ANT 2511 Exam 4 Final Sinelli

Question 1

Trend in hominid evolution

Answer 1

increasing brain size and decreasing dentition

Question 2

Homo habilis

Answer 2

-Fossils range 2.4-1.4 mya
-Widely distributed, found in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, and South Africa

Question 3

H. Habilis at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Answer 3

-Found by Lewis/Mary Leakey
-“Handy Man” because thought to be first tool user before A.Ghari was found

Question 4

OH 7 (H. Habilis)

Answer 4

-Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
-Type specimen for H. Habilis
-1.75 myo

Question 4

OH 24 “Twiggy” (H. Habilis)

Answer 4

-Discovered in Tanzania, 1968
-1.8 myo
-600cc brain, smaller chewing complex than australopithecus

Question 5

OH 8 (H. Habilis)

Answer 5

-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

Question 6

Oldowan stone tools

Answer 6

Oldest tools, 2.6 myo
-Simple choppers for pounding and flakes for cutting
-Indicate more meat in diet

Question 7

H. Rudolfensis

Answer 7

-KNM-ER 1470 found in Koobi Fora, Kenya
-1.9 myo
-Larger brain than H. Habilis, 775cc
-Unique cranial/dental features

Question 8

H. rudolfensis vs. H. habilis

Answer 8

-Both originated 2 mya
-H. Rudolfensis bigger brain
-Facial/Teeth measurements differ

Question 9

Culture becomes increasingly IMPORTANT over time, how?

Answer 9

-Tool use becomes critical for survival
-Dietary plasticity improves chance of survival

Question 10

H. erectus firsts:

Answer 10

-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

Question 11

H. Erectus - control fire (when and where is the oldest evidence for this?)

Answer 11

Zhoukoudian, China. Dragon Bone Hill; 1.2-1.7 mya, charred bits of wood and bone indicate controlled use of fire

Question 12

H. Erectus - where across the globe is this species distributed?

Answer 12

China, Georgia, Europe, and throughout Africa

Question 13

African H. Erectus (Ergaster) KNM-WT 15000 “Turkana boy” or “Nariokotome skeleton”

Answer 13

-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

Question 14

KNM-ER 3733 (H. ergaster)

Answer 14

-H. ergaster (African H. erectus)
-Richard Leakey, 1975
-Koobi Fora, Kenya
-Cranium of mature female

Question 15

Dminisi, Georgia Site

Answer 15

-H. erectus, 1.77 myo
-20 individuals, 2 complete, 2 partial skulls
Most ancient H. erectus fossils found outside Africa

Question 16

Eugene Dubois and Java Man

Answer 16

-found in 1890s
-discovered skullcap and femur at Trinil, Java
-named it “Pithecanthropus erectus” meaning “upright ape man”
-1.3-1.7 myo

Question 17

Zhoukoudian– Dragon Bone Hill

Answer 17

-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.

Question 18

Remains of up to 40 individuals lost in WWII—how?

Answer 18

Lost in Japanese invasion of mainland China mid 1930s

Question 19

SE Asian H. erectus age?

Answer 19

1.3-1.7 myo

Question 20

H. Erectus in Europe - Ceprano, Italy

Answer 20

-900,000-450,000 ya
-well preserved cranium

Question 21

H. Erectus in Europe - Sima del Elefante (Atapuerca, Spain)

Answer 21

oldest evidence of Hominins in Western Europe

Question 22

H. Erectus in Europe - Gran Dolina, Spain fossils: know the details

Answer 22

-stone tools
-animal remains
-hominid fossils
-MNI = 6 including a male juvenile cranium
-stone-tool cut marks on animal and hominid fossils suggest cannibalism

Question 23

General H. erectus features

Answer 23

-pronounced brow ridges
-low forehead
-long, low brain case

Question 24

Acheulian tool kit: how they were used and why are they significant for understanding H. erectus behavior

Answer 24

-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

Question 25

H. Heidelbergensis Lecture Material

Answer 25

-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

Question 26

The Mauer Jaw: where and when was it recovered? How old is it?

Answer 26

-1907 Mauer Sand Pits, Germany -massive mandible -both primitive (robust) and derived teeth (small molars) -500,000 years old

Question 27

H. Heidelbergensis - general features

Answer 27

-incipient chin -massive brow ridges

Question 28

How does H. Heidelbergensis cranial features compare to H. Erectus?

Answer 28

-smaller and separated brows -higher cranial vault -less prognathic face -small teeth -thinner vault bones

Question 29

H. Heidelbergensis - the Atapuerca site: what was recovered and when was the site occupied

Answer 29

-430,000 years old -Dozens of individuals recovered from a cave shaft where they were apparently intentionally deposited -possible rite of passage?

Question 30

H. Heidelbergensis - what happened to the species?

Answer 30

-in Africa, evolved into archaic H. sapiens and eventually us -in Europe, evolved into H. Neanderthalensis

Question 31

H. Neanderthalensis: Dates the species lived and geographic range

Answer 31

-100,000 - 30,000 years ago -Europe

Question 32

H. Neanderthalensis - where and when was the first specimen recovered?

Answer 32

-1856, odd skeleton found in Feldhofer Cave, located in the Neander Valley of Germany

Question 33

H. Neanderthalensis - how was the species first viewed by science, and is this view justified?

Answer 33

-Rudolf Virchow determined the fossils were not evidence of this being an archaic human but evidence of rickets, or some other disease (actually wrong)

Question 34

La Chapelle-aux-Saints

Answer 34

-H. Neanderthalensis -France 60,000 years old -M. Boule interpretation -Arthritic, cold-adapted, elderly male Neanderthal

Question 35

Shanidar, Iraq site

Answer 35

-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?

Question 36

Kebara Cave, Israel site

Answer 36

-H. Neanderthalensis -fossil researchers reconstruct what the body of a typical male Neadnerthal would be like

Question 37

Neanderthal physical traits:

Answer 37

-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

Question 38

H. Neanderthalensis modern speech

Answer 38

-Layrnx in the fossil found at Kebara Cave, Israel -Hardware there, software possibly not

Question 38

H. Neanderthalensis tool use

Answer 38

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.

Question 39

H. Neanderthalensis religion

Answer 39

-flexed burials at La Chapelle-aux Saints

Question 40

H. Neanderthalensis subsistence patterns and diet

Answer 40

-Hunting at close range -Grains, fruits, legumes (beans), nuts -Highly seasonal per climate

Question 40

H. Neanderthalensis: archaeological and genetic evidence for human/Neanderthal interbreeding: what is the conclusion? (3 long answers)

Answer 40

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

Question 41

Denisovans site location

Answer 41

-Denisova Cave, Siberia, Russia -Over 20 layers of excavated artifacts -Human hand bone, DNA test revealed new type of hominin

Question 42

Why is the “Denis” individual significant as a “hybrid?”

Answer 42

First time science has identified a FIRST GENERATION hybrid of Denisovan and Neanderthal

Question 43

Which modern human populations possess the genes and/or traits of the Denisovans?

Answer 43

Non-African decent humans today have 1-4% inherited DNA from neanderthals