Anthropological 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

South American cannibals, 16th century
South American cannibals. 16th-century artwork of indigenous people of South American dismembering and roasting their slain enemies

Homo erectus, Java Man cranium (Sangiran 17) cast
Lateral view of partially reconstructed cranium of Homo erectus Java Man about 700, 000 years old known as Sangiran 17. Discovered by Towikromo in 1969

Hylobates sp. Pongo pygmaeus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gori
Gibbon, orangutan, chimpanzee, gorilla and human. Evidence as to Mans Place in Nature. Illustration published in Mans Place in Nature, Vol. 7 from a collection of essays by Thomas Henry Huxley, 1863

Australopithecus afarensis
Illustration by Maurice Wilson of extinct African hominids (Australopithecus afarensis) living 3-4 million years ago. They walked upright, although they retained the ability to climb trees

Homo heidelbergensis in action
A reconstructed scene by Angus McBride showing Homo erectus killing an elephant. Homo heidelbergensis lived for about 1.5 million years and is believed to have used sophisticated tools

Female Homo habilis. Artists impression of a female Homo habilis holding her young and plucking fruit from a tree. H. habilis was an ancestor of modern humans that lived between around 2.1

Australopithecus boisei. Artists impression of the skull and head of an Australopithecus boisei, a hominid that lived in Africa between about 2.3 to 1.3 million years ago

Cave painting, artwork
Cave painting. Artwork of human figures painted on the wall of a cave, including scenes of cooking, drinking, fighting, and social interaction

Stephen Gould, US palaeontologist
Stephen Gould. Caricature of the US palaeontologist, evolutionary biologist, science historian and author Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) holding a collection of his essays called The Pandas Thumb

Stone Age carving, Magdalenian culture C014 / 2411
Stone Age carving, Magdalenian culture. This object, carved from reindeer antler, shows a bison turning its head, possibly to lick an insect bite

Ardipithecus ramidus landscape. Artwork of Ardipithecus ramidus male and female hominids (right) climbing a fallen branch and standing in an African forest during the Pliocene. A

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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.