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How old are the Ardipithecus ramidus fossils found at Aramis?
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Ardipithecus
Reconstructed frontal view of the skeleton of “Ardi,” a specimen belonging to the early hominid species Ardipithecus ramidus.
The Ardipithecus ramidus fossils discovered at the Aramis site in Ethiopia are dated to approximately 4.4 million years ago.12
These fossils were recovered from sediments situated between two specific volcanic ash horizons, known as the Daam Aatu and Gàala tuffs, which provided the basis for this dating. Among the significant finds at this location is the partial skeleton of an adult female, specimen number ARA-VP-6/500, famously nicknamed "Ardi," which is also dated to 4.4 million years ago.1