Interactive atlas
Where the bones were found
Pins are coloured by the kind of hominin each site is famous for. Toggle a category on or off, click a pin for the highlights, then follow the link to read more. Click the map to enable scroll-zoom.
Why the map looks like this
A biased scatter of luck and preservation
Fossils only survive where geology cooperates — alkaline caves, volcanic ash, drying lake margins. East Africa's Rift Valley and South Africa's dolomite caves dominate the early record; Europe's limestone caves over-represent the Neanderthals. The blank spaces on this map are as much about preservation and excavation history as about where our ancestors actually lived.
Prefer a list? Every mapped site links to a fuller account: