Archaic Humans Including The Neadertals

Question 1

What archaic human was the first to arrive in Western Europe, which country was it, and when?

Answer 1

Homo antecessor; Spain; 1.2 mya

Question 2

What is the time frame and period of Archaic humans?

Answer 2

Middle Pleistocene; 781 000-126 000 ya

Question 3

Archaic humans include what two species?

Answer 3

Neadertals and Denisovans

Question 4

Describe Homo heidelbergensis.

Answer 4

Early archaic humans with large mid-face region, arched brow ridges and occipital torrus; rounded occipital region; named after region found Heidelberg Germany

Question 5

True or false? Homo heidelbergensis can be found in only Europe and Africa.

Answer 5

False. Heidelbergensis was common in Europe but also found in Asia and Africa

Question 6

Describe the Sima de los Huesos site and it’s significance.

Answer 6

Also known as “Pit of Bones” found in the Atapuerca region of Northern Spain; DNA extracted from bones suggests relationship between H. Heidelbergensis and Neadertals; combination of both charactertistics

Question 7

Describe the significance of the Schoningen, Germany site.

Answer 7

Preserved wood spears found in association with large tools and butcher animal remains

Question 8

Describe the significance of the Boxgrove, England site.

Answer 8

Perforated horse scapula (pelvic area) with circular puncture; indicates H. heidelbergensis hunted animals with spears; along with butchered animal remains and a hominin tibia

Question 9

True or false. Homo heidelbergensis gave rise to the Neandertals through distant interbreeding with humans.

Answer 9

False; H. heidelbergensis did give rise to the Neadertals; Neadertals bred with humans; however, the first did not arise from the second

Question 10

Summarize the geographic and temporal distribution of the Neadertals.

Answer 10

Lived in Western Europe all the way to Siberia; with most sites in Europe; the same time and place as early humans

Question 11

What is the significance of the La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France site?

Answer 11

M. Boule interpreted Neadertals as brutish and dim witted with a stooped over appearance and shuffling walk based on a pathological skeleton (crippled) with severe arthritis, bone resorption due to loss of teeth, broken ribs, and crippled hip; despite a cranial capacity of 1625!! This erupted a long history of misinformation surrounding the species in popular culture

Question 12

State Neandertal physical characteristics and describe their general stature.

Answer 12

long and low skull shape (football shaped), low forehead, large supraorbita (eye bone), broad zygomatic, large and wide nose, no mental eminence (chin), larger teeth, taurodant teeth (enlarged pulp chambers), occipital bun (protrusion at the back of the head), large cranial capacity.
Robust, short, stalky compared to humans, with a more powerful build

Question 13

What is the meaning of musculoskeletal hypertrophy; characteristic of Neandertals?

Answer 13

Very strong

Question 14

What is the average cranial capacity of Neadertals and compare it to humans.

Answer 14

Average 1480cc; about the same as humans (slightly larger than the average)

Question 15

What are the average heights of male and female Neadertals?

Answer 15

male 5’5 and female 5’0

Question 16

True or false? Neadertals are well suited for windy climate living.

Answer 16

False; cold climate living

Question 17

Neadertals used their teeth for tools and often has worn down teeth with their p____ c____ exposed.

Answer 17

pulp cavities

Question 18

What is the significance fo the La Ferrassie, France site and the Shanidar Cave, Iraq?

Answer 18

Evidence of intentional burial; flower pollen was recovered from the Iraq site however, so were rodent bones

Question 19

What does the skeletal remains of severely injured Neadertal individuals indicate?

Answer 19

close range hunting but also that the Neadertals were compassionate and cared for their companions
Ex) Old man with healed amputated arm, severe eye injury that most likely blinded him

Question 20

Describe the significance of the hyoid bones found in Kebara Cave, Israel.

Answer 20

The hyoid anchors the muscles necessary for speech; the ones found are identical to humans possibly indicating Neandertals had the capacity for speech

Question 21

What is the FOXP2 gene?

Answer 21

Genome that is identical in Neadertals and humans; plays a role in the development of language

Question 22

Describe the Mousterian Tool Tradition used by Neadertals.

Answer 22

Named after Le Moustier, France site; wide variety of tool types including scrapers and triangular points; tool kits contain more smaller flake tools than large hand-axes that had specific purposes

Question 23

What is the Levallois technique?

Answer 23

Used by Archaic humans but refined by the Neadertals to create Mousterian tools; percussion flaking around and then final heavy blow will create stone flake; this technique is very difficult and most likely passed down generations

Question 24

Describe the diet of Neadertals.

Answer 24

Diverse diet; some regions showed almost entirely meat, some meat and plants, and some highly vegetative supplemented with meat

Question 25

At what sites provided DNA evidence of cannibalism in Neandertal bones?

Answer 25

Moula Geurcy, France; 100 000y/a
Bones disposed of in the same manner as animal food waste

El Sidron, Spain; 44 000 y/a

Question 26

True or false? Cannibalism among Neadertals was uncommon and result of starvation.

Answer 26

True; enamel hypoplasia shows those cannibalized were malnourished

Question 27

In the El Sidron, Spain site evidence of patrilocality was discovered through genetic analysis. What does this term mean?

Answer 27

A residence pattern where females live with the male’s family

Question 28

What site is home to the world’s oldest cave paintings and which species is most likely responsible for creating them?

Answer 28

La Pesiega Cave, Spain; Neadertal; created over 64 000 ya

Note: atomically modern humans did not move to this area until 40 000ya

Question 29

What kind of dating method is often used to date cave wall art?

Answer 29

Uranium-Thorium dating of calcium carbon crusts that formed over the painting

Question 30

Name three sites that provided significant evidence of ornamentation among Neadertals.

Answer 30

Krapina, Croatia (modified eagle talons worn as jewelery)
Furmane Cave, Italy (cut marks on bird bones suggests intentionally removal of feathers)
Southeast Spain–2 sites (perforated and painted seashells)

Question 31

Present non-African popultions have Neandertal DNA in their genome at a rate between 1 and ___%; why is this?

Answer 31

4%; interbreeding took place after modern humans migrated to Europe, which is the home of the Neadertals

Question 32

Why is there a very small amount of Neandertal DNA among African populations if they were never in the same region as them?

Answer 32

Humans that interbred with Neandertals likely returned to Africa and introduced DNA in extremely small amounts

Question 33

True or false? Newer populations have higher frequencies of Neandertal DNA

Answer 33

False; older

Question 34

The genetics of Neandertals, specifically MC1R, indicates what physical characteristics?

Answer 34

red hair, light skin, and freckles

Note: these traits evolved independently from humans

Question 35

Neadertal habitat was around modern ______ where modern humans have the highest concentration of Neandertal DNA.

Answer 35

Tuscany

Question 36

What discovery suggests Neandertals practicing intentional burials?

Answer 36

Bones arranged in fetal position in a cave, covered in stones for protection and buried with a panther paw

Question 37

What do modern theorys suggest about the extinction of the Neadertals?

Answer 37

Bred out; 10 humans to 1 Neandertal; rather than killed off