Petralona 1

Petralona 1

Exhibit item

Site: 

Petralona, Greece

Age: 

Between 350,000 and 150,000 years old

Species: 

Homo heidelbergensis

Ancestor of modern humans

European populations of this early human species were the ancestors of Neanderthals. African populations probably gave rise to our own species. Among the first species to inhabit Europe’s cold latitudes, Homo heidelbergensis hunted large animals and built simple shelters from wood and rocks. Notice this older male’s worn teeth and huge brow ridges.

Image Credit: Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution