HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS

=Homo heidelbergensis= [image:http://i.imgur.com/AyuH1U0.png?2] ''Homo heidelbergensis'' are a diverse group which have features of both Homo erectus and modern humans. They have a larger cranial capacity than ''erectus'', averaging about 1200cm^3^ (but ranging from 1100–1400 cm^3^). The skull is more rounded than an ''erectus'' skull. The skeleton and teeth are usually less robust than erectus, but more robust than modern humans. Many still have large brow ridges and receding foreheads and chins. ''Homo heidelbergensis'' are most likely likely descendants of ''Homo ergaster'' that emerged at least 600,000 years ago. They have very similar body features, but the larger cranial capacity (averaging about 1200cm^3^) and more advanced tools / behaviour have led biologists to classify ''Homo heidelbergensis'' as a seperate sepcies. [image:http://i.imgur.com/wYp3IBr.png?1] There is evidence that ''Homo heidelbergensis'' lived in huts and utilised fire. They may have been the first hominid to use stone-tipped spears and there is evidence they hunted large animals such as rhinos, horses and hippos. There is also some evidence that they may have buried their dead (although this is debated). Burrying dead would be an indication of symbolic / abstract thought. Red ochre, a natural, red, earth pigment which can be used as a paint has also been found at some ''heidelbergensis'' sites. It may be possible that art was a part of ''heidelbergensis'' culture. This too would suggest they were capable of some symbolic / abstract thought. [image:http://i.imgur.com/UhVB19q.png?2] Between 300,000 and 400,000 years ago, an ancestral group of ''Homo heidelbergensis'' left Africa. Shorty after leaving they separated into two groups. One group branched northwest into Europe and West Asia, which eventually evolved into Neanderthals. The other group ventured eastwards throughout Asia, eventually developing into the Denisovans. The ''Homo heidelbergensis'' that remained in Africa would later evolve into ''Homo sapiens'' approximately 130,000 years ago.