Aramis , site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Awash River Valley in the Afar region in Ethiopia , known for its 4.4-million-year-old fossils of Ardipithecus ramidus was found in 1992 and named in 1994.
Britannica Quiz Destination Africa:Fact or Fiction? Is Africa's northernmost point further north than Europe's southernmost point? See if your geographical knowledge points north or south on this journey through Africa. Ardipithecus is one of the earliest well-documented examples resembling what is known of the most recent common ancestor of humans and African monkeys would expect . It shares some important evolutionary novelties with later hominins (members of the human lineage):although its skull and teeth are quite apeloid, the upper canine teeth are less prominent and have a shape which more closely resembles that of later species. Also, the base of the skull is shorter than that of apes and more closely resembles that of hominins, found later in the human evolution . Animal fossils found at the site imply a closed forest habitat.
Aramis is about 100 km south of Hadar where others Australopith remains have been discovered. About 10km west of Aramis are the remains of Ardipithecus kadabba , which was dated 5.2 to 5.8 million years ago. A toe bone recovered from this age group differs from that of monkeys and has a diagnostically human-like shape, indicative of upright walking (bipedalism). This is part of the evidence collected supporting the hypothesis confirm the originally from Charles Darwin and other 19th-century evolutionists suggested that bipedalism preceded most other transformations in the human lineage.