Archaic Humans Including The Neadertals Flashcards
What archaic human was the first to arrive in Western Europe, which country was it, and when?
Homo antecessor; Spain; 1.2 mya
What is the time frame and period of Archaic humans?
Middle Pleistocene; 781 000-126 000 ya
Archaic humans include what two species?
Neadertals and Denisovans
Describe Homo heidelbergensis.
Early archaic humans with large mid-face region, arched brow ridges and occipital torrus; rounded occipital region; named after region found Heidelberg Germany
True or false? Homo heidelbergensis can be found in only Europe and Africa.
False. Heidelbergensis was common in Europe but also found in Asia and Africa
Describe the Sima de los Huesos site and it’s significance.
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
Describe the significance of the Schoningen, Germany site.
Preserved wood spears found in association with large tools and butcher animal remains
Describe the significance of the Boxgrove, England site.
Perforated horse scapula (pelvic area) with circular puncture; indicates H. heidelbergensis hunted animals with spears; along with butchered animal remains and a hominin tibia
True or false. Homo heidelbergensis gave rise to the Neandertals through distant interbreeding with humans.
False; H. heidelbergensis did give rise to the Neadertals; Neadertals bred with humans; however, the first did not arise from the second
Summarize the geographic and temporal distribution of the Neadertals.
Lived in Western Europe all the way to Siberia; with most sites in Europe; the same time and place as early humans
What is the significance of the La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France site?
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
State Neandertal physical characteristics and describe their general stature.
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
What is the meaning of musculoskeletal hypertrophy; characteristic of Neandertals?
Very strong
What is the average cranial capacity of Neadertals and compare it to humans.
Average 1480cc; about the same as humans (slightly larger than the average)
What are the average heights of male and female Neadertals?
male 5’5 and female 5’0
True or false? Neadertals are well suited for windy climate living.
False; cold climate living
Neadertals used their teeth for tools and often has worn down teeth with their p____ c____ exposed.
pulp cavities
What is the significance fo the La Ferrassie, France site and the Shanidar Cave, Iraq?
Evidence of intentional burial; flower pollen was recovered from the Iraq site however, so were rodent bones
What does the skeletal remains of severely injured Neadertal individuals indicate?
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
Describe the significance of the hyoid bones found in Kebara Cave, Israel.
The hyoid anchors the muscles necessary for speech; the ones found are identical to humans possibly indicating Neandertals had the capacity for speech
What is the FOXP2 gene?
Genome that is identical in Neadertals and humans; plays a role in the development of language
Describe the Mousterian Tool Tradition used by Neadertals.
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
What is the Levallois technique?
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
Describe the diet of Neadertals.
Diverse diet; some regions showed almost entirely meat, some meat and plants, and some highly vegetative supplemented with meat
At what sites provided DNA evidence of cannibalism in Neandertal bones?
Moula Geurcy, France; 100 000y/a
Bones disposed of in the same manner as animal food waste
El Sidron, Spain; 44 000 y/a
True or false? Cannibalism among Neadertals was uncommon and result of starvation.
True; enamel hypoplasia shows those cannibalized were malnourished
In the El Sidron, Spain site evidence of patrilocality was discovered through genetic analysis. What does this term mean?
A residence pattern where females live with the male’s family
What site is home to the world’s oldest cave paintings and which species is most likely responsible for creating them?
La Pesiega Cave, Spain; Neadertal; created over 64 000 ya
Note: atomically modern humans did not move to this area until 40 000ya
What kind of dating method is often used to date cave wall art?
Uranium-Thorium dating of calcium carbon crusts that formed over the painting
Name three sites that provided significant evidence of ornamentation among Neadertals.
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)
Present non-African popultions have Neandertal DNA in their genome at a rate between 1 and ___%; why is this?
4%; interbreeding took place after modern humans migrated to Europe, which is the home of the Neadertals
Why is there a very small amount of Neandertal DNA among African populations if they were never in the same region as them?
Humans that interbred with Neandertals likely returned to Africa and introduced DNA in extremely small amounts
True or false? Newer populations have higher frequencies of Neandertal DNA
False; older
The genetics of Neandertals, specifically MC1R, indicates what physical characteristics?
red hair, light skin, and freckles
Note: these traits evolved independently from humans
Neadertal habitat was around modern ______ where modern humans have the highest concentration of Neandertal DNA.
Tuscany
What discovery suggests Neandertals practicing intentional burials?
Bones arranged in fetal position in a cave, covered in stones for protection and buried with a panther paw
What do modern theorys suggest about the extinction of the Neadertals?
Bred out; 10 humans to 1 Neandertal; rather than killed off
