I hear about these things. But I have doubt based on personal experience. When I've done long hikes (did both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails), I would nearly universally knock out pretty much as soon as the sun set. This, after a lifetime of being a night owl who very easily would stay up until 2am every night.
And this was true of basically everyone else I met in every age group as well. 17 year olds to 70 year olds all abserved hikers midnight, hitting their sleeping bags hard not long after sunset. Even with a campfire going and socializing to be had, staying up 2 hours past sunset was a hefty proposition.
Also, with the 2 sleeps thing - on the trail, I typically slept straight through the night. I might wake up once or twice to pee, but then I would lay back down and be right back to sleep.
My guess is that
- All humans naturally sleep around sunset and wake at sunrise, with negotiable dispositions to sleep earlier or later based on age.
- Variations in sleep schedule in ancestral environments would account for disposition, but would likely be driven by cultural norms, not instinct.
- Having two sleeps was probably an artifact of having easily available illumination (candles and lamps) which occurred at this time.