Early Hominids
Nickname
Time Period
Australopithecus
Afarensis
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
Homo Sapiens
Neanderthalensis
Homo Sapiens
Southern Ape
Handy Man
Upright Man
Neanderthal
Doubly Wise Man
3 – 4 million years
1.5 – 2 million years
1.8 mil – 200,000 BCE
230,000 – 30,000 BCE
35,000 – 12,000 B.C.E
3ft tall
Physical Trait
Hominids are prehistoric humans or human-like ancestors
Big head with a small
brain (1/3 ours)
Jaw stuck out
More human than
Lucy but still had apelike features
Brain twice as big as
Lucy’s
Taller and thinner
Thick bones and eye
than Lucy and Handy ridge
Man
Short and stocky but
Round, smooth
very strong
forehead; Thick skull
and brow ridge
Large brain
High, round skull with
a large brain
Developed complex
language
Small teeth and
slender bones; not built
for the cold
Long arms
Discoveries/
Advancements
Biped = walked on two
feet
Made stone tools for
chopping and cutting
Made complex tools
such as axes
Hands free to carry
things and to defend
Worked together for
protection and
hunting
Used/controlled fire
Built huts
Skilled makers of over
60 tools such as
knives, scrapper, and
spear points
Survived due to ability
to create better tools,
Could grunt and make shelter, and clothing
sounds
Painted cave walls
Had a sense of
community