i. Man originated from ancient apes.
ii. Fossil bones of human ancestors were discovered from Africa, Germany, China, France, Java and other parts of Asia.
iii. The available fossils are skulls, teeth, mandibles, bones like humerus, femur and stone implements.
iv. These fossils belong to different geological ages.
v. The four main stages in the origin of man are – Ape stage, Ape-men stage, Primitive men (Prehistoric man) and Modern man.
a. Ape stage: Primitive apes was the ancestor of man which lived 30 million years ago. Propliopithecus was the primitive ancestral ape. This gave rise to Dryopithecus.
b. Ape-man stage: This stage is intermediate between apes and man. The important ape-men include Ramapithecus, Kenyapithecus and Australopithecus. Australopithecus was the connecting link between apes and primitive man.
c. Primitive man (Prehistoric man): It was the first true man. Following are the important primitive men:
1. Homo habilis (Handy man)
2. Homo erectus (Java man and Peking man)
3. Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthal man)
d. Modern man: Homo sapiens fossilis was the extinct modern man. The modern man of today is called Homo sapiens sapiens.
