Homo Heidelbergensis jawbone fragment from Mala Balanica cave

Homo habilis, the earliest member of the genus Homo, appeared in Africa 2.5 million years ago. Homo habilis was succeeded by Homo erectus, a species that spread up to the southern borders of Eurasia 1.8 million years ago. Frequent climate changes long prevented humans from inhabiting regions north of this line, and it was only around 600,000 years ago, once the climate oscillations slowed, that weather conditions allowed humans to settle in Europe permanently. The Homo heidelbergensis jawbone fragment from Mala Balanica in Sićevo (south Serbia) dates from this period. This fossil specimen is a robust fragmentary mandibular left corpus of a young adult individual, with all three molars present in their sockets. The specimen originates from layer 3b of Mala Balanica cave, dated to a minimum age of 392–525 ka (Middle Pleistocene). The specimen is characterized by primitive morphology – both mandibular and dental – with the complete lack of derived Neanderthal features, which is why it was classified as Homo heidelbergensis. The first inhabitants of the Balkans lived surrounded by large carnivores and ruminants. These humans hunted, scavenged animal carcasses and foraged for fruit. They knapped pebbles and used the stone flakes to make simple, everyday tools.