The First Humans

There has been life on Earth for some 4 billion years, but the first human like creatures appeared about 7 million years ago. These ‘man-apes’ came down from the trees in which they had lived, like other primates. They walked on two legs and learned how to use tools.

The Toumai skull found in Chad, in Africa, in 2002 may be from the oldest human-like creature known. Some scientists think it is 7 million years old. The oldest fossil dates from about 4 million years ago, when the Australopithecines lived in Africa. The most complete skeleton of an Australopithecus was found in Ethiopia in 1974. The individual, nicknamed ‘Lucy’, died about 3 million years ago, aged about 40. She was as tall as a 10-year-old human.

FIRE

People first made fire by striking two flints together. Fire gave them protection from wild animals, allowed them to cook food, and provide heat and light.

The first true human beings known as Homo habilis (Latin for ‘handy man’), appeared about 2.5 million years ago. They had bigger brains and made tools from sticks and stones. A million years later another species, known as Homo erectus (‘upright man’) had appeared and gradually spread out of Africa into Europe and Asia. These early humans made better tools (for hunting), built shelters and also used fire.

Many scientists believe that modern humans, Homo sapiens (‘wise man’), evolved from these hominids. Two of these human species lived side by side: Neanderthal people and modern people. However, by about 20,000 years ago the Neanderthals had died out, and modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, were living on all of the continents.