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Homo heidelbergensis was named only recently when several scientists proposed that the first colonizer of Europe, previously believed to be an "archaic" Homo sapiens, was actually a different species. However, its first fossils were discovered in 1921. This hominid lived from 600,000 years ago to less than 30,000 years ago. It had a larger brain than H. erectus--around 1200 cc--, but still retained the large mandible and facial structure. Along with that was a generally robust skeletal anatomy. It had a higher skull dome and a more rounded skull structure.
The namers of H. heidelbergensis argued that it was the ancestor of both Homo sapiens and the Neanderthals. Nevertheless, the predecessor of this species is still disputed. On one hand, there are those who believe that H. ergaster gave rise to H. heidelbergensis, who, in turn, developed into H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens; they also regard H. erectus as an off-shoot of the main stem. There is another group who believe H. ergaster and H. heidelbergensis to both have actually been H. erectus. The contention is primarily between the "lumpers," who regard differential features as geograhical variations and the "splitters," who emphasize upon the dissimilarities between fossils.
Homo heidelbergensis utilized the Acheulean tool industry, albeit more advanced than that associated with H. erectus and H. ergaster. H. heidelbergensis individuals butchered and ate the game on the site of the kill. There is also evidence that, 40,000 years ago, it used throwing spears to kill large prey.
Scientists hypothesize that this new, more advanced tool culture is what led H. heidelbergensis to the domination of Europe. For example, an array of tools were found at Isernia La Pineta, in southern Italy, which date back to more than 780,000 years ago. This figure suggests that H. heidelbergensis arrived on the scene 180,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The environment in which H. heidelbergensis lived can be best described as harboring "many species of large and small mammals, including shrews, shrews, voles, beavers, wild boar, fallow deer, roe, giant deer, bear, moose, horse, and an extinct species of rhinoceros. The sediments at the Boxgrove site point to a mixed oak forest type landscape that, over time began to transform into a more marshy, open-country environment with greater levels of precipitation."[1]
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