Final answer:
Archaic Homo is divided into two categories: Early Archaic Homo, including species like Homo antecessor from 1.2 MYA to 800 KYA, and Late Archaic Homo, which would encompass species closer to modern humans such as Neanderthals and Denisovans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Categories of Archaic Homo
Archaic Homo is an umbrella term that refers to various Homo species that came after Homo erectus and are viewed as transitional forms on the evolutionary path to fully modern humans. The species classified under Archaic Homo have diverse traits and features, including a larger brain size averaging 1,200 to 1,400 cc, a thick skull, prominent supraorbital ridges, and a less pronounced chin compared to modern humans. These species are important for understanding human evolution and are subdivided into two categories based on their time periods: Early Archaic (800-250 KYA) and Late Archaic (300-30 KYA).
Early Archaic Homo
The Early Archaic category includes species such as Homo antecessor, which dates to around 1.2 MYA to 800 KYA. The fossil evidence for H. antecessor has been located in Europe at places like the Sima de los Huesos site in Spain, and this species is considered to have traits that later appear in Neanderthals. Additionally, nuclear DNA evidence suggests that the hominins at this site diverged earlier than 430,000 years ago, and were related to Neanderthals rather than Denisovans.
Late Archaic Homo
The Late Archaic category is not explicitly defined in the reference provided, but by logical extension, it would include species that existed closer to the emergence of anatomically modern humans. Considering the timeline provided, Late Archaic Homo could include species such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, which showed complex behaviors and physical characteristics that demonstrate a continued evolution from earlier forms like H. erectus and early archaic Homo species.