Discussion essay in anthropological topic Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion in anthropological topic - Essay Example The Homo habilis were the earliest of the genus Homo. The transition from Homo habilis to erectus came along with some cultural and physical changes (Grine & Fleagle, 2009).Their body size increased considerably, most likely due to the climate changes and a higher intake of protein from meat. Further, their body proportions were altered, arm length reduced, and the length of legs increased to mirror a more contemporary form of bipedalism. Homo erectus brains were larger reflecting greater intelligence, which enabled them to use refined tools or the Acheulian tools. Such tools were for scavenging and hunting. Homo erectus were the first species to move out of Africa, with their fossil remains discovered in Europe and Asia, showing that this migration came shortly after their first appearance. This can be dated between 1.8 million and a million B.C. They were capable of some speech, although not close to modern language and likely had no grammar. Generally, Homo erectus are often said to have existed until up to 250,000 B.C, and its fossils dated as late as 10,000 B.C. (Nunn, 2011). The species that existed between approximately 500,000 and after 100,000 B.C are referred to as â€Å"archaic Homo sapiens,† a transitional process from the Homo erectus. The â€Å"archaic Homo sapiens† existed in Africa, parts of Asia like China, and Germany and Belgium in Europe. They could deal with cold better that the rectus. Several names have been identified with these transitional forms, usually in relation to where the fossils were discovered. However, the Homo neanderthalensis or the Neanderthals who were the cold-adapted European varieties of the archaic Homo sapiens, were the dominant ones (Grine & Fleagle, 2009). The question of how precisely to classify the Neanderthals relates to the mater of whether they had the ability to interbreed with modern Homo sapiens. Thus, to refer to them as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis would