Interesting facts about ancient humans we know today

This story will bring you some of the facts about our early life relatives, the ancient humans. Some of the information may come as a surprise to you or you may be a primitive expert just trying to find another golden nugget or two of information. Enjoy 20 interesting facts about the ancient humans we had to wait until modern times to learn and understand.
[post_page_title]They migrated from Africa[/post_page_title]
The early upright ancestors of man are believed to have left parts of Africa approximately one million years ago. It is a theory put forward by paleontologists that these evolutional versions of primitive man began migrating across to Europe and Asia at that time. Interestingly, by the time primitive man had developed to modern man, they also followed the same paths of their earlier ancestors, approximately 80,000 years ago. These upright men also dispersed into Europe and Asia from Africa.

[post_page_title]There was a population crisis[/post_page_title]
Around the time of the migration 80,000 years ago the human population dwindled drastically. Despite not being clear why exactly this occurred, many archaeologists believe it was most likely caused by an erupting volcano. They think this eruption caused the sky to be filled with ash clouds which blocked the sun for a very long time, probably years. Because of the lack of sun, the temperature on the surface of the planet reduced massively, which would have frozen many of the early humans at that time.

[post_page_title]It was lonely back then[/post_page_title]
Modern humans have only had a culture for around 50,000 years it is believed. Despite evolving around 150,000 years ago, it seems modern man lived in relative isolation until comparatively recently. A theory suggests modern man descended from one woman who lived almost 200,000 years ago. This woman, dubbed “mitochondrial Eve,” is believed to be the most common ancestor of all the current species of human. It seems we were slow learners as it took us almost 100,000 years to develop things like communication and tools.

[post_page_title]Tools are essential[/post_page_title]
Speaking of tools, the very first tools used were believed to have been invented during the early stone age. Estimated to have been developed at least 2.6 million years ago early humans used stones to hammer and sharpen flakes of other stone as stabbing instruments, called handaxes. Almost one million years later and humans had begun attaching sharp stones to shafts which made hunting spears and axes. As the humans developed so too did their tool-making skills, and they developed harpoon needles for fishing rivers. The more tools they developed, the more food they could catch, so the better they survived.

 
[post_page_title]Fire[/post_page_title]
Despite being surpassed by the modern human, earlier versions of primitive man were developed enough to gain control of the elements. Modern day human’s predecessors were able to harness the use of fire to keep themselves warm using this essential element. Besides warmth, the use of fire allowed early humans to be able to hunt later into the evenings, when the light had faded but they were close to the end of a successful hunt. Learning how to harness fire led to the further development of more advanced tools

[post_page_title]How did they make fire?[/post_page_title]
It is theorized that early humans developed the skill of making fire by rubbing sticks or bashing flint to create a spark. Evidence of humans using fire-making tools dates back to almost 2 million years ago in a cave in Africa. The cave, Wonderwerk Cave, showed examples of burned bones that dated back to this era. It is even believed that they might have used a hearth-like structure elsewhere in Africa to cook food on.

[post_page_title]Neanderthal genes aren’t so bad[/post_page_title]
The Neanderthals generally get a bad rap for being brutish barbarians, but there is evidence that suggests they were smarter than once given credit for. The Neanderthals also used tools and were able to control fire just like the modern humans were. They have a reputation for being brutes because of their physical appearance. Neanderthals were stockier than modern humans and had very prominent brow lines. They are the very image of a caveman, but they were actually similar to humans and had many of the same skills and customs.

[post_page_title]Perhaps the Neanderthal hasn’t disappeared[/post_page_title]
While many species of human have gone extinct, it seems as though we, the modern version, have become the last of our kind. Most humans actually have some Neanderthal DNA, so there is evidence that the two species did indeed successfully mate all those years ago. Despite not having many of the distinguishing features of the Neanderthals, having the ability to survive cold conditions and an animalistic strength is a trait we still have today – some more so than others!

[post_page_title]Have you ever watched a cat or dog fight?[/post_page_title]
Often cats and dogs will rear up on their hind legs to fight, and it has been argued that early humans developed the ability to stand on two legs to do the same. It just so happens that it is a great way to get around, but originally it seems that humans mainly stood up to combat each other. Maybe that is why modern-day humans can be so hostile toward each other, they just need to take a seat and calm down, standing up is fighting talk in body language.

[post_page_title]A new species?[/post_page_title]
A completely undiscovered species of ancient human was only confirmed in 2010. Scientists found a finger bone, and it was a shock to all to discover that it was different to anything archaeologists had found previously. The bone was found in a cave in some remote mountains in Siberia. The cave has been thoroughly excavated, and it was discovered that the cave was inhabited by other members of the owner of the finger bone, as well as both modern humans and Neanderthals. Genetically different from both modern humans and Neanderthals, this is the finding of a new species of early human.

[post_page_title]The Denisovans[/post_page_title]
So who was this new, but extinct, species of human? Named Denisovans, they shared similar DNA to modern humans and Neanderthals but not too much is known about what they looked like as only small fragments of their remains have been discovered. To date, all that has been found of Denisovans has been a few teeth and a finger bone. Sadly this is not enough to paint a complete picture of what they would have looked like, however DNA analysis can give us some indications.

[post_page_title]Where did they live?[/post_page_title]
It is believed they bred with modern humans and there is a small amount of remaining evidence of their existence in human DNA. Aboriginal Australians are believed to share between 3% and 5% of their DNA with the Denisovans. Scientists tested the molecular characteristics of the fragments found in the Siberian cave and estimated the Denisovans’ indigenous areas ranged from Siberia to Southeast Asia. A gene found in Tibetan people that allows them to survive so well in the low levels of oxygen found high up in the mountains where they live was also found in the Denisovan samples.

[post_page_title]More food means more brains[/post_page_title]
Thanks to the introduction of fire into the lives of early humans, the species was able to evolve further. The diets of our ancestors would change as they traveled to new regions across the world depending on what food was available to them. Once humans were able to hunt, then their diets become much more varied which aided in the development of a key part of the human species. Their intelligence. As they got smarter, they developed better ways to hunt the tasty treats in their habitats, which in turn aided their intelligence.

[post_page_title]You’d think that humans would be hairier than they are[/post_page_title]
Granted some people still have a full chest rug, but not many people nowadays could rival the hairiness of the early humans. It turns out the shedding of their excess hair was an evolutionary development to try and ward off any nasty lice that humans had become so fond of carrying around with them. This removal of hair is attributed to the different complexions and skin tones found in modern humans. We developed less or more melanin in our skin to absorb or protect us from the sun, depending on the climate.

[post_page_title]Cave paintings[/post_page_title]
Many of us might look at some of the early human cave paintings and wonder what exactly is going on. Some, though, are very realistic drawings and are quite obvious but others need a certain level of artistic flair to spot what is being depicted. The best cave paintings found from that time were found in France and contain an incredible amount of detail. They are so accurate that they must have used more than their fingers to paint these images. It is understood that cavewomen painted in the caves.

[post_page_title]Clothes compensated for the hair loss[/post_page_title]
It is hard to pinpoint when clothes were first used as, due to the nature of the materials, they tend to degrade and decompose after a while. What we do know is that our early human relatives did use animals skins to keep their bodies warm. It is estimated that over a million years ago was the first time a human wore clothes. We wonder how long after that the first human catwalk was? Sabertooth tiger fur, so hot right now.

[post_page_title]Cave-pirates?[/post_page_title]
Somehow ancient humans managed to sail the seven seas. Well, maybe not all seven, but they did cross the Pacific. Early man settled in Hawaii, but they didn’t get there by walking. Nothing is known about how they got from Africa to North America, but we know they did. They also managed to sail the Indian Ocean too. The ocean was not frozen so there is no way they could have walked across it. Hopefully, they didn’t just float across on a log, that might have been a treacherous journey.

[post_page_title]Aliens?[/post_page_title]
Early scientists seemed to think the bones of our ancient ancestors could have been aliens. In the 1910s scientist couldn’t quite figure out where the extra skull fragments were meant to go in an early human skull they discovered. It was later realized this bone was a part of the early human formation and not, as they worried about at the time, aliens. That wasn’t the only physical change to happen over the years; human teeth are getting smaller, but our brains are increasing in size.

[post_page_title]Our early human ancestors didn’t live for very long[/post_page_title]
They used an awful lot of energy, from hunting all the time to evading the clutches of any dangerous prey. Being a human 2 million years ago was not an easy life to live. It seems that as humans are slowing down their daily physical exertion, it’s correlated with them living much longer. The life expectancy of a primitive man was between 30 and 35 years old. Modern day humans have developed a slower pace of living which has resulted in an increase in life expectancy – now for humans, it is 79 years.