Understanding Our Past

This hall is about all of us—about who we are and where we come from. Although the human family originated many millions of years ago, we know a great deal about our remarkable past.  Our history is written in the fossil record and in human DNA. Tracing these lines of evidence, scientists piece together the story of the entire human family, including our species, Homo sapiens. 

A Guide to the Hall

The Spitzer Hall of Human Origins is filled with fossils, films, interactive media, dioramas, ancient artifiacts and more. To explore the hall, consult or print the Exhibition Map in the navigation at left.

DNA

To understand what DNA can tell us about human evolution, turn left as you enter the hall.

Fossils

To learn what fossils can tell us about human evolution, turn right as you enter the hall.

Dioramas

Dioramas featuring early hominids are located in the center of the hall.

Migrations

To learn how our species spread from Africa across the globe, explore the map on the left.

Human Creativity

To explore what makes us human, go to the last room of the hall.

Classroom

The Human Origins Learning lab is located at the back of the hall.

Fossils Tell Us About Human Origins

When it was found in 1856, this fossilized skull fragment did not seem remarkable. But when scientists examined it closely they saw proof that different kinds of humans once lived on Earth, in this case a Neanderthal. The find launched a new scientific field--paleoanthropology, the study of early humans through fossil evidence--and offered ways for us to learn, for the first time, about our ancient human relatives. Thousands more such fossils have since come to light, each one providing further evidence of the complex ancestry of the human species.

A Human Relative?

This fossilized skullcap, along with other associated bones, was discovered by miners in 1856 in a cave in the Neander Valley, Germany. At first, most dismissed it as the remains of a diseased or malformed modern human. But experts later came to a novel, startling conclusion: these were the fossilized bones of an ancient kind of human--a Neanderthal.

Historic Engravings

Soon after its discovery, scientists began comparing the Neanderthal skullcap to known human skulls.