THE PREHISTORY WORKSHOP
PALEOANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY FOR HISTORY STUDENTS
Frank Martos. Highlands School, Seville.
HOMO HABILIS
(LATIN: ABLE MAN, HANDY MAN)
Extinct species of human, the most ancient representative of the human genus, Homo. Homo habilis inhabited parts of sub-Saharan Africa from roughly 2.4 million years ago to 1.5 million years ago (mya). In 1959 and 1960 the first fossils were discovered at Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania. This discovery was a turning point in the science of paleoanthropology because the oldest previously known human fossils were Asian specimens of Homo erectus. Many features of H. habilis appear to be intermediate in terms of evolutionary development between the relatively primitive Australopithecus.
Body size and shape
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about 130 centimetres in height.
Brain
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brain averaged 610 cubic centimetres in size. This was a significant increase compared to australopithecine brains.
Skull
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brain case more rounded due to expansion of the brain
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beginnings of a slight forehead were appearing
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face had a small, arched brow ridge and was smaller and shorter than those of earlier ancestors
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facial projection was reduced compared with earlier species
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Jaws and teeth
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jaw was smaller than australopithecus.
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teeth had become smaller and more human-like, although the incisors were still relatively large
- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/homo-habilis#sthash.jA23g5of.dpuf
