protohumans
Pre-modern human species
Protohumans are early ancestors of modern humans—hominids that preceded *Homo sapiens* but showed distinctly human-like traits such as bipedal walking, tool use, or enlarged brain capacity.
The term covers species like *Homo erectus* and *Australopithecus*: Fossils suggest protohumans used fire over a million years ago.
In figurative use, protohuman can describe primitive or uncivilized behavior: His table manners were practically protohuman.
Extinct hominin genus
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- Homo heidelbergensisPrehistoric human species, mid-Pleistocene
- ArdipithecusEarliest known upright primate genus
Lucy · Peking Man · bipedalism · cranial capacity · brow ridge
Study of ancient organisms
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- sedimentsParticles that settle below
dig · morphology · skeletal remains · cranium · mandible · femur · dentition · fossilization
Collective social practices
- toolsDevices for doing work
- fireCombustion with flames
- migrationMovement to new territory
- tribesAncestral social groups
shelter · artifacts · clothing · rituals · social structure · kinship · cooperation · adaptation
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
phenotype · genotype · phylogeny · cladistics · common ancestor · divergence · brain development · climate adaptation
Shaped rocks for tasks
- cave paintingsPrehistoric artwork on stone
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- hunter-gatherersSubsistence through wild resources
flintknapping · paleolithic · hand axe · shelter building · animal hides · ochre · butchering · scavenging
Australopithecus
Extinct hominin genus
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- Homo heidelbergensisPrehistoric human species, mid-Pleistocene
Ardipithecus · Lucy · Peking Man · bipedalism · cranial capacity · brow ridge
paleontology
Study of ancient organisms
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
sediments · dig · morphology · skeletal remains · cranium · mandible · femur · dentition · fossilization · reconstruction
culture
Collective social practices
tribes · shelter · artifacts · clothing · rituals · social structure · kinship · cooperation · adaptation · hunting
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
genetics · phenotype · genotype · phylogeny · cladistics · common ancestor · divergence · brain development · climate adaptation · selective pressure
stone tools
Shaped rocks for tasks
- cave paintingsPrehistoric artwork on stone
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
hunter-gatherers · flintknapping · paleolithic · hand axe · shelter building · animal hides · ochre · butchering · scavenging · foraging