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Archaic Homo sapiens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Archaic Homo sapiens refers generally to the earliest members of the species Homo sapiens. Fossils categorized as Archaic homo sapiens have many of the same features as modern humans with general tendencies toward features of earlier Hominid species.
Archaic Homo sapiens lived during the Mindel and Riss glacial periods (and perhaps far earlier) of the Middle Pleistocene (300,000 to 30,000 B.P.). They were seemingly well adapted to different environmental stresses, as evidenced by the wide distribution of their tool and fossil remains. Their brains were larger than those of Homo erectus, and were comparable in size to those of modern humans.
There is some debate about whether Homo heidelbergensis or Homo neanderthalensis should in fact be classified as Homo sapiens. Some anthropologists hold that although they do have some anatomical similarities, they are not in fact of the species sapiens. They suggest that these different groups of hominids should be designated as their own, separate species. The earliest undisputed presence of H. sapiens is ascertained from ca. 160,000 BP with Homo sapiens idaltu. The most recent common matrilineal ancestor of humans alive today lived at about that time as well (ca. 150,000 BP).
Popular culture abounds with depictions of early humans, often referring to them as cave men or Cro-magnons.
Source: Kottak, Conrad Phillip. Windows on Humanity: A Concise Introduction to Anthropology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. ISBN 0-07-035907-5
Sahelanthropus tchadensis • Orrorin tugenensis • Ardipithecus
Australopithecus: A. anamensis • A. afarensis • A. bahrelghazali • A. africanus • A. garhi
Paranthropus: P. aethiopicus • P. boisei • P. robustus
Homo: H. habilis • H. rudolfensis • H. georgicus • H. ergaster • H. erectus (H. e. lantianensis • H. e. palaeojavanicus • H. e. pekinensis • H. e. soloensis) • H. cepranensis • H. antecessor • H. heidelbergensis • H. neanderthalensis • H. rhodesiensis • H. floresiensis • Homo sapiens (H. s. idaltu • H. s. sapiens)