalensis) are represented only by some of the more famous or landmark specimens. Additionally, there are numerous fragmented cranial specimens that are absent from this list. Some specimens on this list have controversial taxonomic designation (e.g. Alemseged, 2023 "Reappraising the Paleobiology of Australopithecus" argues that a valid taxonomic designation of KNM-WT 40000 may be Australopithecus platyops rather than Kenyanthropus platyops). In such cases, I endeavored to assign the specimen the more "popular" taxonomic designation.
I assembled these images and information myself and strove for accuracy, but if you believe you've spotted an error, please contact me so that I can update these appropriately.
TM 266, Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Nickname: Toumaï
Site: Toros-Menalla, Chad
Age: 6-7Ma
Year Discovered: 2001
Published: Brunet et al. (2002). A new hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad, Central Africa.
ARA-VP-6/500, Ardipithecus ramidus
Nickname: Ardi
Site: Aramis, Middle Awash, Ethiopia
Age: ~4.4Ma
Year Discovered: 1994
Published: Suwa et al. (2009). The Ardipithecus ramidus skull and its implications for human origins.
DIK-1-1, Australopithecus afarensis
Nickname: Dikika child, Selam
Site: Dikika, Ethiopia
Age: ~3.3Ma
Year Discovered: 2000
Published: Alemseged et al. (2006). A juvenile early hominin skeleton from Dikika, Ethiopia.
AL 288-1, Australopithecus afarensis
Nickname: Lucy
Site: Hadar, Ethiopia
Age: ~3.2Ma
Year Discovered: 1974
Published: Johanson & Taieb (1976). Plio-Pleistocene hominid discoveries in Hada, Ethiopia.
AL 822-1, Australopithecus afarensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Hadar, Ethiopia
Age: ~3.1Ma
Year Discovered: 2000
Published: Kimbel & Rak (2010). The cranial base of Australopithecus afarensis: insights from the female skull.
AL 333-105, Australopithecus afarensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Hadar, Ethiopia
Age: ~3.2Ma
Year Discovered: 1975
Published: Johanson et al. (1982). Pliocene hominids from the Hadar formation, Ethiopia (1973-1977): stratigraphic, chronologic, and paleoenvironmental contexts, with notes on hominid morphology and systematics.
AL 444-2, Australopithecus afarensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Hadar, Ethiopia
Age: ~3Ma
Year Discovered: 1992
Published: Kimbel et al. (2004). The skull of Australopithecus afarensis.
KNM-WT 17000, Paranthropus aethiopicus
Nickname:
Site: West Turkana, Kenya
Age: ~2.5Ma
Year Discovered: 1985
Published: Walker et al. (1986). 2.5-Myr Australopithecus boisei from west of Lake Turkana, Kenya.
SK 48, Paranthropus robustus
Nickname: NA
Site: Swartkrans, South Africa
Age: 1.5-1.8Ma
Year Discovered: 1950
Published: Broom & Robinson (1952). Swartkrans ape-man Paranthropus crassidens.
DNH 155, Paranthropus robustus
Nickname: NA
Site: Drimolen Quarry, South Africa
Age: 1.95-2.04Ma
Year Discovered: 2018
Published: Martin et al. (2020). Drimolen cranium DNH 155 documents microevolution in an early hominin species.
DNH 7, Paranthropus robustus
Nickname:
Site: Drimolen Quarry, South Africa
Age: 1.95-2.04Ma
Year Discovered: 1994
Published: Keyser (2000). The Drimolen skull: the most complete australopithecine cranium and mandible to date.
OH 5, Paranthropus boisei
Nickname: Nutcracker Man, Zinj
Site: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Age: ~1.8Ma
Year Discovered: 1959
Published: Leakey (1959). A new fossil skull from Olduvai.
KNM-ER 732, Paranthropus boisei
Nickname: NA
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: ~1.7Ma
Year Discovered: 1970
Published: Leakey (1970). New hominid remains and early artefacts from North Kenya.
KNM-ER 406, Paranthropus boisei
Nickname: NA
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: ~1.7Ma
Year Discovered: 1969
Published: Leakey (1970). New hominid remains and early artefacts from North Kenya.
Taung, Australopithecus africanus
Nickname: Taung child
Site: Taung, South Africa
Age: ~2.8Ma
Year Discovered: 1924
Published: Dart (1925). Australopithecus africanus: The Man-Ape of South Africa.
STS 5, Australopithecus africanus
Nickname: Mrs. Ples
Site: Sterkfontein, South Africa
Age: 2.1-2.5Ma
Year Discovered: 1947
Published: Broom (1947). Discovery of a new skull of the South African Ape-man Plesianthropus.
STS 71, Australopithecus africanus
Nickname: NA
Site: Sterkfontein, South Africa
Age: 2.4-2.8Ma
Year Discovered: 1947
Published: Broom & Robinson (1950). Further evidence of the structure of the Sterkfontein ape-man Plesianthropus.
MRD-VP-1/1, Australopithecus anamensis
Nickname: MRD
Site: Woranso-Mille, Afar, Ethiopia
Age: ~3.8Ma
Year Discovered: 2016
Published: Haile-Selassie et al. (2019). A 3.8-million-year-old hominin cranium from Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia.
BOU-VP-12/1, Australopithecus gahri
Nickname: NA
Site: Bouri, Middle Awash, Ethiopia
Age: ~2.5Ma
Year Discovered: 1999
Published: Asfaw et al. (1999). Australopithecus gahri: a new species of early hominid from Ethiopia.
UW 88-50, Australopithecus sediba
Nickname: MH1
Site: Malapa, South Africa
Age: 1.78-1.95Ma
Year Discovered: 2008
Published: Berger et al. (2010). Australopithecus sediba: a new species of Homo-like Australopith from South Africa.
KNM-ER 1813, Homo habilis
Nickname: NA
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: ~1.9Ma
Year Discovered: 1973
Published: Day et al. (1976). New hominids from East Turkana, Kenya.
OH 24, Homo habilis
Nickname: Twiggy
Site: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Age: ~1.8Ma
Year Discovered: 1968
Published: Leakey et al. (1971). New hominid skull from bed I, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
KNM-ER 1470, Homo rudolfensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: ~1.9Ma
Year Discovered: 1972
Published: Leakey (1973). Evidence for an advanced Plio-leistocene hominid from Rudolf, Kenya.
Sangiran 17, Homo erectus
Nickname: NA
Site: Sangiran, Java, Indonesia
Age: 1.0-1.3Ma
Year Discovered: 1969
Published: Sartono (1971). Observations on a new skull of Pithecanthropus erectus (Pithecanthropus VIII) from Sangiran, Central Java.
KNM-WT 15000, Homo erectus
Nickname: Turkana boy, Nariokatome boy
Site: Nariokatome, West Turkana, Kenya
Age: ~1.6Ma
Year Discovered: 1984
Published: Brown et al. (1985). Early Homo erectus skeleton from west Lake Turkana, Kenya.
SK 847, Homo habilis
Nickname: NA
Site: Swartkrans, South Africa
Age: 1.5-1.8Ma
Year Discovered: 1969
Published: Clarke et al. (1970). New finds at the Swartkrans Australopithecine site (contd): More evidence of an advanced hominid at Swartkrans.
KNM-ER 3733, Homo erectus
Nickname: NA
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: 1.48-1.78Ma
Year Discovered: 1975
Published: Leakey & Leakey (1978). Koobi Fora research project volume 1.
D2700, Homo erectus
Nickname: Dmanisi skull 3
Site: Dmanisi, Georgia
Age: 1.77-1.85Ma
Year Discovered: 2001
Published: Vekua et al. (2002). A new skull of early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia.
DH 1, Homo naledi
Nickname: NA
Site: Dinaledi Cave, South Africa
Age: 236-335ka
Year Discovered: 2013
Published: Berger et al. (2015). Homo naledi, a new species of the genus Homo from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa.
LES1, Homo naledi
Nickname: Neo
Site: Dinaledi Cave, South Africa
Age: 236-335ka
Year Discovered: 2017
Published: Hawks et al. (2017). New fossil remains of Homo naledi from Lesedi Chamber, South Africa.
D3444, Homo erectus
Nickname: Dmanisi skull 4
Site: Dmanisi, Georgia
Age: 1.77-1.85Ma
Year Discovered: 2002
Published: Lordkipanidze et al. (2005). Anthropology: the earliest toothless hominin skull.
D4500, Homo erectus
Nickname: Dmanisi skull 5
Site: Dmanisi, Georgia
Age: 1.77-1.85Ma
Year Discovered: 2005
Published: Lordkipanidze et al. (2013). A complete skull from Dmanisi, Georgis, and the evolutionary biology of early Homo.
D2280, Homo erectus
Nickname: Dmanisi skull 1
Site: Dmanisi, Georgia
Age: 1.77-1.85Ma
Year Discovered: 1999
Published: Gabounia et al. Discovery of a new hominid at Dmanisi (Transcaucasia, Georgia).
D2282, Homo erectus
Nickname: Dmanisi skull 2
Site: Dmanisi, Georgia
Age: 1.77-1.85Ma
Year Discovered: 1999
Published: Gabounia et al. Discovery of a new hominid at Dmanisi (Transcaucasia, Georgia).
ATD 6-15 & 6-69, Homo antecessor
Nickname: Boy of Gran Dolina
Site: Gran Dolina, Spain
Age: 0.8-1.2Ma
Year Discovered: 1994
Published: Bermudez de Castro et al. (1997). A hominid from the lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: possible ancestor to neanderthals and modern humans.
KNM-ER 42700, Homo erectus
Nickname: NA
Site: Ileret, Kenya
Age: ~1.5Ma
Year Discovered: 2000
Published: Spoor et al. (2007). Implications of new early Homo fossils from Ileret, east of Lake Turkana, Kenya.
KGA10-525, Paranthropus boisei
Nickname: NA
Site: Konso, Ethiopia
Age: ~1.4Ma
Year Discovered: 1993
Published: Suwa et al. (1997). The first skull of Australopithecus boisei.
KNM-WT 40000, Kenyanthropus platyops
Nickname: NA
Site: West Turkana, Kenya
Age: ~3.5Ma
Year Discovered: 1999
Published: Leakey et al. (2001). New hominin genus from eastern Africa shows diverse middle Pliocene lineages.
Kabwe 1, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Rhodesian man
Site: Kabwe, Zambia
Age: 274-324ka
Year Discovered: 1921
Published: Woodward (1921). A new cave man from Rhodesia, South Africa.
Saldanha, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Saldanha man
Site: Saldanha Bay, South Africa
Age: ~500ka
Year Discovered: 1953
Published: Singer (1954). The Saldanha skull from hopefield, South Africa.
Arago 21, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Tautavel, France
Age: ~450ka
Year Discovered: 1971
Published: de Lumley (1971). Découverte de restes humains anténéandertaliens datés du début de Riss á la Caune de l'Arago (Tautavel, Pyrénées-Orientales).
Steinheim, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Steinheim, Germany
Age: 250-350ka
Year Discovered: 1933
Published: Berckhemer (1936). Der Urmenschenschädel aus den zwischeneiszeitlichen Fluss-Schottern von Steinheim an der Murr.
Petralona 1, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Petralona, Greece
Age: 150-350ka
Year Discovered: 1960
Published: Hemmer (1972). Notes sur la position phylétique de l’homme de Petralona.
Bodo, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Middle Awash, Ethiopia
Age: ~600ka
Year Discovered: 1976
Published: Conroy et al. (1978). A newly discovered fossil hominid skull from the Afar depression, Ethiopia.
Florisbad, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Florisbad skull
Site: Florisbad, South Africa
Age: 224-294ka
Year Discovered: 1932
Published: Dreyer et al. (1935). A description of the skull with an account of the endocranial cast by Dr. C. U. Ariens Kappers .
Ndutu, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Ndutu cranium
Site: Lake Ndutu, Tanzania
Age: 410-490ka
Year Discovered: 1973
Published: Clarke (1976). New cranium of Homo erectus from Lake Ndutu, Tanzania
Maba, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Maba man
Site: Maba, China
Age: 130-300ka
Year Discovered: 1958
Published: Wu & Peng (1959). Fossil human skull of early Paleoanthropic stage found at Mapa, Shaoquan, Kwantung Province.
Atapuerca 5, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Miguelón
Site: Atapuerca, Spain
Age: ~460ka
Year Discovered: 1992
Published: Arsuaga et al. (1993). Three new human skulls from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site in Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain.
Dali, Homo sp. (erectus, heidelbergensis, sapiens)
Nickname: Dali man
Site: Dali County, Shaanxi, China
Age: 240-280ka
Year Discovered: 1978
Published: Wang et al. (1979). Discovery of the fossil Dali Man in Shaanxi Province and the preliminary study.
Galilee/Zuttiyeh, Homo heidelbergensis
Nickname: Galilee man
Site: Upper Galilee, Isreal
Age: 200-500ka
Year Discovered: 1925
Published: Turville-Pétre (1927). Researches in Prehistoric Galilee.
Saccopastore 1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Rome, Italy
Age: 1929
Year Discovered: 100-130ka
Published: Sergi (1929). La scoperta di un cranio del tipo di Neanderthal presso Roma.
Tabun C1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Mount Caramel, Israel
Age: 50-122ka
Year Discovered: 1937
Published: Garrod & Bate (1937). The Stone Age of Mount Carmel. I Excavations at the Wadi El-Mughara.
Pech de l’Azé I, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: Pech I
Site: Pech de l’Azé, France
Age: 60-90ka
Year Discovered: 1909
Published: Capitan & Peyrony (1909). Deux squelettes humains au milieu de foyers de l'époque moustérienne.
Teshik-Tash 1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Bajsuntau, Uzbekistan
Age: ~79ka
Year Discovered: 1938
Published: Okladnikov (1949) Investigations of the Mousterian site and the Neanderthal burial at the Teshik-Tash grotto, South Uzbekistan (Central Asia).
Dederiyeh 2, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Dederiyeh, Syria
Age: 50-70ka
Year Discovered: 1993
Published: Akazawa et al. (1995). Neanderthal infant burial from Dederiyeh cave in Syria.
La Ferrassie 1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: La Ferrassie Cave, France
Age: 50-70ka
Year Discovered: 1909
Published: Boule (1911-1913). L'homme fossile de la Chapelle aux Saints.
Gibraltar 1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Forbes' Quarry, Gibraltar
Age: 45-70ka
Year Discovered: 1848
Published: Flint (1984). Presentation at Gibraltar Scientific Society.
Shanidar 1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: Nandy
Site: Shanidar, Iraq
Age: 35-35ka
Year Discovered: 1957
Published: Solecki (1957). Shanidar Cave.
La Quina 18, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: La Quina Rock Shelter, France
Age: ~65ka
Year Discovered: 1915
Published: MacCurdy (1922). New discoveries of neanderthal man at La Quina and La Ferrassie.
La Quina 5, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: La Quina Rock Shelter, France
Age: ~65ka
Year Discovered: 1911
Published: Martin (1911). Sur un squelette humain de l’époque moustérienne trouvé en Charente.
La Chapelle-aux-Saints, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: The Old Man
Site: La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France
Age: ~60ka
Year Discovered: 1908
Published: Boule (1911-1913). L'homme fossile de la Chapelle aux Saints.
Amud 1, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: Amud man
Site: Wadi Amud, Israel
Age: 1961
Year Discovered: 1961
Published: Suzuki et al. (1970). The Amud man and his cave site.
Saint-Césaire, Homo neanderthalensis
Nickname: NA
Site: Saint-Césaire, France
Age: ~36ka
Year Discovered: 1979
Published: Lévêque et al. (1980). Paléontologie humaine: Découverte de restes humaines dans un niveau Castelperronien à Saint-Césaire (Charente Maritime).
Skhūl V, Homo sapiens
Nickname: NA
Site: Mount Caramel, Israel
Age: 80-120ka
Year Discovered: 1932
Published: Garrod et al. (1937). The Stone Age of Mount Carmel. Volume I: Excavations at the Wady El-Mughara. Volume II: The Fossil Human Remains from the Levalloiso-Mousterian.
Qafzeh VI, Homo sapiens
Nickname: NA
Site: Jebel Qafzeh, Israel
Age: ~100ka
Year Discovered: 1933
Published: Vallois & Vandermeesch (1975). The Mousterian skull of Qafzeh (Homo VI): an anthropological study.
Jebel Irhoud 1, Homo sapiens
Nickname: NA
Site: Jebel Irhoud, Morocco
Age: ~300ka
Year Discovered: 1961
Published: Ennouchi (1968). Le deuxième crâne de l’homme d’Irhoud.
Nglaloba LH 18, Homo sapiens
Nickname: NA
Site: Laetoli, Tanzania
Age: ~120ka
Year Discovered: 1976
Published: Magori & Day (1983). Laetoli Hominid 18: an early Homo sapiens skull.
Zhoukoudian, Homo erectus
Nickname: Peking man, Zhoukoudian
Site: Zhoukoudian cave, China
Age: 400 – 780 ka
Year Discovered: 1921
Published: Weidenreich (1943). The skull of Sinanthropus pekinensis: a comparative study on a primitive hominid skull.
LB-1, Homo floresiensis
Nickname: The Hobbit
Site: Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia
Age: ~80ka
Year Discovered: 2003
Published: Brown et al. (2004). A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia.
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