55 8–6 5.8 MYA 5.5 MYA 4 MYA 3.2 MYA 2.7 MYA 2.

5 MYA 2 MYA
million MYA
years
ago
(MYA)

First First Orrorin Ardipithecus, Australopithecines Lucy, famous Paranthropus, Homo Evidence
primitive gorillas tugenensis, early “proto- appear. They have specimen lives in woods habilis appears. of Homo
primates evolve. oldest human” brains no larger of Australopithecus and Its face ergaster,
evolve Later, human shares traits than a afarensis, lives grasslands, protrudes less with a
chimp ancestor with chimps chimpanzee’s – near what is now has massive than earlier brain
and thought to and gorillas, with a volume Hadar, Ethiopia jaws for hominids, but volume
human have and is forest- around 400 – 500 chewing on still retains of up to
many ape
lineages walked on dwelling cm3 -, but walk roots and 850 cm3,
features. Has a
diverge two legs upright on two vegetation. in Africa
brain volume
legs. First human Becomes of around 600
ancestors to live extinct 1.2 cm3
on the savannah MYA Hominids start
to use stone
tools regularly,
created by
splitting
pebbles – this
starts Oldowan
tradition of
toolmaking,
which last a
million years

Some hominids
develop meat-
rich diets as
scavengers, the
extra energy
may have
favoured the
evolution of
larger brains