Homo rhodesiensis

Lore & Background

The Kabwe 1 cranium was discovered on June 17, 1921, by two miners at the Broken Hill lead mine in Mutwe Wa Nsofu Area of Northern Rhodesia. Along with the cranium, an upper jaw from another individual, a sacrum, a tibia, and two femur fragments were also recovered. Arthur Smith Woodward assigned the specimen as the type for Homo rhodesiensis in 1921. Other morphologically comparable fossils have been found in East Africa (Bodo, Ndutu, Eyasi, Ileret) and North Africa (Salé, Rabat, Dar-es-Soltane, Sidi Aberrahaman, Tighenif).

Reader's Guide

Homo rhodesiensis occupies a contested position in human evolutionary studies. While originally proposed as a distinct species, most contemporary scientists now assign the Kabwe 1 specimen to Homo heidelbergensis. The Bodo cranium, a 600,000-year-old fossil from Ethiopia, shares many similarities with Kabwe 1—both have cranial capacities on the low end of modern humans (1250 cc and 1230 cc respectively) and large supraorbital tori, suggesting they represent a transitional form between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. In 2021, a proposal to replace H. rhodesiensis with a new species, H. bodoensis, was made, but this remains a subject of debate. The significance of H. rhodesiensis lies in its role as a potential ancestor of modern humans and its contribution to understanding Middle Pleistocene hominin diversity.

Did You Know?

• The Bodo cranium, similar to Kabwe 1, has cut marks that may indicate defleshing for consumption, though interpretations vary.
• In 2021, a proposal was made to rename H. rhodesiensis as H. bodoensis, citing the name's association with Cecil Rhodes.
• The Ndutu cranium, classified by some as H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis, displays a more sapiens-like zygomaxillary morphology.