The oldest hominid fossils have all been found in Africa (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013), which is suggestive that this is the continent where hominids first evolved. Prior to 5 million years ago, our ancestral lineage and the chimpanzee/ great ape lineage diverged (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014), initiating the evolution of Hominid species, while permitting the coexistence of several different hominids.
Preceding 4 million years ago, the hominid Australopithecus family, such as A. anamensis, walked around Africa in what is now Kenya, on their hind legs, while Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”) lived in Africa between 4-3 million years ago (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014), indicating how the Australopithecus family were the initial hominids to use bipedal motion.
The Homo ancestry evolved around 2 million years ago, such as Homo habilis, with larger brains and smaller teeth, when compared to the australopithecines (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013), hence, they began to develop a slightly more human-like appearance. Homo habilis made tools by chipping stones to form a cutting edge (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014), otherwise known as simple stone tools or Oldowan tools (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013). Homo erectus also had a larger brain capacity (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013), which could have been due to the change in diet from a vegetarian lifestyle to omnivore. The increased brain capacity may have enabled additional human qualities to become pronounced, such as controlling the used of fire, as well as manufacturing intricate Acheulian tools (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013), which are otherwise referred to as tools such as hand axes. During this period, around 2 million years ago, there were believed to be four or more species of hominid living in Africa (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014).
About 500,000 to 600,000 years ago, a divergence occurred that split Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens into separate species, however, before Neanderthals became extinct, these species were able to coexist for tens of thousands of years (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013).
The first migration to west Africa and south Africa occurred 130,000 years ago, with modern humans moving both west and south of their initial point of descent in southern Ethiopia (Africa) (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013). Around 100,000 years ago, the size of the human brain reached its current size in development (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014).
The first hominid migration out of Africa occurred between 60,000 and 80,000 years ago. The evidence from mtDNA indicates that the migration out of Africa occurred across the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, which progressed into the Arabian Peninsula. Hominids were able to reach Australia 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, once they had initially migrated along the coastal regions of modern-day South-East Asia and India (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013).
Around 50,000 years ago, human cultures constructed cave paintings and body embellishment, as well as elaborate burials (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014), which may have occurred due to the expansion in cranial capacity. Approximately 50,000 years ago ancestors of Homo erectus, such as Homo sapiens, migrated into northern Asia (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013), while observations indicate that this movement occurred via central Asia. Ancestors of Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis), continued to then migrate into Europe throughout this period (KINNEAR and MARTIN, 2013).
Modern humans (i.e. Homo sapiens) were the only homo species existent on Earth as of 25,000 years ago (The University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2014), indicating that all other hominids had gradually become extinct.