The First Entry into

the Cul-de-sac

The dating of materials associated with these areas suggests a migration of Homo erectus into each area after 900,000 years ago. European fossil finds are rare, but it appears that central Europe was populated around 730,000 years ago. Most of what we know comes from archaeological remains. The diagnostic Acheulean hand axe has been found in various places in Europe and is a hallmark tool for both Africa and Europe for the next half a million years.

Here we can view a QuickTime movie that allows us to view the potential pathway between African Homo Erectus and the arch-type for African archaic Homo sapiens from Kabwe (also referenced as Broken Hill.) Note the gradual expansion of the skull upwards and forward. This transition lacks the pulling out of the face typical of European Neanderthals. [These fossils have been scaled.]

This QuickTime movie enables us to view the potential pathway between African and European H. erectus hominids. This movie takes us from a stage at about 2.0 million years ago with an early H. erectus from Africa (Koobi Fora specifically) and morphs into a late H. erectus or possibly an archaic H. sapiens (from the site of Steinheim in Germany). The Steinheim cranium is about 1100 ml in size and dates to about 500,000 years ago. [These fossils have been scaled.]

In Europe, there are fossil finds that provide clues for the evolution of hominids from the time of Steinheim (to the left) for the next 400,000 years. Key fossils include Steinheim, Swanscombe, Arago and Petralona. Steinheim has a skull that is rounder and thinner than that found in later hominids but it has a forehead that is low and narrow with a strong brow ridge and occipital like those of Neandertals. Arago with dates to about 400,000 years ago has a strongly built hip bone more like Homo erectus than Neandertal but shares a number of cranial features with later Neandertals. Petralona (to the right) is reminiscent of African archaic H. sapiens (Kabwe or Broken Hill). It has a large and robust cranium with a thick angular occipital similar to that of H. erectus. The brow ridges are thick like H. erectus and arched like in Neandertals. The cheek bones are inflated and the nose is rather Neanderthal-like. The middle of the face is not prognathic like Neandertal however. The brain size of all of these hominids is larger than H. erectus and extends brain size past the 1200 ml range. There are connections between H. erectus and Neandertals.

Petralona is viewed as a critical transitional form between late H. erectus beginning in Africa to specimens such as Steinheim and Swanscombe to later Neandertals.

ISSUES FOR EXPLORATION:

Ancestral Roots for Europeans?

Relationship between the last Neandertals and Modern Europeans

Neandertals Take a 180 Degree Change

Neandertal DNA

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