What was Homo Heidelbergensis?
Homo heidelbergensis was a hominid species which lived around 400,000 years ago, and the most recent archaeological evidence suggests that these early humans were the direct ancestors of modern humans. They certainly had a lot in common with modern humans, although some very clear morphological differences set them apart from Homo sapiens. The majority of Homo heidelbergensis finds have occurred in Europe, but fossilized remains from other regions of the world have been classified in this species as well. Scientists believe that Homo heidelbergensis descended from Homo ergaster, another early hominid. Homo heidelbergensis appears to have been one of the first hominids to venture out of Africa and into Europe, following the tracks of homo erectus, and archaeological digs in several regions of Europe suggest that these hominids formed large social groups. These digs have uncovered large numbers of tools, along with the evidence of hunting, the use of fire, and burial practices. Homo heid