Who are we and where did we come from?

This is the question that has puzzled mankind for thousands of years. For most of recorded history each human culture had its own mythology and foundation tales to explain our origins. However it is only in the last 150 years that scientists have begun to uncover our true origins. In 1856 the first partial Neanderthal skull was found in Germany, and three years later Charles Darwin published his book “On the Origin of Species”. Thus scientists began to put together the pieces of the puzzle of our true origins: that we evolved from earlier ape species and that our ancestors had travelled out of Africa to settle on all the continents of the world.

    The purpose of this website is to map the 7 million year journey that our ancestors took from our humble origins as forest dwelling apes in East Africa to the explorers, farmers, inventors, and city builders of today. Each interactive map holds a wealth of knowledge, by clicking on any map feature you can browse pictures and descriptions of important finds that give scientists the clues we need to retrace our epic journey. Enjoy!