The past within us

This chapter is focused on the hominid background of Homo sapiens, providing a brief review of the development of various hominids, with an identification of their defining characteristics – bipedalism, territoriality, encephalisation (brain development) and civilisation (community formation). It devotes particular attention to the Neanderthals, the main competitors of Homo sapiens, particularly noting similarities with humans in their development, but focusing on the reasons for their extinction. It admits the weakness of evidence for the early stages of human existence, but discusses where and when it was likely that humans first appeared, when they left Africa, and goes on to differentiate and date the four separate waves of settlement of the world by humans. The contentious nature of the dating of entry into the Americas is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the implications of the human departure from a warm environment and entry into colder climes.