Human Evolution in Africa
Human evolution Scientists have repeatedly confirmed that the ancestors of modern humans lived in Africa several million years ago. From there, they began their triumphant march across the entire globe. In the past…
The Evolution of Mankind
Scientists have now repeatedly proven that the ancestors of modern humans lived in Africa several million years ago. From there, they began their triumphant advance across the entire globe. Over the past millions of years, the modern human, who today populates the entire world, evolved from the early humans.
The Connection with Apes
Many questions remain unanswered today, but it is certain that the history of humans began with apes and that both share the same ancestors. The oldest human skull was found in Central Africa, in Chad, and is about seven million years old. It bears a great resemblance to a modern-day chimpanzee skull but already showed some human features. The Australopithecus africanus, the African southern ape, is now considered the oldest genus of humans. It marked the starting point of human evolution. The species lived in the forested areas of what is now South Africa, was very agile, and could climb trees quickly.
On Two Legs
The first early humans who mastered upright walking lived about three to four million years ago. This is evidenced by finds of a well-preserved skeleton named Lucy. Researchers found it in the 1970s in Ethiopia. With upright walking, the ancestors now had their hands free—a tremendous advancement. As finds in Central Africa show, they built their first primitive weapons for hunting or defense against wild animals. A long way had to be traveled to reach this stage of human development, the Homo erectus. From Australopithecus anamensis, the first human-like animal, to Homo erectus, nearly four million years and eight evolutionary stages passed.
The Conquest of the World
For nearly seven million years, the first early humans remained on the African continent. They were already highly developed, could control fire, and were probably able to build seafaring boats. About 100,000 years ago, the ancestors of modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, left the African continent and embarked on a long journey. The reasons for this migration remain unclear. Perhaps they were in search of food. There are even isolated theories suggesting that early humans on the west coast of Africa may have traveled with flippers to Indonesia and even Australia.
From Asia to Europe
From Africa, the ancestors of modern humans first spread across Asia. Gradually, they advanced further into the interior of the continent, eventually reaching Europe. Here, they encountered another genus of humans that had emerged about 200,000 years ago—the Homo neanderthalensis. The African early humans usually confronted the Neanderthals with hostility. To this day, it is not clear why the humans originating from Africa survived in Europe, while the Neanderthals became extinct in Spain around 27,000 years ago. It is suspected that Homo erectus was better adapted to changing living conditions during evolution, as Europe experienced a period of cold winters at the time.
