History of Fossil Record Recovery

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History of Fossil Record Recovery

• Robert Rhoades
• Dept. of Anthropology
• The University of Georgia, Athens

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View I
Modern Homo sapiens
Human-Apes
Apes
Monkey
Lemurs
Earliest primates
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View II
Terminal Products
Humans
Monkeys
Apes
Lemurs
Earliest Primates
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1. Indirect evidence

• A. Comparative anatomy and behavior
• B. Embryology
• C. Blood groups/ DNA

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II. Direct evidence

• A. Fossil record (human paleontology)

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Contd.. II. Direct Evidence

• B. Problems with fossils
• Hard to interpret
• Hard to find
• Emotional

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C. Early Finds

• Neanderthal (1856)

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• Java man (1891 E. Dubois)
• Pithecanthropus erectus
• Homo erectus

Eugene Dubois (1858-1940)
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• Piltdown man (1908-1915)
• Eoanthropus dawsoni
• Peking man (1927 D. Black)
• Sinanthropus pekinensis

Davidson Black (1884 or 1885-1934)
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• Taung baby (1924 R. Dart)
• Australopithecus africanus
• Origins of humans in Africa

Raymond A. Dart (1893-?)
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Evolution Debate

• Straight evolutionists Line
• Great antiquity of genus Homo

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Assessing Evidence until 1960

• Galley Hill
• Piltdown
• Swanscombe
• Fontechevade
• Mt. Carmel
• No solid evidence