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| The genus Homo, characterized by a larger brain, smaller teeth and face, and increased reliance on stone tool technology, appeared first in Africa by 2.3 million years ago. Fossils from two species, Homo habilis and Homo erectus, date to at least 1.9 million years ago, although H. habilis may be older. Some anthropologists argue that the fossil material assigned to H. habilis includes a third species, Homo rudolfensis. H. habilis is associated with a simple stone tool technology known as the Oldowan tradition. The species Homo erectus is the ancestor of later humans. It appeared first in Africa by 1.9 million years ago and rapidly spread to parts of Southeast Asia and eastern Europe between 1.8 million and 1.6 million years ago. Some H. erectus populations may have survived until as recently as about 40,000 years ago. H. erectus showed signs of cranial expansion (the average brain size was roughly 69 percent that of modern humans). The skull of H. erectus is lower than that of modern humans and protrudes more. The postcranial skeleton of H. erectus is similar to that of modern humans in having relatively long legs capable of long-distance walking. The cultural adaptations of H. erectus included development of more sophisticated tools (the Acheulian tradition) and the addition of significant amounts of meat to the diet, although it appears that more of the meat came from scavenging than from hunting. H. erectus is associated with the use of fire at some sites and appears to have cooked its food. It is not clear, however, whether H. erectus could actively make fire. |