Classification of fossil hominids in general?

Question

Why is it often so contentious? This is one of my essay questions that could come up in the exam :) your help would be appreciated! (anthro majors/experts recommended!)

Answer 1

Homo floresiensis is a good example of why it can get contentious.  It had a brain that was smaller than some chimps and was only about 3 feet tall.  It did have features that suggested that it might have evolved from some version of erectus.  It didn't fit into any category.  They assigned it to the genus Homo but that means that Homo now includes pretty much any brain size.  There simply wasn't enough evidence to be sure where it should be placed in the evolutionary tree even though they did demonstrate with some certainty that it wasn't a modern human.  

One of the main reason that classifications are often contentious is the lack of evidence makes it uncertain.  The finder wants it to be as close to a human ancestor as possible to make it more interesting and valuable.  He relies on that to get funding.  Classification of a particular fossil could make a whole region more valuable.  There are also political considerations where the locals like to think they lived in the regions for millions of years for example.  If you assign one fossil species of a particular age as the most likely human ancestor, then fossils of other species of the same time are rendered less important.