Human Evolution: 2 Million Years of Human Species on One Map

#history #humanevolution #prehistory #map #neanderthals #homoerectus ▶ How Homo sapiens spread across the world, from the first Homo sapiens to 8 billion:    • 300,000 Years of People: Where humans live...   The map shows where the human species lived over the last 2.1 million years, and how densely: Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo heidelbergensis, Neanderthals, Denisovans, Homo floresiensis, Homo luzonensis, Homo naledi and Homo sapiens, each in its own colour. Where two species lived side by side their colours mix, and turn purple where they would cancel out. In South Asia the stone tools go on after Homo erectus, but who made them is unknown; they are shown in grey as unknown humans. Each slab stands for people per km², each step 1.65 times denser than the one below. Nobody counted these people: the ranges are a model. It uses the climate and vegetation of each thousand years, the dates of the oldest and youngest sites of each species and their known range. Between the sites the map shows the simplest picture, so the borders between species are approximate. Homo sapiens comes from the model of our world population video. The ice sheets and coastlines move with the climate and the sea level of the time. 0:00 Homo habilis and the first Homo erectus 0:16 Out of Africa: Georgia, China, Java 0:43 The last Homo habilis, erectus reaches Europe 1:01 Across the sea: Sulawesi and Flores 1:22 Homo antecessor 1:36 Homo heidelbergensis and fire 1:57 Island humans: Luzon and Flores 2:19 The Heidelberg jaw 2:43 The Pit of Bones: the Neanderthal line 3:04 Homo naledi and the oldest Homo sapiens 3:24 Denisovans 3:50 Denisovans in China 4:04 The Dragon Man skull 4:19 The last Homo erectus, first steps out of Africa 4:29 Denny and the Toba eruption 4:42 The hobbits vanish, Australia, mixing 4:55 Homo sapiens in Europe 5:05 The last Neanderthals and today 📊 Data Sources: • Climate, vegetation and ice sheets of the last 800,000 years: Krapp, M. et al. (2021), Terrestrial climate of the last 800,000 years, doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/8N43X (CC BY 4.0) • Before 800,000 years ago: the states of the last 800,000 years with the most similar sea level, CO2 and orbit. Sea level and CO2: Berends, C. J. et al. (2021), Reconstructing the evolution of ice sheets, sea level, and atmospheric CO2 during the past 3.6 million years, Climate of the Past 17 (CC BY 4.0). Orbit and insolation: Berger, A. & Loutre, M. F. (1991), Quaternary Science Reviews 10, NOAA NCEI Paleoclimatology (public domain) • Sea level of the last 760,000 years: Spratt, R. M. & Lisiecki, L. E. (2016), A Late Pleistocene sea level stack, NOAA NCEI (public domain) • Relief: ETOPO 2022, NOAA (public domain) • Land and lakes: Natural Earth (public domain) • Population today: HYDE 3.2.1, Klein Goldewijk et al. (2017), PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (CC0) • Spread of Homo sapiens: the model of our world population video, after Sjödin et al. 2012, Gautney & Holliday 2015, Tallavaara et al. 2015, Ragsdale et al. 2023, Sümer et al. 2025 • Homo floresiensis portrait: facial reconstruction of LB1 by Cicero Moraes et alii, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... • Dates of sites: Leakey et al. 1964 and Spoor et al. 2007 (Homo habilis); Herries et al. 2020 (Drimolen); Ferring et al. 2011 and Lordkipanidze et al. 2013 (Dmanisi); Zhu et al. 2004 (Nihewan), Zhu et al. 2015 (Lantian) and Zhu et al. 2018 (Shangchen); Larick et al. 2001 and Matsu'ura et al. 2020 (Sangiran); Toro-Moyano et al. 2013 (Orce); Garba et al. 2024 (Korolevo); Hakim et al. 2025 (Calio, Sulawesi); Brumm et al. 2010 (Wolo Sege, Flores); Bermúdez de Castro et al. 1997 and Duval et al. 2018 (Gran Dolina); Ashton et al. 2014 (Happisburgh); Profico et al. 2016 (Gombore II) and Conroy et al. 2000 (Bodo); Goren-Inbar et al. 2004 (Gesher Benot Ya'aqov) and Berna et al. 2012 (Wonderwerk); Ingicco et al. 2018 (Kalinga); Détroit et al. 2019 and Grün & Stringer 2023 (Callao Cave); van den Bergh et al. 2016 and Kaifu et al. 2024 (Mata Menge); Schoetensack 1908 and Wagner et al. 2010 (Mauer); Arsuaga et al. 2014 and Meyer et al. 2016 (Sima de los Huesos); Dirks et al. 2017 (Rising Star); Richter et al. 2017 and Hublin et al. 2017 (Jebel Irhoud); Krause et al. 2010, Jacobs et al. 2019 and Zavala et al. 2021 (Denisova Cave); the Xujiayao proteome, Nature 2026; Shao et al. 2021 and Fu et al. 2025 (Harbin); Rizal et al. 2020 (Ngandong); Grün et al. 2005 (Skhul and Qafzeh); Slon et al. 2018 (Denisova 11); Petraglia et al. 2007 (Jwalapuram); Sutikna et al. 2016 (Liang Bua); Clarkson et al. 2017 and O'Connell et al. 2018 (Madjedbebe); Iasi et al. 2024 and Sümer et al. 2025 (mixing); Hublin et al. 2020 and Mylopotamitaki et al. 2024 (Bacho Kiro, Ranis); Higham et al. 2014 (the end of the Neanderthals) Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Sleep by VictorWayne https://tunetank.com/track/3895-sleep/