Out of Africa Evidence

Australopithecus - 2-4 Million Years Ago

Characteristics

• One of the Earliest Bi-Peidals in africa
• 1/3 of our brain size
• Tree dweling creatures 
• Had the ability to walk on 2 legs but could still walk on all 4's
• Developed a verticle spine which ennabled them to walk upright
• Bodies were still covered in fur
• Used simplistic tools (oldowan tools - Pebbles)
• Large teeth for crunching roots

Homo Erectus - 1.5 million years ago

• Long legs - For running
• Long narrow twisting waist - For running
• Gluteus maximus - For running
• Fur replaced by sweat glands and fine hair - For running
• Bi-peidalism - Frees up hands for tool making, Further vision, 
• Thumbs turn strong and hands become more dextrous - Aposable thumbs
• Cranial capacity increased
• Developed shorter guts because of the high protein diet
• eyes faced forwards to see on coming predators
• could out run predators using the developments above because we could run for longer because of sweat glands cooling us down. 
• rapid brain development which caused for much more protien 
• Smaller teeth because no longer need to chew roots

Homo Heidelbergensis - 700,000 - 200,000 YA

• Some of the earliest known sophisticated tool makers (mode 2)
• projecting face
• flat forehead
• massive lower jaw (no chin)
• thick skull walls
• large browridges
• bigger brain (more cognitive thinking)
• less angular back (even more veticle)
• gained a "foothold" in europe

Evidence of homo-heidelbergensis was found at boxgrove - Links to use of achulean and ovate hand axes (mode 2) 

Also contains evidence of butchery and hunting with the punctured shoulder blade of a wild horse

Neanderthals - 200,000 - 28,000 YA

• Adapted to winter climates
• Short
• Stocky
• Thick and short limbs
• More heavily built than homo sapiens
• Boies conserved energy
• Used mode 3 tools - Flake technology - Le vellois (turtle shell)
• They also used thrusting spears rather than throwing spears (suited to hunting in woodlands) 
• very specialised to specific climate