Sites: East Africa: Koobi Fora; West Turkana (Nariokotome), probably Olduvai Gorge

South Africa: possibly Swartkraans & Sterkfontein.

Specimens: KNM-ER 3733, 3883, KNM-WT 15000 ("Fossil boy"), O.H. 9.

Dates: 1.9 - 1.2 Ma

Brain size: > 850 cc.

Skull: Long low cranium, large brow ridges, occipital torus, fairly heavily built face.

Teeth: Homo like; larger than in Homo sapiens, relatively small rear teeth, largish front teeth

Body size: Large, adult height up to 6 ft.

Postcrania: Robust build, narrow pelvis. Body proportions like tropical modern humans: long limbs, narrow trunk.

Tools: Probably Acheulian.

Sites: Java, Indonesia: Solo River drainage, (Trinil, Ngandong, Sangiran, etc.)

China: Choukoutien (Zhougoudian)

Dates: ?1.8 Ma? to c. 800 ka

Brain size: 900-1200 cc.

Skull: Long low cranium, large brow ridges, occipital torus, thick bones of cranial vault.

Teeth: Homo like; larger than in Homo sapiens: small rear teeth, largish front teeth.

Body size: Comparable to modern humans.

Postcrania: Modern human body proportions, robust build.

Tools: Choppers & scrapers.

Dates: Middle Pleistocene (c.500,000 -130,000 b.p.); difficult to date precisely.

Sites: Africa, Far East, India, Near East, Europe.

Skull: Thick bones of cranial vault, sloping forehead, big brow ridges, occipital torus, jaws wide, deep, heavy, no chin,

Brain size: Large (1200 - 1500 cc.)

Teeth: Proportion like modern Homo sapiens, but usually larger.

Artifacts: Acheulian or Middle Stone Age tools (called Middle Paleolithic or Mousterian in Europe).

Sites: Numerous in Europe( e.g. Le Moustier, La Ferassie, La Chapelle aux Saints), Levant, (e.g. Tabun, Kebara); western Asia (e.g. Shanidar).

Dates: c. 300 ka to c. 30 ka. Last appearance: Sainte Césaire, France, 32,000 b.p.

Brain size: As large or larger than modern humans; up to 1600 cc.

Skull: Like generalized archaic Homo sapiens, but larger frontal sinus, occipital "bun," large orbits & nasal aperture, face very prognathic.

Teeth: Like generalized archaic Homo sapiens, but heavy incisive wear, retromolar space, sometimes taurodont molars (fused roots).

Body size: Comparable to modern Homo sapiens, but broad trunk, short limbs.

Postcrania: Very robust, indicating powerful musculature and very active life; many healed traumatic injuries.

Tools: Mousterian (Middle Paleolithic)

Earliest appearances:
Africa: Omo, Ethiopia, Kibish Formaition: 130 ka. Klasies River Mouth Cave, South Africa; > 100,000 b.p.

Near East: Israel: Qafseh, Skhul caves, c. 90,000 b.p.

Europe: Bacho Kiro Cave, Hungary: c. 43,000 b.p.

Skull: High rounded brain case, no large brow ridges or occipital torus, thin bones of cranial vault, gracile jaws, chin.

Teeth: Fairly small compared to earlier hominids.

Postcrania: Lightly built skeleton overall, early specimens slightly robust.

Brain size: c. 1300 - 1500 cc.

Tools: In Africa, earliest modern Homo sapiens found with Middle Stone Age artifacts. Later Stone Age or Upper Paleolithic toolkits occur after c. 50,000 in Africa, after 40,000 in Europe.