A- Acheulean : Stone tool culture associated with almond shaped tools.
- A.D. : Anno Domini (after Christ's birth).
- aeserniensis (an).
- aethiopicus (ae) : Fossils found in Ethiopia and Kenya.
- afarensis (af) :
 : Fossils found in Tanzania and Ethiopia.
- afer (ar) : Fossils found in Border Cave, South Africa.
- Africanthropus (AF) : Synonymous with helmei.
- africanus (ac) : : Fossils from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
- alalus (al) : Haeckel named 'apeman' before fossils were found.
- Ameride : : Ethnic group of North American Indians (mongolide).
- Amud Man : Neandertal from Amud, Israel. See Galilee man.
- anamensis (am) : Fossils from northern Kanapoi, Kenya.
- Ancestor : Creature in a direct lineage prior to the current form.
- antecessor (at) : Fossils from Spain.
- Anthropoid : Resembling man.
- Anthropologist : A specialist in Anthropology.
- Anthropology : The science dealing with the study of man.
- Anthropopithecus (AP) : First name for fossils from Java.
- Antiquarian : Person studying ancient objects.
- antiquus (aq) : See neanderthalensis;
see also Laetoli.
- Arago Man :
 : See Tautavel man.
- Ardipithecus (AR) : African hominid similar to Australopithecus.
- Artifacts : Objects made by man.
- asiaticus (as) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- Atlanthropus (AL) : Middle Pleistocene hominids of north Africa.
- Aurignacian : Stone tool culture associated with Cro-Magnon.
- Australide : Ethnic group of Australia, S. Asia and Pacific Islands.
- Australopithecus (AU) : Early fossil genus in the Hominid line.
- Azilian : First post-glacial culture of after Le Mas d'Azil, France.
B
- bahrelghazali (bg).
- Baringo Remains : Various tooth and bone fragments, Kenya.
- B.C. : Before Christ.
- B.C.E. : Before Common Era (B.C. without religious connotation).
- B.P. : Before Present.
- Bed : distinct rock layer in a stratigraphic sequence.
- Bilzingsleben Man : Homo erectus from Bilzingsleben, Germany.
- bilzingslebensis (bz) : : Fossils found in Germany.
- Biped : A life form using two legs for locomotion.
- Black Skull : Most complete A. aethiopicus discovered 1985 by A. Walker.
- blade : Elongated flake to be made into various tools.
- boisei (bo) : : Fossils found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
- Broken Hill Man : Homo rhodesiensis : : from Kabwe, Zambia.
C
- calpicus (cl) : Suggested name for Gibraltar man.
- capensis (cp) : Fossils found in South Africa.
- C.E. : Common Era (A.D. without religious connotation).
- Cenozoic : The Era of the 'Modern Ages of Life'.
- cepranensis (cn) : Fossils found in Italy.
- Chatelperronian : Stoneworking industry related to Neandertals.
- Choukoutien Man : see Peking man.
- cm : centimeter (1 - 100th of a meter).
- core : Stone from which flakes are struck for tools.
- Clactonian : Primitive stone flake tool culture of Europe.
- Clactonian Man : Homo erectus from Clacton-on-Sea, Great Britain.
- c. : circa.
- crassidens (cr) : South African hominids of Swartkrans.
- Cranium : The brain case portion of the skull.
- Cro-Magnon : Rock shelter near Les Eyzies, France.
- Cro-magnon Man : Homo sapiens from Les Eyzies, France.
- cro-magnon (cm) : Fossils found in Europe.
- Cyphanthropus (CY): Generic name for Rhodesia man.
D
- daliensis (dl) : Fossils from Jiefang, China.
- dawsoni (dw) : : Piltdown Man, Great Briatin.
- Diluvian Man : see diluvii testis.
- diluvii testis (dt) : Falsely described
salamander : : 1725.
- Djebel Qafzeh Man : Neandertal from Jebel Kafzeh, Israel.
- DNA : Deoxyribonucleic acid, the building blocks of life.
- Dryopithecus (DR) : : Fossil Miocene-Pliocene old world ape.
E
- Endotherm : Capable of maintaining constant internal temperature.
- Eoanthropus (EO) : Piltdown man : : English fossil forgery.
- Eocene : Time period of 35 to 58 million years ago.
- erectus (er) : Mid-Pleistocene fossil found scattered around the world.
- ergaster (eg) : : Fossils found in West Turkana, Kenya.
- Euranthropus (EU) : Synonymous with heidelbergensis.
- europaeus (eu).
- Europanthropus : see Heidelberg man.
- Europide : An ethnic group of Europe and western Asia.
- Evol. : Evolution.
- Evolution : Theory that species developed from earlier forms, Darwin.
- Extinct : Form of creature no longer living in the modern world.
F
- F.&S. : Fossilien und Saurier (Katalog).
- F.A.P. : Fine Arts Philatelist.
- F.D. : First Day.
- F.D.C. : First Day Cover.
- Family : A group classification above Genus.
- Fauresmith : Stone tool culture found in South Africa.
- Fayum : Fossil deposits of the Eocene and Oligocene in Egypt.
- Flake : Fragment struck from a stone to be made into a tool.
- Flat-faced Man : Kenyaanthropus platyops.
- florisbadensis (fl) : : Fossils found in Florisbad, South Africa.
- floresiensis (fs) : Fossils found in Indonesia.
- Fossil : : Remains of life forms preserved in the Earth's crust.
- Fossiliferous : fossil-bearing deposit.
G
- Galilee Man : Neandertal from Amud, Israel. See Amud man.
- Galleta, La : See Orce man.
- Galley Hill Man : Homo sapiens from Galley Hill, England.
- garhi (gh) : Fossils found in Middle Awash, Ethiopia.
- Genetics : Science of characteristics passed from parent to child.
- Genus : A group classification above Species.
- georgicus (gg) : Fossils found in Georgia.
- Gibraltar Man : Homo neanderthalensis from Gibraltar.
- gb : gigabyte (1000 megabytes) - file size measurement unit.
- Gigantopithecus (GI) : Extinct giant ape.
- Glacial : A cold period during which ice and snow accumulate.
- gracile (gr).
- Gravettian : Upper Paleolithic culture 22-28 thousand years ago.
- Günz : First major glacial episode of the Pleistocene.
H
- habilis (hb) : : Lower Pleistocene East African fossil group.
- Hand-Axe : All-purpose cutting and butchering stone tool.
- Heidelberg Man : Homo heidelbergensis from Mauer, Germany.
- heidelbergensis (hd) : : Fossils found in Europe and Africa.
- helmei (hm) : Fossils found in South Africa.
- Hesperopithecus (HP) : Tooth of an extinct pig (Nebraska Man).
- Hexian Man : Homo erectus from Longtandong, China.
- Holocene : Time period of 10 thousand years ago to the present.
- Hominid : Bipedal primates ('great apes') - man and related forms.
- Hominidae : Family including man and relatives, but not the apes.
- Homo (HO) : Genus comprising surviving and extinct genera of man.
I
- Ice Age : Long-term periods of cold climatic conditions.
- idaltu (id). : Homo sapien of the Ethiopian Pleistocene.
- Ighoud Man : Homo sapiens from Jebel Ighoud, Morocco.
- in situ : Latin for "in place."
- incipiens (in).
- Interglacial : Warmer periods between glacial episodes.
- Interstadial : Warmer periods within glacial episodes.
- ISBN : International Standard Book Number.
- ISSN : International Standard Serial Number.
J
- Javanthropus (JV) : Hominids from Ngandong.
- Java Man : Homo erectus from Trinil, Indonesia.
- javensis (jv) : : Fossils found in Indonesia.
- Jebel Qafza Man : Neandertal from Jebel Kafzeh, Israel.
K
- kadabba (kd) : Ayala, Ethiopian hominoid.
- kb : kilobyte (1024 bytes) - file size measurement unit.
- Kenyanthropus (KY) : Lake Turkana hominoid.
- Kenyapithecus (KP) : Kenyan hominoid.
- krapinensis (kr) : : named after Krapina, : : Croatia.
- kya : thousands (k) of years ago.
L
- Laetoli Footprints : Earliest fossil man tracks (Olduvai Gorge).
- Lantian Man : Homo erectus from Shaanxi Province, China.
- lantianensis (ln) : : Fossils found in Shaanxi, China.
- 'Lapedo Child' : 4 year old buried with pierced shells and ochre.
- Lapeolithic : The Old Stone Age.
- leakeyi (lk) : Fossils from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
- Levalloisian : Paleolithic flake tool culture.
- Living floor : Surface where humans lived, worked or left debris.
- 'Lucy' : Earliest most complete skeleton of erect hominid.
M
- Magdalenian : Upper Paleolithic, 18 to 10 thousand years ago.
- Maglemose : Early post-glacial cultures of northern Europe.
- Mandible : Lower jaw bone.
- marstoni (mr)
: See swanscombensis.
- Mauer Man : Homo heidelbergensis from Mauer, Germany.
- Maueranthropus : see Heidelberg man.
- mauritanicus (mt) : Fossils found in Ternifine, Algeria.
- Maxilla : Part of skull holding all the upper teeth except the incisors.
- mb : megabyte (1000 kilobytes) - file size measurement unit.
- Meganthropus (MG) : Early hominids from Java and East Africa.
- Mesolithic : Period of technology between Paleolithic and Neolithic.
- Mesopithecus (MP) : : Extinct Miocene primate from Greece.
- meter : Metric measurement = 39 inches.
- Meter : Postage marking applied by machine.
- Miocene : The time period of 24 million to 5 million years ago.
- Millennium Man : see Orrorin tugenensis.
- Missing Link : Prehistoric animal between man and early life forms.
- mm : millimeter (1 - 1000th of a meter).
- modjokertensis (mj) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- Mongolide : Ethnic group of N. and E. Asia including the Arctic.
- monstrosus (ms) : Linnaeus's name for sapiens.
- Morphology : Study of physical features (shapes) and surfaces of bones.
- Mount Carmel Man : Neandertal from Tabun and Skhul, Israel.
- Mousterian : Stone tool culture associated with Neandertals.
- mousteriensis (mu).
- 'Mrs. Ples' : See Plesianthropus transvaalensis.
- mya : millions of years ago.
N
- Nariokotome Boy : Homo erectus from the Turkana, Africa.
- Naturalist : A specialist in the study of the natural world.
- Neandertal Man : : Synonymous with Neanderthal man.
- Neanderthal Man : Homo neanderthalensis from Neandertal, Germany.
- neanderthalensis (nd) : : also neandertalensis / neanderthalis.
- Nebraska Man : Tooth found 1921 (Hesperopithecus), a pig-like animal.
- Negride : Ethnic group of Africa.
- Neolithic : Period of technology after the Mesolithic.
- Ngandong Man : See Solo man.
- ngandongensis (ng) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- Nut Cracker Man : Australopithecus from Olduvai, Tanzania.
O
- Occipital : Bone that forms rear of the skull.
- Oldowan : Early Paleolithic stone tool designation (Olduvai Gorge).
- Olduvai Gorge : : The suspected African origin of mankind.
- Oligocene : Time period of 35 to 24 million years ago.
- Omo Valley : : Ethiopian site with plant and animal remains.
- Orce Man (OC) : Orce, Spain, likely not a primate (La Galleta).
- Oreopithecus (OP) : Miocene primate.
- Orrorin (OR) : Fossils from the Tugen hills of Kenya.
- Ouranopithecus (OU) : Fossil ape.
- OWASU : Old World Archaeological Study Unit.
P
- Paleoanthropic : Relating to prehistoric and fossil man.
- Paleoanthropologist : A specialist in the study of fossil man.
- Paleoanthropology : Science of prehistoric and fossil man.
- Paleoanthropus (PA) : Synonym for Mount Carmel man.
- Paleocene : Geological epoch, 65 to 58 million years ago.
- paleohungaricus (ph) : Fossils found in Hungary.
- paleojavanicus (pj) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- Paleolithic : Period of technology before the Mesolithic.
- Paleontologist : A specialist in Paleontology.
- Paleontology : Science of life of past geologic ages.
- palestinensis (pl) : Fossils found in Israel.
- Paranthropus (PR)
: : Pleistocene South African hominids.
- Pekin / Peking Man : : : Homo erectus, Zhoukoudian, China.
- pekinensis (pk) : : Fossils found in China.
- Perigordian : Upper Paleolithic stone tool tradition.
- Permafrost : Permanently frozen sub-soil.
- Petralona Man : : Homo erectus from Petralona, Greece.
- petraloniensis (pt) : : Fossils found in Greece.
- Philatelist : A specialist in Philately (stamp collecting).
- Philately : Study of postage stamps used to prepay mail.
- Piltdown Man : : : Fake remains from Piltdown, Great Britain, Dawson.
- Pithecanthropus (PC) : : Middle Pleistocene Asian hominids.
- Pithecoid : Resembling an ape.
- platyops (py).
- Pleistocene : Time period of 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago.
- Plesianthropus (PL) : Lower Pleistocene South African hominids.
- Pliocene : Time period of 5 million to 1.6 million years ago.
- Pliopithecus (PP) : Fossil Pliocene ape, not related to man.
- Pontnewydd Man : Neandertal from Pontnewydd, Great Britain.
- Postcranial : "behind the head," the skeleton not including the skull.
- Praeh. : Praehistorie in der Philatelie (Katalog).
- Praesapiens Man : See Swanscombe Man.
- pragens (pr).
- Prehistoric : Period before written history begins.
- Primates : Order of mammals to which humans belong.
- primigenus (pg).
- Proconsul : : Fossil Miocene ancestor of chimpanzees.
- prometheus (pm) : Fossils from South Africa.
- Prosimian : Primitive primate.
- Protanthropus (PT) : Synonymous with steinheimensis.
- protosapiens (ps) : See swanscombensis.
- Pseudhomo : see Heidelberg man.
Q
R
- Radiocarbon dating : Carbon 14 method to determine fossil age.
- Ramapithecus (RP) : : Fossil Miocene ape, not related to man.
- ramidus (rm) : Fossils found in Aramis region of Ethiopia.
- Rhenanthropus : see Heidelberg man.
- Rhodesian Man : Homo erectus from Zambia (Rhodesia).
- rhodesiensis (rh) : : Fossils found in Zambia (Rhodesia).
- Riss : Third European glaciation 200-100,000 B.C.
- robustus (rb) : : Fossils found in South Africa.
- Rock Shelter : Overhang on a cliff face used for shelter.
- rudolfensis (rd) : : Fossils found in Lake Turkana, Kenya.
S
- Sahelanthropus (SA) : Fossils from northern Chad.
- saldanha (sd).
- Salé Man : Homo erectus from Salé, Morocco.
- sangiranensis (sg) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- sapiens (sp) : : Fossils found worldwide.
- Sediments : Rocks created through repeated deposition of soil or mud.
- SG : Stanley Gibbons.
- Shaman : Tribal spiritual-doctor who communicates with spirits.
- shanidarensis (sh) : : Fossils found in Shanidar Valley, Iraq.
- Sinanthropus (SN) : : Middle Pleistocene Asian hominids.
- sinensis (sn) : Fossils found in Zhoukoudian, China.
- Site : Location that has yielded fossil or archaeological remains.
- Sivapithecus (SV) : Fossil Miocene ape, not related to man.
- Skull : The skeletal portion of the head.
- Solo Man : Homo soloensis from Ngangdong, Indonesia.
- soloensis (so) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- Solutrean : Upper Paleolithic, 18 to 22 thousand years ago.
- Spear Thrower : Notched shaft to extend distance of throw.
- Species : Similar animals unable to reproduce fertile offspring.
- Stalactite : Icicle shaped limestone hanging in cave.
- Stalagmite : Icicle shaped limestone on cave floor.
- Steinheim Man : Homo steinheimensis from Steinheim, Germany.
- steinheimensis (st) : : Fossils found in Germany.
- Strata : Layers of geological deposits.
- Stratigraphy : Study of relative positions of deposits and associated events.
- Sub-Species : Similar animals able to reproduce fertile offspring.
- Swanscombe Man : Neandertal from Swanscombe, Great Britain.
- swanscombensis (sw) : Fossils found in Great Britain.
T
- taung (tn) : : Fossils found in Bophuthatswana (South Africa).
- Tautavel Man : : : Homo erectus from Tautavel, France.
- tautavelensis (ta) : : Fossils found in France.
- Taxonomy : The science of classifying life forms.
- tchadensis (tc) : : Fossils found in northern Chad.
- Telanthropus (TL) : South African hominids of Swartkrans.
- Ternifine Man : Homo erectus from Ternifine, Algeria.
- Tool : Object made by animals or humans for specific purposes.
- transvaalensis (tv) : Fossils found in South Africa.
- trinilensis (tr) : Fossils found in Java, Indonesia.
- troglodytes (tl) : Linnaeus's name for sapiens.
- tschadanthropus : see tchadensis.
- tugenensis (tg) : Fossils found in Tugen Hills of Kenya.
U
- unk. : unknown.
V
- Venus : Female shaped mobile art of Upper Paleolithic.
- verl. : Verlag (Publishing House in German).
- Vertebrata : The phylum containing all animals with backbones.
- Vértesszöllös Man : Homo sapiens from Vértesszöllös, Hungary.
W
- wickeri (wk) : Fossils found in Kenya.
- Würm : Fourth and last major glacial period 75-9,000 B.C.
X
Y
Z
- zeuxis (zx) : Fossils found in Egypt (Aegyptopithecus).
- Zhoukoudian Man : Homo erectus. See Peking man.
- Zinjanthropus (ZJ) : : : Lower Pleistocene East African hominids.
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