Permanent Exhibition
Gallery of Humankind - Our evolution
A branched evolution
Human evolution is not linear. It is branched, with numerous splits and crossings. Among the 25 exhibited species, we can find some celebrities: Toumaï, Sahelanthropus tchadensis (the oldest bipedal), Lucy the Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis (one of the first artisans), Homo georgicus (the first hominid outside Africa), the Spy Man, a Belgian Homo sapiens neanderthalensis... Compare yourself to the 15 life-size 3D reconstructions!
We belong to the only remaining species of humans, Homo sapiens (our closest living relatives are the great apes). Interactive displays illustrate four adaptations that have marked our long evolution: the emergence of upright walking, the increasingly efficient and precise use of hands, the development of the brain, and the reduction in the size of teeth.
- Ideal from 10 years old
- Approximately 2 hours
- Included in the entry ticket
- Points 9 and 10 on the map
Remarkable Elements
The stone of Chaleux
This engraved stone is the most famous piece of Belgian portable artwork from the Upper Palaeolithic. Large herbivore mammals are depicted on both sides.
Spy Man, a Belgian Neanderthal
In 1886, three fragmentary Neanderthal skeletons, prehistoric tools and the remains of extinct animals were uncovered in Spy, Belgium...
