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## The Evolution of Man ### Homo Erectus * **Appeared:** 1.5 million years ago * **Evolved from:** *Homo habilis* * **Characteristics:** * Erect posture * Protruding jaws * Projecting brow ridges * Small canines and large molar teeth * Cranial capacity of about 900 cc * Pr...

## The Evolution of Man ### Homo Erectus * **Appeared:** 1.5 million years ago * **Evolved from:** *Homo habilis* * **Characteristics:** * Erect posture * Protruding jaws * Projecting brow ridges * Small canines and large molar teeth * Cranial capacity of about 900 cc * Probably ate meat * Made more elaborate tools * Hunted big game * Possibly knew the use of fire **Fossils:** 1. **Java Ape-man:** Discovered in 1891 by Eugene Dubois in central Java (Island of Indonesia). Eugene Dubois named it as *Pithecanthropus erectus*. *Pithecanthropus* means "ape man". Mayer in 1950 assigned it as *Homo erectus*. * Body: 1.65 to 1.75 meters tall. * Possibly the first prehistoric man to make use of fire for hunting, defense, and cooking 2. **Peking Man:** Discovered by W.C. Pei (1924) in lime stone caves of Choukoutien near Peking (Beijing). Named it *Sinanthropus*. Davidson Black (1927) named it *Sinanthropus pekinensis*. Mayer (1950) renamed it as *Homo erectus pekinensis* (a subspecies). * Body: 1.55 to 1.60 meters tall. * Slightly shorter and weaker than the Java Ape-man. * Greater understanding of using fire. 3. **Heidelberg man:** Also named *Homo erectus heidelbergensis*. Discovered in Heidelberg, Germany. ### True Men * **Gap:** There is a 50,000-year gap in the fossil record of man's evolution. 1. **Neanderthal Man:** ( *Homo sapiens neanderthalensis*) * Discovered: First obtained from Neander Valley, Germany by C. Fuhlrott (1856). Later many other fossils were excavated in various countries by different paleontologists. * Characteristics: * Slightly prognathous face (a forward projecting face and jaws) * Walked upright * Low brows * Receding jaws * High domed heads * Cranial capacity: 1400 cubic centimeters * Lived: 40,000 years ago * Adaptable but true predators. * Made tools, clothing, and illuminated campsites. 2. **Cro-Magnon man:** (*Homo sapiens fossilis*) * Discovered: 1868 in Cro-Magnon, France, by MacGregor. * Emerged: About 34,000 years ago. * Considered an ancestor of modern man. * Characteristics: * Well-built body * Orthognathous jaws * Moderate brow ridge * Man-like dentition * More intelligent * Lived in families * Omnivorous * Used stone, bone, and other materials. * Created paintings 11,000 years ago. 3. **The Living Modern Man** * Developed: About 18,000 years ago. * Seen: Bhimbetka rock shelter. * Characteristics: * Thinning skull cap * Average cranial capacity: 1450 cc * Believed to have originated from the Mediterranean seas. * Developed agriculture.