The discovery of Proconsul, an early hominid ancestor from the Miocene epoch, was made in East Africa by Louis Leakey and his team. These fossils, dating back over 20 million years, were among the earliest evidence for the divergence of the ape and human lineages. Proconsul was a key find in establishing Africa as the cradle of human evolution and understanding the early stages of the hominid family tree.

The Proconsul discoveries have contributed to a deeper understanding of the deep human past and the evolutionary journey from ape to hominid. These finds have inspired poets to imagine the vast stretches of time involved in human evolution and our connection to all other primates. It has also contributed to a more inclusive vision of humanity's history, one that is rooted in the deep time of the African continent.