Homo heidelbergensis

American  

[hoh-moh hahyd-l-ber-gen-sis] / ˈhoʊ moʊ ˌhaɪd l bərˈgɛn sɪs /

noun

1. an extinct species of the human lineage that lived between about 200,000 and 700,000 years ago, inhabiting Europe, eastern and southern Africa, and perhaps Asia: the first fossil specimen was discovered in a sandpit near Heidelberg, Germany, in 1907.

2. a fossil belonging to this species.

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Etymology

Origin of Homo heidelbergensis

From New Latin; Homo ( def. ) + heidelbergēnsis “pertaining to Heidelberg”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Homo heidelbergensis

The objects date from the end of a warm interglacial period 300,000 years ago, about when early Neanderthals were supplanting Homo heidelbergensis, their immediate predecessors in Europe.

From New York Times ● May 4, 2024

The site lacks hominin bones, but most scholars assume the toolmakers were early Neanderthals or their immediate ancestor, Homo heidelbergensis, because it coincides with the earliest evidence for Neanderthals elsewhere in Europe.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 31, 2024

Neanderthals painted cave walls, Homo heidelbergensis hunted large animals like rhinos and hippos, and some scientists think even the small-brained Homo naledi was burying its dead in South African cave systems.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2023

Homo heidelbergensis possessed a large browridge and a bigger braincase and flatter face than earlier hominins - species on the human evolutionary lineage.

From Reuters ● Sep. 20, 2023

Homo heidelbergensis appears to be directly ancestral to all the later Hominidæ.

From Man, Past and Present by Haddon, Alfred Court