A skilled man is a characteristic and a way of life of our ancestors

The oldest people ... What were they like? In Africa and in the south of Eurasia, fossil remains of representatives of the hominid family were found, which lived in different regions of our planet approximately 2 million years ago and earlier. This group includes a skilled man, or australopithecus skilful. Findings of fossil remains of a creature belonging to the species Homo hablilis, its origin and related relations with other hominids have caused heated discussions among paleoanthropologists.

Finds in the Olduvai Gorge and other parts of Africa

It all began with the finds of the family of paleoanthropologists Lika. Several generations since 1930 have been searching for the ancestors of man in Africa. In the summer of 1960 in the Olduvai Gorge, in the northwest of Tanzania, Jonathan Leakey and his companions found fossil remains belonging to a child of 11-12 years old. The bones lay in the ground for 1.75 million years. Features of the structure of the foot proved that the creature went straight. The new hominid was first called the prezindzhantropom, but a few years later appeared another scientific term - "a skillful man." The name of the species indicates the use of primitive stone tools found next to the bones in the same geological strata. In Kenya in 1961, a group of scientists unearthed the remains of hominids that lived in Africa 1.6-2.33 million years ago. More complete samples were discovered in 1972 near Lake Turkana. The age of the finds was 1.9 million years. The new excavations did not clarify the general picture.

The oldest people. Man of skill

Some time for the fossil ancestor found in the Olduvai gorge, two names were used - Australopithecus hablilis and Homo hablilis. This was due to the doubts that paleoanthropologists had about the family ties with other hominids. Some researchers considered this species the earliest ancestor of modern people. A skilled person who was found by Leakey could move around in the hind limbs, as modern people do. Perhaps he spent the night in the trees, rested and escaped in the branches from predators. It has been suggested that H. hablilis is the ancestor of a right-browed man. There were specialists who said that the found creature belongs to the genus Australopithecus, whose representatives died out and do not occur on the planet for about 1 million years. The reason for the disagreement lies in the erroneous assumption of scientists that the evolution of man is straightforward. For a long time it was believed that one species of primates gave rise to another. Later, a hypothesis arose about the possible coexistence in the past of several species of the hominid family, both Australopithecines and humans. There was a more complex picture of the evolution of man than the one that existed in the beginning and middle of the last century.

The man is skilled. Characteristics of appearance

In many aspects of its appearance representatives of the species H. hablilis resembled the australopithecines. They had a monkey-like appearance, which implies a short body and long, upper limbs hanging below the knees, comparable in size to the legs. There are suggestions that A. Afar, who lived more than 3 million years ago, was the direct ancestor of H. hablilis. The proximity of this species to the main line of human evolution is confirmed by the characteristic structure of the skull. The height of males was approximately 1.5-1.6 m, body weight - about 45 kg, females were lower. Features that distinguished H. hablilis from Australopithecines:

• Comparatively large brain;
• Small teeth;
• Protruding nose;
• Flexible gait;
• The capacity of the skull of H. hablilis species was 630-700 cm ³ .

Lifestyle and nutrition of a man of skill

Change in the habitat could cause the emergence of various adaptive features in the structure of the trunk, extremities, and the digestive system. Found with the fossil remains of hominids animal bones, pollen, primitive tools prove that these creatures ate meat, as well as fruits, insects and plants. The word "skillful" in the title of the first person characterizes the features of the structure of the brush, adapted to the seizure of tools.

The oldest creatures broke the bones to extract the nourishing brain from the inner cavity, combined to protect against predators and search for food. There are data that show that it was then that a division of labor arose between women and men.

Strong floor mined meat, and females harvested plant products. Acquired behavioral traits were beneficial for survival in changed habitat conditions.

Manufacture and use of tools

The tools of man's skill were stony, roughly worked. Hominids used as axes and scrapers rubble, cobblestones, and bone fragments were used to dig roots from the ground. Stones, perhaps wood, were the basic materials for the manufacture of tools and protection from predators.

Scrapers with sharp edges served to dissect carcasses, cutting tendons, cleaning skins. Some scientists suggest that the first tools were the result of natural factors. Water, wind, and erosion treated natural materials, not the hands of a skillful man. Thanks to microscopic studies, scratches and grooves were discovered from other stones, tools used to make tools.

The climate change and the evolution of hominids

During the cold spell, which occurred in the Eastern Hemisphere more than 3 million years ago, tropical forests have been replaced by the ancient savannah. There is evidence that the evolution of Eastern and Southern African animals has been associated with these climate changes.

Ancient primates needed to find additional sources of food, giving more energy than forest fruits and roots. One branch of evolution gave rise to Australopithecus, a skilful man continued this line. The appearance of other hominids was the result of development in the direction of consumption of not only plant, but also animal food. The main sign of the transition from australopithecines to humans is the production of primitive instruments and an increase in the volume of the skull.

Human connections of the skilful with other fossil hominids

The two-legged erect monkeys of the H. hablilis species are almost identical in appearance to A. afar, with which they were related by origin. In the central part of China, tools and bones of these hominids, whose age exceeded 1.9 million years, were found. Other remains of H. hablilis species are found in archaeological sites of Tanzania, Kenya, Sterkfontein. Findings prove the wide distribution of the species in Africa and Asia.

It is possible that for 0.5 million years on the planet at the same time coexisted australopithecines, a person erect, skilled and working. Differences between species are very small, they could lead a different lifestyle, occupying different ecological niches. In a person of the upright body proportion were close to the same parameters of H. sapiens, but had a more prominent nose than representatives of the H. erectus species. Extinct hominids:

• A man of skill;
• Homo erectus (Homo erectus);
• Part of Lake Rudolf (H. rudolfensis);
• H. Georgian (H. georgicus);
• H. Worker (H. egaster).

The place of a man of skill in the evolution of Homo sapiens

Many years the minds of paleoanthropologists are concerned with the direct ancestors of modern man. A man of skill refers to their number? Just like Australopithecus, the very first people fed on nuts, seeds and root vegetables. But they were able to make tools and with their help to get themselves animal food. The ancient representative of the genus Homo - H. erectus - did not belong to the australopithecines. This was the first direct ancestor of a modern man, who after long disputes, scientists included in the genus Humans (Homo) family hominids. Bone remains and tools of H. erectus were discovered not only in Africa, but also in Asia and Europe. At the same time, there was a straight-up man, who applied a more perfect method of processing stone, making tools. A worker was carnivorous and also used processed stones, wood, bones as primitive tools.