4 - Neandertals and Modern Humans Flashcards
Mousterian Tool Tradition
Le Moustier, France
Tools are generally smaller
Levallois technique
No evidence of long distance tools
Levallois technique
prepare cobble that is brittle and breaks in
percussion flaked to prepare core (make it tortoiseshell shaped)
Make a flake from the core D <– side view
Makes tools from flakes
La (Lottle, Cottle) de St Brelade
of the English cannal
Evidence of communal hunting, running mammoths off cliff
Vindija Cave Sit
Croatia, revealed evidence of heavy influence of meat in diet, stable isotope analysis of collagen (N15) same as carnivores
El Salt
Spain, coprolites (fossilized feces), oldest ever found
analyzed fats that showed evidence of plants in diet
The Denisovans
Denisova Cave, Southern Russia
DNA from finger bone was analyzed and identified as belonging to an archaic human group separate from Neandertals and modern humans
Geneticists have discovered Denisovan DNA in the modern human genome
About 5% of some populations in East Asia, esp Melenesia and Australian Aboriginals
Also tooth found
Very little of the skeleton represented so we do not know what they look like
Very cold, which helps preserve DNA
Distinguishing characteristics of Homo sapiens
1400 cc Globular skull, vertical forehead smaller eyebrows smaller head (teeth, jaws, mid face) lighter body structure, thiner/lighter bones, smaller muscle attachments
Models explaining emergence of homo sapiens
Multiregional
-suggests that modern humans evolved in various parts of the old world after homo erectus left africa
Replacement Model
-aka out of africa hypothesis
modern humans emerged in africa then spread out into other areas
-Neandertal ppopulations in Europe were replaced 30000-40000 ya
Supported by analysis of mDNA, fossil evidence
OMO I
Ethiopia
earliest modern human
200 000 ya
Jebel Irhoud
Morocco
250 000 ya
transitional, pre modern
blade tools and replacement model
appear very abruptly without evidence of evolving from acheulian tools, supports replacement model
Border Cave
south africa
70 000 - 80 000 BP (Before 1950)
Herto
160 000 ya
Kiasies River Mouth
120 000 ya
Blambos Cave
Incised ochre
77000 ya
South Africa
Qafzeh / Skuhl
Israel
120 000 ya
Represents first expansion of anatomically modern humans beyond Africa
Anatomically modern human in area are older than Neandertals (50-60 000 ya) from Europe
Cro-Magnon
Discovered from 1868 at Rock Shelter near Les Eyzies, France
30 000 ya
Skull bears pitting, evidence of fungal infection
Upper Paleolithic in Europe
period of new technologies and cultural practices
40 000 - 10 000 ya
Coincides with appearance of anatomically modern humans
New tool technologies in the upper paleolithic
indirect percussion -punch would be hit with hammer to break off consistently shaped blades Pressure flaking -reshaping or sharpening tools -used to finish the tool
Burin
- cut, reshape, etc
- make fishhooks, harpoons, and needles
Aurignacian
characterized by long thin blades
34 000 - 27 000 BO
Gravettian
gravette points
27000 - 21000 BO
Soultrean
characterized by heating of flint to make leaf-shaped (aka laurel leaf) blades
flourished in Spain and France
Extremely thin, up to 13 inches long
Magdalenian
relied heavily on antler and bone, also ivory
using wider variety of material
16 000 - 11 000 BO
Technology/tools made up of many different parts
Atlatl
spear thrwer @ 160 km per hour
developed in Europe 30 000 ya
Significant b/c it allows for distance hunting
allowed for more force to be put into throwing
bow and arrow
11 000 ya (maybe even 64 000 ya, arrow points have been found without bow or shaft)
upper paleolithic and art
explosion of artistic expression 40 000 ya
art, body decorating
parietal art
cave wall painting
mobilitary art
portable art (venus figurines and animal carvings)
chauvet cave
france variety of art (geometric, hand stencils, animals, etc) one of the earliest paintings, 32 000 ya 3 friends discovered it dated charcol using AMS dating torch marks also found, 26 000 ya made during aurignacian
el castillo cave
spain
40 800 ya (when both Neandertals and modern humans were around)
oldest cave painting known today
dated using uranium series dating (thorium : uranium)
calcium carbonade over paintings formed when water dripped down cave wall
study showed that 24/30 handprints were female
lascaux
france, 1940, found by 18 year old man
17000 ya
depicts a lot of large animals, with some humans
painted using red and yellow ochre, maganese and charcol for black
had both spray paint and pencil type methods
oil lamp discovered (moss/juniper used as wick in deer ft)
caves have been closed because co2 can corrode paintings and encourage algae growth
altamira
spain
16 500 - 14 000 ya
a few that may be even 36 000 years old
closed to public in 20002
venus figurines
small sculptures
widespread through europe
large breasts abdomens, wide hipes, undefined facial features
wilendorf
-4 3/8 inches, stone, most famous
Laussel
-bas relief, limestone, holding horn with 13 lines could be lunar or fertility cycle
-traces of red ochre
-20 000 ya
Lespugue
-mammoth ivory tusk, 6 inches high, 26 000 yrs old
Brassempory
-head is 1 1/2 inches, defined facial features
-earliest representation of human face
Hohle Fels
-35 000 ya, 2/4 inches tall, mammoth ivory
-Oldest depiction of human form, probs worn as pendant
-Germany
Animal figurines
hohlenstein site
32 000 yrs old lion headed figurine, made from mammoth ivory, reconstructred from pieces, 28 cm tall
Music
hohle fels cave, germany
35 000 yrs old
bird bone flutes and ivory flutes
sanguin site
russia
28 000 yo
burial with many grave goods
1 singular older man, 2 young people together 12-13 yo male and female (thru DNA)
lots of beads, pendents, fox teeth ornaments, spears, ochre, carved disks
girl had misformed, bowed femurs (maternal diabetes?)
dolni vestonice
czech republic
3 burried: male 16/17 wood stuck through body, female 20 spine/femur/tooth deformed, male 17/18 head smashed
-may have been related (deformity in sinus cavity) but not through mother (mdna analysisvenus of dolni vestonice
venus of Dolni vestonice
earliest example of fired clay
sahul
land mass of “greater australia” includes australia proper, new guinea, tasmania
sunda
land mass of Java, sumatra, bali, borneo
wallace trench
under sea chasm between new guinea/australia and jave/borneo
wallace line – life is different on others sides of line
occupation of australia
largest water gaps would’ve been 80-100 km, average 20km
oldest evidence of australian anatomically modern humans is south east, Lake Mungo
based on dna, genetically divered 75 thousand ya
pleistocene Megafauna
the larger, now extinct herbivores like mastadon, bison antiqus, sabre tooth
extinction doesn’t coincide with major climate change
does coincide with arrival of humans
fungus associated with herbivore dung disappears/dramatically decreases 41 000 ya
clovis
13 500 ya
bifacially flaked points with flutes
monte verde
chile, 14 500 yrs old (carbon dating), peat bog, mastadon hide recovered, rectangular houses with planked floors, wide variety of plants in diet (unlike clovis associated with mainly large game hunting)
meadowcroft rock shelter
pennsylvania, footprint has been discovered
Bering Land Bridge hypothesis
~85 km between asia and north america
bering bridge ~ 1500 km wide
35000 - 11 000 ya
Beriginia
when did ice sheets start to separate
14 000 ya
pacific costal route
using watercraft to travel along beringia and pacific coast
no evidence of watercraft at this time in new world
side scan sonar to investigate
north atlantic ice edge
clovis tools bear resemblance to solutrean
generally not supported
-solutrean ended 500 yrs before clovis
-genetics doesn’t support
Anzick site
montana, only confirmed clovis burial
18 mth boy, 13000 yrs old
80% Aboriginal people directly related to the boy
related to populations in north east asia
Yana RHS
32 000 ya, rhinosorous horn site
significant sites in new world
swan point (alaska, 14 000 yrs ago) Bluefish cave (yukon, 15 000 - 12 000 yrs ago) debra l friedkin (texas, 15 500 yrs ago, oldest firmly dated) Paisley 5 mile point caves (oregon 14300 yrs ago, dna from coprolite)
folsom tools
after clovis, flute goes further up than clovis, associated with now extinct, large bison
skeletons in new world
rare to find, ~2 dzen over 9000 years old
kennewick man
healed over projectile point in hipe, 9300 yrs old, lawsuit followed discovery
most resembles the ainu of Japan
ate marine mammals, drank water from alaska
stocky muscular, 5’7, five broken ribs and other injuries
