Dates
and Geographic Distribution of
Major
Hominoid and Hominid Fossil Groups
| Hominoids |
|
|
|
Dryopiths
|
30-10
|
East
Africa & Europe
|
|
Ramapiths
|
19-7
|
Africa
& Asia & Europe
|
|
Hominids
|
|
|
|
Australopithecines
|
|
Africa
|
|
A.
afarensis
|
3.8-3.0
|
East
Africa
|
|
Robusts
|
|
|
|
A.
robustus
|
3-2?
|
South
Africa
|
|
A.
boisei
|
2.5?-1.2
|
East
Africa
|
|
Graciles
|
|
|
|
A.
africanus
|
3-2?
|
S.
(&E?) Africa
|
|
Homo
|
|
|
|
H.
Habilis
|
2.0-1.6
|
East
Africa
|
|
H.
Erectus
|
1.6-0.3
|
Africa
&Asia &Europe
|
|
H.
Sapiens
|
|
|
|
Earliest
H.S. (including)
|
0.3-.13
(300,000-130,000)
|
Africa
&Asia &Europe
|
|
Archaic
H.S.
|
0.13-0.035
(130,000-35,000)
|
Africa
&Asia &Europe
|
|
Homo
Sapiens
Neanderthalensis |
0.075-0.035
(75,000-35,000)
|
Europe
&Middle East
|
|
Homo
Sapiens
Sapiens |
0.035?-present
(35,000-present
|
worldwide
|
Some
Major Hominid Activities by Period
|
Yrs
Ago
|
Geologic
Period
|
Archeological
Stage
|
Hominid
Group
|
Activity
|
|
1.8m
|
Lower
Pleistocene
|
Lower
Paleolithic
|
Early
Homo to Australopithecus
|
Oldowan
Tools
|
|
700,000
|
Middle
Pleistocene
|
Lower
Paleolithic
|
Homo
Erectus
|
Oldowan/Acheulian
|
|
125,000
|
Upper
Pleistocene
|
Middle
Paleolithic
|
Homo
Erectus & Neandertals
|
Mousterian
Tools human burial w/artifacts
|
|
100,000
|
Upper
Pleistocene
|
Middle
Paleolithic
|
Neandertals
Modern Sapiens
|
Mousterian
etc
|
|
40,000
|
Upper
Pleistocene
|
Lower
Paleolithic
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
Upper
Pleistocene
|
Upper
Paleolithic
|
Neandertals
& Modern Sapiens
|
cave
paintings figurines beads
|
|
30,000
|
Upper
Pleistocene
|
Upper
Paleolithic
|
Neandertals
disappear
|
|
|
10,000
|
Holocene
|
Mesolithic/Neolithic
|
Modern
Sapiens
|
food
production
|
1.Parts
and sub-parts increase
2.Parts
and sub-parts become more functionally specialized
3.More
effective coordinating mechanisms
(ways
to regulate and integrate people in political
system)
appear
4.Population
size increases, along with the range
or
scale of the sociopolitical system (from local to regional to national).