Engis 2

Exhibit Item
Site: Awirs Cave, Engis, Belgium
Year of Discovery:
Discovered by: Philippe-Charles Schmerling
Age: Age uncertain
Species: Homo neanderthalensis
3D Scans

First Neanderthal ever found

This child Neanderthal's skull was found in 1829, 30 years before Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species". However, it was not recognized as an early human fossil until decades later.

3/4 view of Homo neanderthalensis, Engis 2 skull
(Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution)