In this book, the author gives an overview of the main problems associated with the origin of our species, along the way summarizing and presenting in a form accessible to non-specialists what is now known about its origin and evolutionary history, the driving forces of cultural development, the dynamics of resettlement, as well as about possible relationships with others who lived simultaneously with early Homo sapiens, hominid species. For each of the listed topics, the most interesting and important information at the disposal of paleoanthropology, archeology and related sciences in mid-2014 was taken into account.