The story of human origin and development is very interesting and ancient. The human form, which exists today on the earth is the consequence of continuous and very long journey of evolutionary process. Anthropologists have recovered marks, remains and fossils of the origin and development of human from different places of the world. These fossils and remains reveal the origin and development of human. Scientists came to the conclusion on the basis of anthropological and archaeological evidences that primitive perspective of the human was originated on the earth fifty million years ago and since then evolution and genetical process of their biological, intellectual, physical and cultural development have been going on without any interruption.
This is an interesting and pleasant coincidence that anthropologists and archaeologists chose the skull as the base to study the biological development of human. Scientists are of the view that human skull was also developed along with biological development of the man and accordingly skull and its internal form i.e. structures of brain and physiology was also developed. The history of fifty million years of biological development can be divided into eight points to study the changes occurred in the shape of human skull during the development process. The classification was done as per human fossils, particularly the shape of skull (morphology of skull), obtained so far from different places of the world.
- Lemur – fifty million years ago
- Aegyptopithecus – thirty million years ago
- Dryopithecus – twenty million years ago
- Ramapithecus – fourteen million years ago
- Australopithecus – Robustus – five million years ago
- Australopithecus – Africanus – two million years ago
- Homo Erectus – one million years ago
- Home Sapiens – five lac years ago
Charles Darwin and other succeeding scientists are of the view that the origin and development of human had firstly taken place near the valleys named Equator. We know that Darwin is the father of the theory of evolution. He said that the human being was developed by the process of evolution. Primitive ancestors of human were born on the earth fifty million years ago. Skull of human gives shape to its face i.e. bones of the head symbolically construct the shape of face. Unfortunately we could not obtain complete face of man that was prevailed thirty million years ago. However, anthropologists from different parts of the world have brought forth a systematic perspective of biological, intellectual and cultural development of human on the basis of skulls, having various sizes, obtained as fossils of human race.
The age of recovered fossils was estimated on the basis of carbon dates. In this way various steps of development were determined with the help of this method. Accordingly evolution of human has been divided into eight steps. Skull bones are the most important bones in comparison with other bones which were recovered from different parts of the world. It helped a lot in making out various steps of human development.
Human head is not only a symbolic identity of the man; on the contrary it has also many importance i.e. it is an organ that makes the progressive cultural development of the man. The head possesses intellect, skill and insight. It is also the base of understanding, common sense and sagacity of man.
Skull bones have been recovered, which reveal various steps of development process of the man and their scientific study has also been carried out by X-Ray, C.T. Scanning and M.R.I. Imaging methods. The age of their existence was estimated by Carbon Date method. On the basis of facts and data available, computer graphic display of various steps of evolution of human skull has been shown in figure 3. This visual display will help to explain the step by step evolution of human.
The first computer figure is of Fossil Lemur that was the ancestral father of human race. It was the creature of monkey family. It originated on the earth about fifty million years ago. Fossil Lemurs have such kind of important marks those put them under the category of ancestor father of the man. The evidence found in the skull bones of Fossil Lemur in Rome, reveals that he was the adapis of Lemur family and used to dwell at the branches of trees. It comes to know by seeing the shape and position of foramen magnum, found in the skull that the head of Fossil Lemur used to dangling forward and was fixed with the backbone. He did not use to walk uplifting his head like man does; on the contrary he used to walk with the help of both legs and hands and his head was always hanging like four footed animals.
Fossil Lemur was absolutely an animal by outlook. But many marks of human development were symbolically existed in his skull bone those ensure them to be ancestor of man in development chain. It is also sure that they were more developed in comparison to other animals. Their most important traits were that they had thirty teeth, nimble eyes and comparatively tiny snout. If we see their complete skeleton, it will come to our knowledge that they had nails in their fingers. Structure of the hands was normal and was different from hunting animals. They were having thumbs in their hands, but they were tiny and undeveloped.
It proves that Fossil Lemur lived on trees. Their thumbs were undeveloped and unuseful due to dangling all the time upon branches of trees. Fruits and insects were their eatables. In spite of having above all, Fossil Lemur was having the possibilities of being developed as man. Scientists believe that the sophisticated structure of human and humanity evolved from this class of animals.
Fig. 3 : Order of development of human skull
The second fossil skull of this series was found in Egypt, which is thirty million years old. It was called Aegyptopithecus. This Fossil Lemur is the creature of succeeding chain of Fossil Lemur series. The size and weight of his head is comparatively big, his snout is comparatively tiny and teeth are as like as of monkey. Forehead is slightly projected. Fossil Lemur had flat forehead, it comes to know by seeing him that his forehead is very narrow and undeveloped, but forehead of Aegyptopithecus was slightly developed and snout became more tiny due to being receded. Aegyptopithecus also lived on trees, but he spent sometime on the ground also. Although gradual and development oriented changes had taken place in his diet, living standard and life style, he remained in the category of animal.
His eyes were receding. Neck was attached with backbone and this kind of trait was found in the animals living on trees. Foramen magnum of the skull points out that Aegyptopithecus used to walk by using his legs and hands both. He did not use to walk by holding his head high and was unable to straight his neck, yet he was more developed than Fossil Lemur.
Dryopithecus was found in eastern Africa. He was called Procunsul in the name of a famous chimpanzee Procunsul who was kept in the zoo of London in 1931. It is believed that Dryopithecus was the preceding of Procunsul. Dryopithecuswas twenty million year old. His brain was large and developed. The eyes were well developed and frontward. Dryopithecus was able to see front, up, down, right and left due to his stereotype eye structure.
He was like chimpanzee in respect of form. Getting down from trees, he used to spend his most of the time on the ground as well as spend sometime in the trees. His teeth structure reveals that he was an ape and he had canine teeth in his jaw. Briefly, he was not in human form.
Ramapithecus is the fourth chain of this series. They have been found at Wickri in the Kenya and Punjab state of India. Ramapithecus is assumed fourteen million years old and Ramapithecus Punjabicus was of nine million years ago. His jaw was more developed than Dryopithecus, which was very close to human structure. His teeth were levelled like a man with absence of canine teeth. His head was flatter. He partially resembled with man in view of shape. Therefore, some anthropologists consider them primitive human (Hominids). Ramapithecus was herbivorous and it is proved by their jaw and structure of teeth. He lived on ground and trees and used to spend his most of the time on ground.
Australopithecus is supposed cousin of the man. He was herbivorous. The structure of his teeth and jaw were well developed. Teeth were levelled and canine teeth were absent in his jaw. Australopithecus Robustus is five million years old, who was having human shape and resembled with man. But this species got vanished all of a sudden and no evidence of succeeding development of Robustus has been found so far. He began to live on trees again. His teeth and jaw were similar to man, but they were stronger and more rigid compared to man’s. He used to eat roots and fruits of the trees.
Australopithecus Africanus looks like the cousin of Robustus, who existed two million years ago on the earth. There are many similarities with Robustus and Africanus. But in comparison to Robustus, Africanus had less similarities with man.The structure of his jaw signifies that he was carnivorous. Australopithecus was able to stand on his two legs and walk on the earth. The weight of his brain ranged from 450 – 750 grams, which was equal to the weight of monkey’s brain existing now-a-days.
The brain of Australopithecus Africanus was well developed. It is clear by study of his skull that his forehead was more developed than Robustus and other preceding species. The bone structure above their eyes and eyebrows was projecting. Nose and nostrils were developed. Jaw and snout were comparatively less projecting frontward. Thus his perspective was the landmark of immature but certain human face. Australopithecus started to live on grounds and caves due to his developed brain. They invented two remarkable things, which proved boon for succeeding generation. First was the invention of rudimentary stone tools and second one was the invention of social organisation.
According to archaeological beliefs, the development of human took around 50 million years period. Lemur was fifty million years old and Australopithecus Africanus existed three million years ago on the earth. It is very interesting fact that man spent his time from fifty million years ago to the period of Africanus (three million years ago) on the trees. During this long period he did not make any remarkable major development. His biological, intellectual and cultural development was also not taken place. He remained like an animal in this long journey of about fifty million years.
However, Australopithecus Africanus learned to live on grounds three million years ago. Ecological and environmental factors were responsible behind it. Ecology and environment gave motion to the development of man, as a result revolution took place in the process of human development and all of a sudden four footed animals which was living on the branches of trees developed in the form of man.
When man started living on grounds in stead of trees, he found the circumstances changed. He was weaker than other animals and was not habituated of new circumstances. Other violent animals started hunting them. In this way his existence came into danger. He was physically weak and unknown about leading community life. In such circumstances, he started living in a group and using his intellectual power for his safety. Their thumbs were remained undeveloped due to swinging in the trees, but when he came down to earth and invented stone tool, their thumbs became developed. Brain centre, which mainly controls and regulates the thumb also got developed. In this way a biological refinement was originated. Thereafter, human brain continuously has been developing. Refined skilful human invented different kinds of tools, those were essential for his safety and hunting. Importance of organization came into existence with safety purpose so new man started living in groups. Social organisation also proved helpful in hunting big animals. Family system for looking after children by their mothers also came into existence.
In spite of having all these qualities, Australopithecus Africanus was the creature like an ape or monkey standing on two legs. Scientists consider him the sixth chain of the series of human development. He sometimes used to walk with two legs leaning frontward and sometimes used his hands like legs and used to walk like four-footed animals.
Man was not originated on the earth twenty lac years ago. It is proved by the evidences of man like Homo Erectus having the same size and physical constitution of the man lived in China more than 10 lacs years ago. The skeleton which have been found in China is ten lack years old. He was fully developed and used to stand and walk on two legs. His skull bone and complete skeleton was like a human. Therefore, scientists called them Homo i.e. human like, erectus denotes the creature, who stands straight on his two legs. His forehead was high and broad, jaw and teeth were well organised, snout small, nose developed and eyes were wide. He was able to rotate his neck right – left upto 160 degree and upward – downward easily. Homo Erectus lived on earth or ground and into caves. His brain was more developed than Australopithecus Africanus and larger in size. Scientists believe that Homo Erectus must have learned to produce fire and use it. Stone tools used by them were well shaped, more elegant, sharp, slaughtering and developed. He was culturally, socially, intellectually and physically more developed than creatures of preceding series. It is estimated that the weight of his brain might be 2 – 2.5 pound, which is a bit lesser than present human.
Archaeologists have found the skull of preceding series of Homo Erectus recovered from Germany, Neanderthal and Narmada valley of India. They are considered to be existed 5 – 10 lac years ago. The brain of Neanderthal human was more developed than that of Homo Erectus. Moreover, the shape of his face was also sophisticated.
It is believed that some ancestors of Neanderthal human series were vanished and some started living to get favourable climate and environment in Europe and central Asia. Through this series the Homo Sapiens or complete wise man developed out as a present human. Homo Sapiens were originated on the earth 5 lac years ago.
