Australopithecus reconstruction
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Australopithecus reconstruction
Australopithecus reconstruction. Head and neck of the early hominid (Australopithecus, from 4-2 million years ago), as reconstructed by Dart in 1926. Dart discovered the first Australopithecus specimen in Taung, South Africa, in 1924. In this reconstruction, a thick adult neck is used, though the Taung specimen was considered to be a child. Such reconstructions were used to help decide the question of whether Australopithecus was an early hominid (somewhere between an ape and a human, Darts theory) or an ape (Keiths theory). It is now considered an early hominid, but with a brain not much larger than that of a chimpanzee. A human brain is much larger. Artwork from New Discoveries relating to The Antiquity of Man (Sir Arthur Keith, 1931)
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Media ID 6372323
© SHEILA TERRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
1900s 1924 1931 Ancestor Anthropological Anthropology Australopithecus Africanus Controversy Dart Early 20th Century Early Human Evolution Evolutionary Biology Fossil Man Hominid Hominids Human Evolution Neck Palaeoanthropology Paleoanthropology Profile Reconstructed Reconstruction The Antiquity Of Man Palaeontology Sir Arthur Keith
EDITORS COMMENTS
This print showcases the meticulous reconstruction of an Australopithecus, a remarkable early hominid that roamed the Earth between 4 to 2 million years ago. The head and neck of this ancient ancestor were painstakingly recreated by Dr. Raymond Dart in 1926, based on his groundbreaking discovery of the first Australopithecus specimen in Taung, South Africa two years prior. Intriguingly, this particular reconstruction features a thick adult neck despite the fact that the original Taung specimen was actually considered to be a child. Such reconstructions played a pivotal role in settling one of anthropology's most heated debates at the time: whether Australopithecus fell somewhere between an ape and a human (Dart's theory) or simply an ape (Keith's theory). Today, it is widely accepted as an early hominid but with a brain size not much larger than that of chimpanzees; significantly smaller than our own. The artwork featured here originates from Sir Arthur Keith's renowned publication "New Discoveries relating to The Antiquity of Man" released in 1931. This profound illustration encapsulates both the historical significance and ongoing controversy surrounding our understanding of human evolution. As we delve into our ancestral past through paleontology and evolutionary biology, images like these serve as powerful reminders of how far we have come in unraveling our own origins while still leaving many mysteries yet to be unraveled.
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