Hominid Evolution Part 3

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Hominid Evolution Part 3
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Homo erectus Summary

• 1.8 mya to 500,000 BP in Africa, Asia and Europe
• H erectus shows interplay of cultural, physical
  and environmental factors
• Social organization and technology developed
• Brain size and complexity increased. The Cranial
  capacity of late H erectus is 31 larger than
  early H erectus
• Increased use of technology and fire allowed H
  erectus to use the environment in new ways and
  move into new areas

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Homo floresiensis

• Island of Flores in Indonesia
• Between about 90,000 and 13,000 BP
• Resembles H erectus in morphology although latest
  reports even liken it to H habilis
• About 3 feet tall
• Original skeletal materials have been destroyed

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Middle Paleolithic Archaic Homo sapiens

• In Europe, Africa and East Asia between
  400,000-200,000 BP there are skulls and skeletal
  parts which can be interpreted as either H
  erectus or archaic H sapiens
• Changes in shape of skull, cranial capacity, and
  artifact assemblages.
• Sima de los Huesos in northern Spain is one of
  these sites dating to between 325,000 and 205,000
  BP
• These specimens can be seen as late H erectus or
  early H sapiens

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Archaic Homo Sapiens

• Petralona Skull from Greece dated at
  250,000-500,000
• Transitional form in which the back of the skull
  resembles H erectus, the cranial capacity (1225
  cc) is in the low range for sapiens and the face
  resembles that of a European Neandertal

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The caves of Atapuerca Gran Dolina

• Gran Dolina was a cave site used for about 1
  million years by humans
• Earliest inhabitants were archaic humans called
  Homo antecessor dating to about 800,000 years
  ago
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/caves/in
  dex.php
• http//www.ucm.es/info/paleo/ata/english/main.htm

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Gran Dolina

• Ice age climate
• Fragmentary fossil remains but many stone tools
• Bones of animals and hominids were hit in the
  same way with stone tools and the marrow was
  removed from both.
• Evidence that there archaic humans were cannibals

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Archaic Homo sapiens at Sima de los Heusos

• Skull from the Sima de los Heusos (Pit of Bones)
  at the Atapuerca Cave site in northern Spain.
• This cave contained the bones of many animals
  including those of fox, cave bear, lion and wolf.
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/sima/ind
  ex.php

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Archaic Homo sapiens at Sima de los Heusos

• The cave also contained thousands of fossil
  remains of about 32 individuals, including many
  teenagers and young adults (many between ages 10
  and 18 and none over 40)
• Dates are between 500,000 and 350,000 BP
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/simahuma
  ns/index.php

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Archaic Homo sapiens at Sima de los Heusos

• They differed from the hominids (Homo antecessor)
  found at Gran Dolina about 400, 000 years earlier
• Their bones were strong, especially in the legs
  and they are tall.
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/simahuma
  ns/index.php

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Archaic Homo sapiens at Sima de los Heusos

• They have been called Homo heidelbergensis.
• These individuals were similar to the Neandertals
  that would later inhabit the region.
• Evidence from other sites shows that there people
  would have used spears and fire
• The teeth are worn. They probably ate meat and
  vegetables and used their teeth to hold objects
  when they were cutting.

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Archaic Homo sapiens at Sima de los Heusos

• Archaeologists dont know why so many bones of
  young people were found in the cave. Perhaps
  they were dropped there?
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/simahuma
  ns/index.php

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Archaic Homo sapiens at Sima de los Heusos

• This one hand axe was found in the pit.
  Archaeologists think it was probably put there on
  purpose. The material is exotic quartzite and it
  dates to 400,000 BP.
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/discover
  y/index.php

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Lavalloisian technique

• Found in Africa, Europe and the Middle east
• Found in China although no use in China of the
  Acheulian tradition, therefore, this may be an
  independent invention
• New knapping techniques, like the Lavalloisian
  technique, allowed a more efficient use of lithic
  material

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Lavalloisian technique (200,000 BP)
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Archaic Homo sapiens

• At this time we also see the beginning of hafting
  and composite tools
• Composite tools took forethought because they are
  made in several steps.
• We see the beginning of distinct cultural
  traditions which have stylistically different
  tools.
• We see the use of stone for Lavalloisian
  technique tools from as far as 300 km away in
  comparison to Acheulian tool stone which came
  from 20 km away

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Archaic Homo sapiens in EuropeThe Neandertals

• The best-known European version of Archaic Homo
  sapiens
• Date from 125,000- about 35,000-30,000 BP in
  western Europe and western Asia (the Middle East)
• Differed from other Archaic Homo sapiens found in
  Africa, China and Java at the same time as the
  earlier Neandertals in that Neandertals were more
  robust.
• Ember et al point out the mtDNA evidence suggests
  that Neandertals were a different species from H
  sapiens

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NeandertalChapelle-aux-Saints

• First discovered in 1908 at Chapelle-aux Saints,
  France
• Modern sized brains (1400 cc)
• Projection of noses and teeth

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Neandertal

• Large front teeth worn down to stubs because they
  were used for tasks other than chewing.
• Large noses for cold air?
• Ridges over eyes
• Bony mass at back of headthe occipital bun

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Neandertal

• Males and females very muscular compared to H
  sapiens like us
• Large feet and legs with thick shin bones
• Arms designed for downward thrusting movements
• Pelvis shaped slightly differently from ours so
  gait different although birthing the same as ours

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Comparison of hominid skulls

• Neandertal
• Cro Magnon (modern human)
• http//www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/nead_
  sap_comp.html

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Middle Paleolithic Mousterian Tradition of the
Neandertals

• Found in Europe, western Africa and North Africa
  between 166,000-40,000 BP
• Technologically more advanced than the Acheulian
  but the presence of handaxes shows that the
  Mousterian grew out of the Acheulian
• Many flakes from one core and a wide variety of a
  tool types such as scrapers, gravers, and notched
  flakes points.

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Mousterian tools

• See SARC site
• http//www.hf.uio.no/iakk/roger/lithic/MOUST/moust
  erian.htmlanchor35458
• and Bruce MacEvoys site
• http//www.handprint.com/LS/ANC/stones.html

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Neandertals

• Lived in cold climate of peri-glacial Europe
• Hunted horse, cattle, mastodon which they drove
  over cliffs to their deaths
• Wrecked havoc on the ecological balance of big
  game animals
• Social organization shown through hunting and
  care for the old and infirm
• Burial of dead perhaps with flowers at Shanidar
  cave in Iraq at 64,000 BP

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Where did we come from? Homo sapiens as killer
species?

• Multiregional hypothesis supported by slow
  transition of fossil remains from H erectus to H
  sapiens in Africa, Asia and SE Asia
• In the case of Europe, neandertals remained until
  about 35,000-33,000 BP
• By 40,000 BP we see a new stone technologythe
  Aurignacian tradition in Europe
• Cro-magnon and neandertal co-existed and used the
  same or similar stone technologies but did they
  fight? Interbreed? Compete for ecological niches?

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Out of Africa? But when?

• H erectus (ergaster) (Turkana Boy) at 1.6 mya had
  a body like ours.
• He lived in East Africa with
• Kenyanthropus rudolfensis
• Paranthropus bosei
• Homo habilis
• Dmanisi site in Republic of Georgia with Homo
  erectus (ergaster) at 1.7 mya
• http//www.dmanisi.org.ge/

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Out of Africa? But when?

• mtDNA
• Modern humans from one African woman living
  200,000 years ago?
• Populations of Archaic Homo sapiens maybe 300,000
• Was this genocide by smarter people or a case of
  better adaptation?
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/africa/i
  ndex.php

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Upper Paleolithic
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Modern Homo sapiens Cro-Magnon people like us
at last!

• 40,000-35,000 BP evidence of first anatomically
  modern humans
• Between 40,000 BP and 10,000 BP people migrated
  over most of the globe and began domesticating
  plants and animals

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Cro-Magnon Physical features

• Physiological difference from archaic populations
  including
• lighter bones
• flat faces
• small brow ridge and high forehead
• Chin
• No occipital bun

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Cro-magnon Cultural features

• Diversity of stone tool assemblages between areas
  demonstrates strong cultural differences
• Bone, antler and ivory used for artifacts
• Blades and microblades
• Shelters built and used
• Composite tools like spear throwers and harpoons
• Needles mean clothes and nets

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Distinctive stone tool industries in Europe

• Aurignatian
• Chatelperronian (Neandertal)
• Gravettian
• Solutrean
• Magdalenian
• Archaeological cultures which may demonstrate
  ethnicity
• Hunters, collectors and gatherers living in
  egalitarian band societies

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Upper Paleolithic in Europe

• By 17,000 specialized hunting cultures
• Rock art such as at Lascaux, a Magdalenian site
  dating to about 17,000 BP in SW France
• http//www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/
  en/

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Lascaux
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Lascaux
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Venus figurines

• Fertility symbol?
• Paleolithic art?
• Paleolithic pornography?
• Womens religious cult?
• Womens reproductive education?

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Globalization 101

• Australia 60,000 BP
• Southern Siberia 42,000 BP
• All of Asia 32,000 BP
• Japan 31,000 BP
• New Guinea 30,000 BP
• Micronesia and Polynesia 3000 or 4000 BP

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Globalization 101

• Beringia Land exposed between 75,000-10,000 BP
• Evidence of habitation at Monte Verde, Chile at
  12,500 BP

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Land or SeaNo corridor through the ice until
13,000 BP
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Beringia

• http//www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/first
  nations/theories.html

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Over the Bering Bridge in three stages

• Amerind linguistic group arrival at about
  12,000 BPmakers of Clovis points
• Na-Dene linguistic group arrived later in a
  second stage
• Aleut-Eskimo linguistic group arrived in a final
  stage

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Nova Scotia

• Paleoindians in Nova Scotia at Debert
• http//museum.gov.ns.ca/arch/sites/debert/debert.h
  tm

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Important points

• Relationship between archaic and modern Homo
  sapiens in Africa, Europe and Asia
• Single origin hypothesis versus the
  Multi-regional hypothesis
• Complexity of modern humans tool kit and way of
  life
• Symbolism
• Social organization
• Adaptation to the environment through culture
• Inhabiting the globe

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Sources

• Ember, Carol, Melvin Ember, Peter Peregrine and
  Robert Hoppa (2006) Physical Anthropology and
  Archaeology, 2nd Canadian Edition. Toronto
  Pearson/Prentice Hall.
• Haviland, William A. (1997) Anthropology, 8th
  edition. Fort Worth Harcourt Brace.
• http//www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
• http//www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/ances
  _start.html
• http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/atapuerca/caves/in
  dex.php
• http//www.geo.umass.edu/projects/chukotka/berhome
  .html
• http//www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/first
  nations/theories.html
• http//www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/
  en/
• http//www.ucm.es/info/paleo/ata/english/main.htm
• http//www.dmanisi.org.ge/
• http//www.hf.uio.no/iakk/roger/lithic/MOUST/moust
  erian.htmlanchor35458
• http//www.handprint.com/LS/ANC/stones.html