The power of feelings, ambitions, sense of beauty and religions make human beings different from the simple organisms that first appeared on the earth.
The Earth has a 4.6 billion year history. However, Archaic Homo Sapiens (Modern Humans) evolved between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago. Humans evolved from the family Hominid (great apes), that existed on earth around 20 million years ago. Unlike today, there were different human species that existed on earth. However, the characteristics of these human species are different. Not all species of humans survived the journey. Many of them became extinct. The only species left in the human race is our ancestor Homo Sapiens.
The possibility of humans being linked to the apes came after the publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” in 1859. He first pointed out that, every species has emerged from an earlier one. Later, two scientist Thoman Huley and Richard Owen supported him. Huxley published a book in 1863 entitled “The Evidence as to Man’s Place in Nature.” Even though there were several views and theories by various scientists, the major problem was the proof – the lack of fossil intermediaries. Eugene Dubois discovered the first fossil intermediary in 1891 at Trinil proving that there were species between humans and apes. He proclaimed his finding as Pithecanthropus Erectus or Java man. Today, humans are classified as Homo Erectus (humans that stand upright). Additional fossils were discovered in Africa in 1920. The study of the evolution of Humans began thereafter. Here is the list of 7 Homo species that existed on Earth throughout history.
7. Homo Heidelbergensis
Homo Heidelbergensis
Homo Heidelbergensis lived on earth between 700,000 to 200,000 years ago. They emerged from Africa. The Heidelbergensis male was about 175cm tall and weighed around 136 lbs, whereas the female average height was 157 cm tall and weighed 112 lbs. They had a large brain case with a flatter face than that today’s humans. They were the first human species that were adaptable to colder climates. They were also widely known for their ability to hunt large animals, which was not seen in the human species before them. They were the first human species to build their own living shelter.