protohuman
Before modern humans
Protohuman refers to early ancestors of modern humans—hominids that preceded *Homo sapiens* but showed humanlike characteristics such as upright walking or tool use.
The term covers species like *Australopithecus* and early *Homo* varieties: protohuman fossils found in East Africa.
As an adjective, it describes traits or periods associated with these ancestors: protohuman evolution, protohuman societies.
Earliest archaeological era
- Stone AgeEra of knapped tools
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- handaxeKnapped stone implement
flintknapping · Pleistocene · Lucy · Ardipithecus · savanna · megafauna · Ice Age · glaciation
Preserved ancient organism
- paleoanthropologyScience of ancestral human remains
- excavationAct of unearthing
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- digUnearth by shoveling
stratigraphy · carbon-dating · morphology · osteology · Leakey · anthropologist · bipedalism · cranium
Seeking wild food sources
- hunter-gathererPre-farming subsistence lifestyle
- nomadicWithout fixed residence
- tribalOf a clan
- shelterProtected place or structure
fire · toolmaking · scavenging · migration · territory · clan · spear · flint
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
divergence · bipedalism · ancestor · lineage · progenitor · common ancestor · transitional · evolutionary
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- Stone AgeEra of knapped tools
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
handaxe · flintknapping · Pleistocene · Lucy · Ardipithecus · savanna · megafauna · Ice Age · glaciation · Pliocene
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
- paleoanthropologyScience of ancestral human remains
- excavationAct of unearthing
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
dig · stratigraphy · carbon-dating · morphology · osteology · Leakey · anthropologist · bipedalism · cranium · specimen
foraging
Seeking wild food sources
- hunter-gathererPre-farming subsistence lifestyle
- nomadicWithout fixed residence
- tribalOf a clan
shelter · fire · toolmaking · scavenging · migration · territory · clan · spear · flint · cave
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
phylogeny · divergence · bipedalism · ancestor · lineage · progenitor · common ancestor · transitional · evolutionary · descent
- Proto- wordsprototype, protocol, protozoa, protoplasm, protostar
- HomininsAustralopithecus, Homo erectus, Homo, Homo sapiens, Neanderthal
protohumanmodern human
Present-day Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens · posthuman · transhuman · human · descendant