ANT 2511 Exam 4 Final Sinelli Flashcards
Trend in hominid evolution
increasing brain size and decreasing dentition
Homo habilis
-Fossils range 2.4-1.4 mya
-Widely distributed, found in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, and South Africa
H. Habilis at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
-Found by Lewis/Mary Leakey
-“Handy Man” because thought to be first tool user before A.Ghari was found
OH 7 (H. Habilis)
-Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
-Type specimen for H. Habilis
-1.75 myo
OH 24 “Twiggy” (H. Habilis)
-Discovered in Tanzania, 1968
-1.8 myo
-600cc brain, smaller chewing complex than australopithecus
OH 8 (H. Habilis)
-Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
-Foot fossil discovered by Lewis Leakey
-Longer arms/shorted legs than humans, still climbed
Possibly killed by crocodile, perimortem croc tooth mark on foot
Oldowan stone tools
Oldest tools, 2.6 myo
-Simple choppers for pounding and flakes for cutting
-Indicate more meat in diet
H. Rudolfensis
-KNM-ER 1470 found in Koobi Fora, Kenya
-1.9 myo
-Larger brain than H. Habilis, 775cc
-Unique cranial/dental features
H. rudolfensis vs. H. habilis
-Both originated 2 mya
-H. Rudolfensis bigger brain
-Facial/Teeth measurements differ
Culture becomes increasingly IMPORTANT over time, how?
-Tool use becomes critical for survival
-Dietary plasticity improves chance of survival
H. erectus firsts:
-First species to leave Africa into Europe and Asia
-First hominid adapted to both tropical and temperate climates
-First to have an average brain size over 1000 cc
-First to control fire
-First to occupy caves
-First complex tools
H. Erectus - control fire (when and where is the oldest evidence for this?)
Zhoukoudian, China. Dragon Bone Hill; 1.2-1.7 mya, charred bits of wood and bone indicate controlled use of fire
H. Erectus - where across the globe is this species distributed?
China, Georgia, Europe, and throughout Africa
African H. Erectus (Ergaster) KNM-WT 15000 “Turkana boy” or “Nariokotome skeleton”
-80 percent complete skeleton of an 11-year-old boy
-more modern proportions: short arms, long legs
-cranial capacity over 900 cc
-6 feet tall as an adult
-most complete early human skeleton ever found
-tall and thin frame is an adaptation for a hot environment
KNM-ER 3733 (H. ergaster)
-H. ergaster (African H. erectus)
-Richard Leakey, 1975
-Koobi Fora, Kenya
-Cranium of mature female
Dminisi, Georgia Site
-H. erectus, 1.77 myo
-20 individuals, 2 complete, 2 partial skulls
Most ancient H. erectus fossils found outside Africa
Eugene Dubois and Java Man
-found in 1890s
-discovered skullcap and femur at Trinil, Java
-named it “Pithecanthropus erectus” meaning “upright ape man”
-1.3-1.7 myo
Zhoukoudian– Dragon Bone Hill
-China
-1899 fossil tooth located among dragon bones (medicines and aphrodisiacs)
- first skull found 1929
- Canadian Davidson Black first led study, died in field 1934. Franz Weidenreich (European) replaced him.
Remains of up to 40 individuals lost in WWII—how?
Lost in Japanese invasion of mainland China mid 1930s
SE Asian H. erectus age?
1.3-1.7 myo
H. Erectus in Europe - Ceprano, Italy
-900,000-450,000 ya
-well preserved cranium
H. Erectus in Europe - Sima del Elefante (Atapuerca, Spain)
oldest evidence of Hominins in Western Europe
H. Erectus in Europe - Gran Dolina, Spain fossils: know the details
-stone tools
-animal remains
-hominid fossils
-MNI = 6 including a male juvenile cranium
-stone-tool cut marks on animal and hominid fossils suggest cannibalism
General H. erectus features
-pronounced brow ridges
-low forehead
-long, low brain case
Acheulian tool kit: how they were used and why are they significant for understanding H. erectus behavior
-Bi-face (works on both sides), cuts, scrapes, pounds, and digs
-found with the remains of large animals
-hunting and butchering
-new social structure to facilitate group cooperation in hunting critical. Tools more refined than Oldowan which demonstrates mental template
H. Heidelbergensis Lecture Material
-800,000-100,000 years ago
-Height and weight essentially modern
-Average brain size: 1,280 cc
-Found across Africa, Asia, Europe and exhibit highly variable morphologic traits
The Mauer Jaw: where and when was it recovered? How old is it?
-1907 Mauer Sand Pits, Germany
-massive mandible
-both primitive (robust) and derived teeth (small molars)
-500,000 years old
H. Heidelbergensis - general features
-incipient chin
-massive brow ridges
How does H. Heidelbergensis cranial features compare to H. Erectus?
-smaller and separated brows
-higher cranial vault
-less prognathic face
-small teeth
-thinner vault bones
H. Heidelbergensis - the Atapuerca site: what was recovered and when was the site occupied
-430,000 years old
-Dozens of individuals recovered from a cave shaft where they were apparently intentionally deposited
-possible rite of passage?
H. Heidelbergensis - what happened to the species?
-in Africa, evolved into archaic H. sapiens and eventually us
-in Europe, evolved into H. Neanderthalensis
H. Neanderthalensis: Dates the species lived and geographic range
-100,000 - 30,000 years ago
-Europe
H. Neanderthalensis - where and when was the first specimen recovered?
-1856, odd skeleton found in Feldhofer Cave, located in the Neander Valley of Germany
H. Neanderthalensis - how was the species first viewed by science, and is this view justified?
-Rudolf Virchow determined the fossils were not evidence of this being an archaic human but evidence of rickets, or some other disease (actually wrong)
La Chapelle-aux-Saints
-H. Neanderthalensis
-France 60,000 years old
-M. Boule interpretation
-Arthritic, cold-adapted, elderly male Neanderthal
Shanidar, Iraq site
-H. Neanderthalensis
-45,000 years old
-40s male
-heavy wear on teeth
-very large brain
-eye injury
-arm amputation
-foot with arthritis
-Cared for into old age due to injuries making him useless. Evidence for culture?
Kebara Cave, Israel site
-H. Neanderthalensis
-fossil researchers reconstruct what the body of a typical male Neadnerthal would be like
Neanderthal physical traits:
-5.5 ft-5 ft
-150-170lbs
-1520 cc brain
-large body mass
-Bun-shaped occipital bone
-barrel-chested
-powerful muscles with shorter limbs
-brutish
H. Neanderthalensis
modern speech
-Layrnx in the fossil found at Kebara Cave, Israel
-Hardware there, software possibly not
H. Neanderthalensis tool use
Mousterian tool kit: Levallois technique is multistep process that requires preparing the core, (raw material) in specific way that yields flakes roughly uniform in dimension. Flakes are then turned into individual tools.
H. Neanderthalensis
religion
-flexed burials at La Chapelle-aux Saints
H. Neanderthalensis subsistence patterns and diet
-Hunting at close range
-Grains, fruits, legumes (beans), nuts
-Highly seasonal per climate
H. Neanderthalensis: archaeological and genetic evidence for human/Neanderthal interbreeding: what is the conclusion? (3 long answers)
1.) The genetics and fossils support the idea that Africa was central to modern homo sapien’s evolution and population growth, but the evidence now rejects the idea that our species entirely replaced archaic populations WITHOUT interbreeding
2.) Modern humans evolved from archaic populations regionally, with gene flow connecting these populations for the last 2 million years
3.) While this hypothesis correctly predicted the interbreeding of our species with archaic populations like Neanderthals, it did not emphasize the important role that Africa has played in human evolution
Denisovans site location
-Denisova Cave, Siberia, Russia
-Over 20 layers of excavated artifacts
-Human hand bone, DNA test revealed new type of hominin
Why is the “Denis” individual significant as a “hybrid?”
First time science has identified a FIRST GENERATION hybrid of Denisovan and Neanderthal
Which modern human populations possess the genes and/or traits of the Denisovans?
Non-African decent humans today have 1-4% inherited DNA from neanderthals
