The whole of Africa was the cradle of humankind. A new study breaks with the paradigm that the cradle of humankind lies in East Africa, based on the archaeological remains found at sites in the region of Ain Hanech (Algeria), the oldest currently known in the north of Africa. New research shows that ancestral hominins actually made stone tools in North Africa that are near contemporary with the earliest known stone tools in East Africa dated to 2.6 million years. Source 8j.
2.8 million years ago is such a huge number, it's almost impossible to understand it. When we talk about humans, we think in the 'thousands'. It's amazing to think about these beings living and surviving millions of years ago, doing things that can compare to what we are doing today.