Ancestor Series: Collaborations
Homo ergaster:
Ergaster lived between 1.4 and 1.9 million years ago. Ergaster used a more complex toolset than H. habilis and may have been the first hominin to harness fire.
Homo sapiens:
This particular fossil was found in Brazil and likely belonged to a young woman who lived 11,500 years ago. Scientists have named her Luzia, a reference to the famous Lucy find. The discovery led to a more nuanced understanding of diversity in Paleoamericans.
Homo neanderthalensis:
This skull was found in a quarry in 1848, before the “official” discovery of Neanderthals. Since no one knew what it was, the skull was placed in a cupboard and forgotten about for years.
These specific individuals would never have interacted. The figures are instead placed in a larger context, the influence of their species and individual fossil finds radiating out across thousands of years as part of a larger conversation. This piece depicts the complex interaction of knowledge, culture, social structures, genetic material, and tools: a conversation that we continue to this day.
