FIRST MODERN HUMANS: WHERE DID THE FIRST MODERN HUMANS LIVE? WHO WERE NEANDERTHALS AND WHY DID THEY DISAPPEAR? HOW DID MODERN HUMANS REACH OTHER AREAS? FLINT-KNAPPING ABORIGINALS FIND OUT MORE Homo sapiens sapiens(modern humans) first evolved between 200,000 BC and 100,000 BC. They were like us, physically, and had the same brain power. They developed many skills of survival, and advanced FLINT- KNAPPINGtechniques for making better tools. WHERE DID THE FIRST MODERN HUMANS LIVE? Most archaeologists think thatHomo sapiens sapiensfirst lived in Africa, and that our direct ancestor wasHomo habilis(“handy man”), who evolved about 2.5 million years ago. But some believe our ancestor wasHomo ergaster(“work man”), who developed around 1.9 million years ago and settled in different parts of the world. WHO WERE NEANDERTHALS AND WHY DID THEY DISAPPEAR? Like us, Neanderthals are a subspecies ofHomo sapiens(“wise man”). They lived in Europe and Asia from c. 130,000 BC to c. 28,000 BC. The spread of modern humans may have been the cause of their extinction. Neanderthals had larger brains than modern humans. Their short, stocky build and broad nose helped them to conserve body heat in Europe’s chilly Ice Age climate. They relied more on strength than brain power. The first modern humans were tall, and had slender bones, high-domed foreheads, smooth brows, and small jaws. Their muscles were not as well developed as those of the Neanderthals, and their eyesight was weaker. HOW DID MODERN HUMANS REACH OTHER AREAS? Wandering groups of modern humans moved out of Africa, in search of food, around 125,000 BC. They reached other continents via land bridges—areas of seabed left uncovered as the Earth’s water froze during the last Ice Age (c. 70,000 BC to c. 10,000 BC). By c. 28,000 BC, they had replaced all earlier humans—including their close relatives, the Neanderthals. FLINT-KNAPPING Early and modern humans used a technique called flint-knapping to make stone tools. They chipped flakes off one piece of flint (a hard, glassy stone) by striking it with another piece. This required great patience and skill. ABORIGINALSstill practice flint-knapping today. WHAT KINDS OF TOOLS DID EARLY HUMANS USE? Early humans used five main kinds of flint tools—knives for cutting, scrapers for removing flesh from hides, burins (small, pointed tools) for carving, awls for piercing holes, and points or tips for attaching to spears. They also used flint hand-axes for chopping wood and butchering animal carcasses. In late summer and fall, women and children gathered large quantities of nuts, fruits, and berries, then dried them over fires to preserve them for the winter. Archaeologists have found remains of food preserved 12,000 years ago. ABORIGINALS Aboriginals, also known as indigenous Australians, were the earliest inhabitants of Australia. Until the 20th century, they followed a lifestyle similar to that of earlier humans. Their skills helped archaeologists understand evidence about the distant past. HOW DID ABORIGINALS SURVIVE? In 10,000 BC, sea levels around Australia rose and Aboriginal people were forced to move farther inland, where conditions were harsh. To survive, they used fire to clear bushland so that wild food plants could grow, hunted kangaroos with boomerangs, wove traps for fish, and dug grubs from deep underground.