The Evolution of Neanderthals

For Millions of years, our planet has been floating in space. Millions of creatures have lived on its surface. Many a quaint being was among them, but they affected only our, human imagination, for in the evolutionary struggle we are the only ones who have obtained the advantage of reason. Reaching it was far from easy. Its origin dates back twenty million years to those fruit-eating creatures that lived in African trees called Proconsuls. They romped about in trees, far above terrestrial dangers, feeding on fruit and leaves. Depending on the species, they varied in size from the marmoset to the gorilla.

They hardly cared about the world below. Proconsuls climbed about the branches on all fours and almost exactly resembled the modern-day macaque. Their upper and lower limbs were the same size. They moved leaning on open palms instead of bended fingers. Quite a few fossils of Proconsuls have been found in East Africa. The skull was primitive; the brain small and rather simple, yet the comparatively small size of their muzzle and canine teeth suggests non-aggressiveness – one of the major features that led to reason. But 10 million years ago, a drop in temperature made the African jungle sparse, which rendered it impossible to move from tree to tree via branches. Forced to leave the trees, the descendant of Proconsul – Ardipithecus – began moving on their rear limbs.

Their feet were still prehensile, but with special arches that allowed bipedalism. The nearly complete skeleton of an Ardipithecus named Ardi proves that these creatures were able to walk, albeit not as easily as we do. The arms of Ardipithecus were knee-length, and the hands were half human and half apelike. The first steps were taken to climb the next tree. Ardipithecus didn’t want to leave tree crowns, their habitual homes. They were indeed the intermediate between humans and apes, as all of Ardi’s features mediate entirely apelike and entirely human features. But life moved on. Trees became sparse and Africa turned into a boundless savanna. 4 million years ago new creatures paced in the savanna – gracile Australopithecus.

They were well adjusted to their new home: their way of walking on two legs was not so different from ours. They gathered and ate everything and were able to walk miles on end. They formed cohesive groups which allowed them to repel any danger. Moreover, they were curious. Their skull was still apelike: with an obtrusive muzzle, and receding forehead. At first glance it is hard to detect our features, but the head was held on the upright neck, the canine teeth got smaller and the brain bigger. 3 million years ago Australopithecus afarensis of East Africa evolved into the first humans. 2.5 million years ago our ancestors crossed the Rubicon of brain size – 700 grams.

The first representative of our genus – Homo habilis (‘handy man’). He got his name for a reason – it was Homo habilis who was the first to make stone tools. These primitive choppers made from pebble with a few blows were still real tools for carving meat, whittling wood, defending from predators and killing prey. Man was now armed. Life in the trees was left for good and the savanna promoted forward movement. Perhaps, our love for travel and exploration dates back to those times. The world was perilous, but intelligence made it possible to overcome difficulties. It was not power or aggression but intelligence that protected the first humans.

The skull of Homo habilis is very much like that of Australopithecus, yet the brain size was 600-800 grams now, one and a half times as much as its predecessor’s. The face became smaller. Around 1.5 million years ago a new species appeared – Homo ergaster (‘working man’). They became the terror of the African savanna. Spears and stone tools were an unprecedented phenomenon. Even the fiercest animals weren’t safe from harm now. Man became a hunter. Skeletons of antelopes and even elephants surrounded by stone tools have been found in East Africa. Cut marks on animal bones are visible evidence of a new stage of our evolution. Possibly, this is around the same time humans first discovered fire, albeit the evidence of that is rare and unreliable.

Quite a few fossils of the first humans have remained in East Africa. The apelike legacy in the skull was now in the past, but their jaws were still large and their brains twice as small as ours. Their height and build were exactly like that of modern humans’, their bodies, except for their heads, were hardly any different from ours. They settled all over Africa and were the first to move beyond. The last step was to colonize the planet. So, they took that step and the vast expanses of the planet were conquered by new masters. Not right away, though. The planet didn’t give man a hearty welcome. Nature should not be underestimated.

At all times, life was no bed of roses. Human remains with marks of predators’ teeth bear witness to that. Yet it was hardship that engendered and fostered reason. Homo heidelbergensis were the first prehistoric humans whose brain size was equal to what we have now. Although their faces were still savage, their eyes shone with the renewed light of reason. They built shelters, buried their dead and created the first objects of art, crude as they were. Man has gone through a long and difficult path of evolution. What does the future have in store? Reason makes us responsible for ourselves. Now, everything depends on us.