African Origins

In this chapter, I trace the African origins of the earliest hominins from 3.7 mya to about 1.6 mya. A driving force throughout the period was a trend toward a cooler and more variable climate. I present a framework for analyzing the co-evolution of factors of production over prehistory, including key factors such as the natural environment, human capital, social capital, physical capital, and technological knowledge. Based on that framework, I review discussions concerning the emergence of bipedalism and the origins of physical capital (stone tools). The morphology of Homo ergaster/erectus (around 2 mya), featuring a small gut and long limbs, was potentially made possible by the use of fire and cooking. These major innovations presumably paved the way for the first wave of hominin migration out of Africa.