Chapter 2 Early Hominids
Name of
Hominid
Who was
Hominid
discovered
by?
Where did the
Hominid Live?
When did the
Hominid Live?
Australopithecus
Afarensis or
Southern Ape from
the Afar Triangle
where Lucy was
found
Anthropologist
in Africa named
Donald Johnson
at Afar Triangle
Africa
3 to 4 million
years ago
Homo Habilis or
Handy Man
Louis and Mary
Leakey while
searching for
evidence of
early humans in
Africa
Africa
1.5 to 2 million
years ago
Homo Erectus or
Upright Man
1891 by a Dutch
man named
Eugene Dubois
while searching
for artifacts on
the island of
Java
Migrated out of
Africa into Asia
and Europe
1.8 million to
200,000 BC and
around longer
than other
hominid groups
What does the body of
this Hominid look like
(What makes it different
from previous hominids)?
Capabilities or Skills of Hominid
Short about 3 feet tall, mix of
ape and human features, arms
were long but hands and feet
similar to modern human,
large head and forehead and
jaw stuck out from face, brain
one third the size of ours so
did not create tools and many
believe did not speak
Combination of ape and
human features, walked on
two feet, taller than Lucy or
previous hominid, larger
brain, more advanced due to
having to decide on tools,
plan and craft or create the
tool, live better and longer
than previous group due to
ability to make tools, dug
traps for small animals to eat
Stood up straight, Made for
traveling, Taller and thinner
than earlier groups with some
height of modern humans,
bones strong, good walkers
and runners, face closer than
previous groups, foreheads
round and smooth but still
large ridge above eyes,
thicker skull, and jaw that
stuck out
Biped who walked on two feet,
allowed hands free to gather and
carry food easier, use hands to
defend themselves and children
Lived in groups that helped them
survive due to protection against
animal attacks and collected food
over larger areas, create tools
including chopping tools, sharp
pieces of stone for cutting, and
animal bones for digging
Larger brains than previous so
created more complex tools,
including axes made of stone, used
fire to cook animal meat, ate more
meat than earlier not sure if
hunted or found dead animals to
eat, sat and slept on animal skins,
moved from place to place
creating shelter and warmth by
fire so lived in colder areas
Homo Sapiens
(Wise Man)
Neanderthalensis
1856 by some
mine workers in
Germany’s
Neander Valley
Africa, Near East,
Europe and Parts
of Asia
230,000 to 30,000
years ago but
lived with modern
humans for about
10,000 years (no
one knows why
don’t exist)
Thick bones and ridge above
eyes, walked upright, shorter
and stockier than modern
humans but also much
stronger, large brains
Homo Sapien
Sapiens or Doubly
Wise Man
First members
of group created
cave painting
found by 8 year
old Spanish girl
Marias in 1879
Originated in
Africa and spread
to Europe, Asia,
and Australia and
migrated to North
and South
America over land
bridges
35,000 to 12,000
BC
Made tools for engraving and
sculpting, better hunter than
earlier groups due to tools,
created hooks and spears to
catch fish, spear thrower and
bow and arrow so could kill
from far away so hunting
safer, painted on walls of
caves, carved images with
clay and bone and other
materials, pictures of lives,
imaginations, used paint to
express themselves, teach
children, and for religious
purposes, developed complex
language to talk
Created 60 types of tools including
knives, scrapers, and spear points,
learned to make sharp and thin
blades, lived and traveled in
groups which helped survive
longer, cared for one another and
sense of ritual, worked together in
order to surround and kill animals
for food, cared for injured and sick,
learned from wisdom and
experience of elders
High round skulls, large brains,
small teeth, slender bones but
bodies not fit for the cold but
survived due to better tools,
shelter and clothing