- By 200,000 years ago, Homo sapiens had emerged in Africa with anatomically and genetically modern traits. Homo sapiens then began migrating from Africa, reaching Southwest Asia by 100,000 years ago and spreading to occupy Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. - What set Homo sapiens apart was its ability to collectively learn and build upon knowledge through language. This allowed for the development and transmission of culture across generations at an accelerating pace over time. - As Homo sapiens spread globally, other hominin species like Homo erectus and Neanderthals declined and went extinct, though interactions between these groups remains unclear. The development of culture and

1. Human Beings Almost Everywhere 200,000 – 10,000 BCE Big Era Two

2. Remember Big Era One? Imagine that your friend got stuck at the beginning of Big Era One, but you’ve made it to the end! You feel sorry for her, because you got to see so much. Write her a LETTER telling her what happened in Big Era One. First, can you remember what happened in Big Era One?

5. When did we appear? Big Era Two is the first era in which there were human beings, people like you and me (ME?) (Remember, they appeared at the end of Big Era One!) So, what IS so special about humans?

7. Homo erectus was a traveler! Homo erectus began migrating to southerly parts of Eurasia sometime after about 1.8 million years ago. Homo erectus 200k yrs ago Today Big Eras 3-9 10k 1.8 mil. yrs ago 27k Big Era 1 Big Era 2

9. Homo sapiens traveled even further than Homo erectus . From their African homeland, Homo sapiens groups migrated to… … Where? See the Map!

10. Migrations of Homo sapiens Possible coastal routes of human migration Possible landward routes of human migration Migrations in Oceania Human Origins 200,000-250,000 years ago Southwest Asia 100,000 years ago Europe 40,000 years ago Siberia 40,000 years ago Australia as many as 60,000 years ago North America 12,000-30,000 years ago Oceania 1600 B.C.E.-500 C.E. Chile 12,000-13 ,000 years ago

11. That’s amazing! Why were modern humans able to move into so many different environments? After all, no other large animals had spread so widely! So what was so special about us? 40k yrs ago Europe & Siberia 60k yrs ago Australia 100k yrs ago S.W. Asia 40k yrs ago Europe & Siberia 60k yrs ago Australia 100k yrs ago S.W. Asia 13k yrs ago Americas 200k yrs ago Human Origins Today Big Eras 3-9 10k years ago Big Era 2 Big Era 1

19. Did Homo sapiens meet Neandertals? Approximate geographical range of Neandertals, 100,000-28,000 years ago Approximate geographical range of Homo sapiens by 28,000 years ago

24. So what do you think is so special about Homo sapiens ? What does it mean to be human? Why does human history matter? Stay tuned for Big Era Three!

25. End of Big Era Two