Modern humans, Homo sapiens, are now the only surviving member of the Homo genus. It is almost inconceivable to us that we walked alongside other human species, but as the science of archaeology has progressed and more findings have been made it has become clear that the Homo genus was once rife with different species.
Since the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species in 1859 there has been great interest in piecing together our family tree. Fossil hominids like Lucy the Australopithecus and Java Man have helped us to fill in some of the blanks, but as more and more remains of extinct human species have been discovered we are starting to understand that the history of our ancestors and how they evolved is not as simple as previously believed. Our family tree is now filled with not only direct ancestors like Homo habilis and Homo erectus, but also cousins and distant relatives like Homo neanderthalensis and Homo denisova.
Despite the discoveries of so many extinct human species, there are still gaps in the picture. Although we have remains and evidence of some species, we still know very little about them.
Facial reconstruction of the Heidelberg man based on the Kabwe skull displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. (Tim1965 / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Homo Heidelbergensis – The Heidelberg Man
This extinct human ancestor walked the earth about 600,000 years ago in Africa, parts of Asia, and Europe. They are believed to be the direct ancestor of Neanderthals, and some archaeologists even argue that they are “archaic” or “early” Neanderthals. Heidelberg man was exceptionally tall at an average height of five feet nine inches tall, but also intelligent. They used stone tipped spears made from obsidian to hunt and butcher large prey and may be the first species of Homo to intentionally bury their dead.
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Featured Image: Homo heidelbergensis at the Rama 9 Museum in Bangkok, Thailand. Source: Akkharat J. / Adobe Stock
By Sarah P. Young