The assessment of the 4.4-million-year-old animal called Ardipithecus ramidus is reported in the journal Science.
Even if it is not on the direct line to us, it offers new insights into how we evolved from the common ancestor we share with chimps, the team says.
Fossils of A. ramidus were first found in Ethiopia in 1992, but it has taken 17 years to assess their significance.
The most important specimen is a partial skeleton of a female nicknamed "Ardi".
The international team has recovered key bones, including the skull with teeth, arms, hands, pelvis, legs, and feet.
But the researchers have other fragments that may represent perhaps at least 36 different individuals, including youngsters, males, and females.
One of the lead scientists on the project, Professor Tim White from the University of California, Berkeley, said the investigation had been painstaking.
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