on "is more robust than those of modern humans, implying greater strength."(Foley, w. page.) Due to their larger brain sizes, they are believed to have possessed greater intelligence, and evidence of this has been found in their probably use of fire, as shown by traces of burnt bones in cave floors, and the finding of more sophisticated tools than H. habilis. They were shorter, on average, than Homo sapiens, and their craniums showed a Nuchal torus, or a ridge, across the back of the head. This species also had keeled craniums.Archaic Homo sapiens, which first appeared 500,000 years ago, are believed to be our most recent relatives. By this time, the "keel" that existed on their skulls is non-existent, and the supra-orbital torus (the brow ridge) has begun to recede. Cranial volume has been measured at an average of 1200 cm3. Fossil evidence shows a trend for their posterior teeth to have reduced in size, and the anterior teeth to have increased in size, from previous Homo species, while late archaic Homo sapiens finds show a general reduction in the size of both areas. The face and jaw areas also showed a reduction in size from previous species.It is at this point that Homo sapiens neanderthalensis enters the picture. Commonly known as Neanderthal Man, this species is believed by most scientists to have existed at the same time as late archaic Homo sapiens and early Homo sapiens, our own species. Many scientists theorize that either we killed them off, or interbred with them to produce modern humans. Their craneal volume is in fact higher than modern humans, at an average of 1450 cm3. Their bones were also thicker, which implies greater bulk in body. They also had larger nose cavities, a weak chin, and a protruding jaw area. "Neanderthals would have been extraordinarily strong by modern standards, and their skeletons show that they endured brutally hard lives."(Foley, w. page) Neanderthal skeletons have been dated to between 30,000 and...
