Early history edit
The dominant theory of human evolution is that the development of the human species took place in Africa, following a split in lineage between the hominin tribe and its closest relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos.[1] Recent molecular and fossil estimates place this split around 8–10 million years ago, but the dates and location are uncertain and there is relatively little fossil evidence from that time.[2] Early in their history, hominins migrated from the forests to the open savanna terrain of East Africa, where they evolved to walk upright on two legs.[3] From there, they migrated across the continent including into Southern Africa.[4] Archaeological evidence such as the Taung Child, an Australopithecus skull found in South Africa in 1924, indicate that hominins lived in Southern Africa from at least 3 million years ago.[5]
Refs edit
- Foley, Robert (2013). "Hominin evolution as the context for African prehistory". In Mitchell, Peter; Lane, Paul (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of African Archaeology.
- Shillington, Kevin (2012). History of Africa (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-30847-3.
- ^ Foley 2013, pp. 270–271.
- ^ Curnoe, Darren (22 February 2016). "When humans split from the apes". The Conversation. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- ^ Shillington 2012, p. 10.
- ^ Pontzer, Herman (2012). "Overview of Hominin Evolution". Nature Education Knowledge. 3 (10). Springer Nature: 8. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Marks, Shula. "Southern Africa". Encyclopædia Britannica. Southern Africa before the 15th century. Retrieved 17 February 2022.