Australopithecus Afarensis

The cradle of mankind

In the Oligocene, about 36 million years ago, mammals continued their worldwide triumph. The Miocene, about 25 million years ago, produced not only Deinotherium, the first primaeval elephant, but also those apes from which our first ancestors would evolve millions of years later.

Then, in the Pliocene, about 4 million years ago, the famous missing link between apes and humans appeared on the scene in Africa: Australopithecus Afarensis.

Australopithecus Afarensis was an early hominid. Although it already walked on two legs, it still took refuge in the shelter of trees to sleep when danger threatened.   

Over the course of millions of years, its brain grew, its hand and eye coordination improved, and Australopithecus Afarensis finally took the most important step on the evolutionary path from ape to human: By walking upright, it literally had its hands free and thus learned to use tools. And what was equally important was that it was also able to pass on this acquired ability to its descendants.