Male Speaker: Archeological evidence of humans and their ancestors stretches back at least four million years. The fossil evidence indicates that the birth place of human kind was Africa were one of the richest areas of archeological discovery is the older wide gorge in Northern Tanzania. The earliest of these Australopithecus africanus comes from Eastern Africa and dates from 4 million to 2.5 million years ago. A three foot tall adult female appearances skeleton, who become known as Lucy was discovered by Donald Joe Hanson, and his colleagues in Ethiopia in the mid 1970's. Lucy's bone structure proved that she could walk upright, but here feet were curved possibly for climbing trees.

Australopithecus skulls are decidedly ape like with heavy brown ridges, large teeth, projecting jaws, and a small brain. The earliest -- recognized as homo is the African tool maker Homo habilis who lived one and a half million years ago. Between the Australopithecus and Homo habilis brain size had began to enlarge and the large ape like molars have began to reduce. Homo erectus appeared in East Africa some 1.6 million years ago and was the first human type to spread out of Africa finally reaching Asia.

The brain of a erectus is markedly larger than that of habilis. There is strong evidence that Homo erectus hunted elephants and used fire for cooking. The Neanderthals or Homo sapiens the Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia between 150,000 and 30,000 years ago. Some Neanderthals may have believed in the spiritual life as they bear the death with implements and food. The skulls on the Neanderthals with the characteristic heavy brow ridges were larger and laughter than those of homorectus.

Modern humans or homo sapien sapiens colonize the globe between 2,000 and 4,500 years ago homo sapien sapiens developed refine tools and a culture that included both painting and sculpture it was these people who gave rise to the existing human populations of today.