Homo heidelbergensis

Homo heidelbergensis ("Heidelberg Man") is the name given to a number of human fossil remains that are older than fossils of Neanderthals. Homo heidelbergensis is abbreviated H. heidelbergensis.

Scientists are not sure whether these remains are from a distinct species. They are fragments (small pieces of bones), and most cannot be dated exactly. In the older texts they were simply called archaic humans or "early Homo sapiens."^[1][2][3]

There have been relatively well-defined remains of Homo erectus found in Africa from very early in human history.^[4] There have also been well-defined remains of Homo neanderthalensis found in Europe from later in history. Some scholars use the terms "archaic humans," "early Homo sapiens," or Homo heidelbergensis to describe remains that seem to come from between these two periods in history. Some authors use it for all early species of Homo, including Neanderthals.

1. ↑ 'Archaic' means 'very early'.
2. ↑ Stringer, Chriss 1992. Evolution of early humans. In Jones S; Martin R. & Pilbeam D. (eds) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of human evolution. Cambridge University Press, especially p245. ISBN 0-521-46786-1
3. ↑ Klein, Richard 2009. Evolution of the genus Homo. In The human career: human biological and cultural origins. 3rd ed, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-43965-5
4. ↑ Klein, 2nd ed. Table 5.1 African sites with fossils of Homo ergaster (African H. erectus); and table 5.2 African sites with fossils of early Homo sapiens.