<P> Homo sapiens evolved from `` archaic '' or `` robust '' predecessors ( Homo heidelbergensis , or a related offshoot from Homo erectus ) around 315,000 years ago . The divergence of modern human populations dates to shortly after this time , the oldest division being that of the hunter - gatherer populations of Southern Africa , although there have been numerous events of admixture both among modern populations and between modern and archaic ones . </P>
<P> Homo sapiens evolved from `` archaic '' or `` robust '' predecessors ( Homo heidelbergensis , or a related offshoot from Homo erectus ) around 315,000 years ago . The divergence of modern human populations dates to shortly after this time , the oldest division being that of the hunter - gatherer populations of Southern Africa , although there have been numerous events of admixture both among modern populations and between modern and archaic ones . </P>
when did the first anatomically modern humans first appear
when did the first anatomically modern humans first appear
around 315,000 years ago
around 315,000 years ago