Illustrator signature must be included in all reproductions Stages in human evolution, illustration. From left to right are: Australopithecus afarensis, which lived in East Africa 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago; Australopithecus africanus, which lived in southern Africa 3.3 to 2.1 million years ago; Paranthropus robustus, which lived in southern Africa around 2.2 to 1 million years ago; Paranthropus boisei, which lived in East Africa around 2.3 to 1.2 million years ago; Homo habilis, which lived in East Africa around 2 to 1.6 million years ago; Homo erectus, which lived in Africa and Asia between 1.9 million and 143,000 years ago; archaic Homo sapiens; Homo neanderthalensis, which lived in Europe and western Asia between 230,000 and 29,000 years ago; finally a Homo sapiens, or modern human.