ASM 104-Quiz 3 (3.4-3.6) Flashcards
Homo habilis
extinct hominid of genus homo, from early pleistocene of east/south africa
homo redolfensis
lived in turkana basin (n. kenya) between 1.9-1.8 mya, larger braincase, longer face and larger molar/premolar teeth then h. habilis
oldowan tools
oldest known stone tool industry, dates back to 2.5 mya, fist sized cobblestones, when broken or chipped yielded usable core and several flakes
cores
stone from which one or more flakrs have been removed
flakes
stone fragments removed from cores. often used as blanks for finished artifacts
homo erectus (african)
early pleistocene, led to emergence of h. heidelbergensis and eventually homo sapiens
homo erectus (asian)
slight brow ridge, degree of prognathism, teeth, evidence against sophisticated stone tools
power scavenging
svanenging for remains of animal already dead
passive scavenging
extracting marow from long bones and brains from skulls
nariokotome boy
african h. erectus, 8-9 yo at death, 5-5’4 ft tall, near modern body proportions, long legs relative to arms, narrow pelvis
acheulean stone tools
teardrop shaped, consist proportions regardless of size, pointed end cuts meat and rounded end fits in palm
where were earliest homo fossils found? where were best specimens?
eastern africa and western asia, about 1.5-1.9 mya
west turkana region of kenya
2 hominin species living in east africa around 2.3 mya
paranthropus boisei, paranthropus aethiopicus
evidence paranthropus boisei and athiopicus are different?
cheek teeth (premolars and molars), saggital crest in males and low sloping frontal bone, temporal fossa, larger browridges
homo habilis vs australopithecus
brain size: HH-610cc & AU-450cc
browridge size: bigger, smaller
face shape/size: small/orthognathic,
body size/shape: both small, long arms
tools: oldowan tools
why was large molar/jaw trend reversed with h. habilis and rudolfensis
emergence of stone tools means dietary shift towards more meat
oldowan tool characteristics
fist sized cobblestones, when broken or chipped yielded a usable core and several flakes
did h. habilis use oldowan tools? what for?
yes they were used for butchering, cutting, and scraping meat off bones
when and where did homo erectus appear
1.9 ma in java, indonesia
homo erectus first to do/have
make handaxes, first hominins to leave africa, use fire, hearths, endurance running, modern human limb proportions, brains about 100 cm^3
nariokotome boy
8/9 yrs old at death, near modern vody proportions –> long legs to arms and narrow pelvis
when did homo heidelbergensis appear?
300-600 kya (thousand years ago)
homo species before h. heidelbergensis
homo erectus
h. hedidelbergensis
continent: bodo, ethiopia
browridges: large
brainsize: larger than h. erectus
sima de los huesos site: at least 28 full individuals found here–> ritual evidence?
cannibalism: yes
what are schoningen spears? what else found with? provide strong evidence of?
-3 wooden throwing spears found in germany
-oldest preserved hunting weapons found with 10 butchered horses
-first strong evidence of large game hunting
which pop. of h. heidelbergensis gave rise to neanderthals? which for homo sapiens
-european pop. of heidelbergensis
-african pop. for homo sapiens
neanderthals
-glacial climate
-discovered in neander valley cave in germany? or feldhofer cave in neander tal
-lived in eurasia and siberia
-appeared 430 kya
-ate large game animals (deer, bison, mammoths, etc.)
neanderthals morpohology
head shape: flat headed
cranial capacity: 1300 to 1740cc
occipital bun: yes
brow ridge size/shape: narrow
size of nose/nasal opening: large nasal bones/opening
molar size: small molars, large front teeth
incisor wear: well worn
body shape/size: thick and stocky
neanders tools compared to h. erectus
-more cutting edge per pound of flint
-evidence of attachment to shaft
-carried flint from far away
-also bone and ivory tools
neanderthals language
-we don’t know if they had one
-probably could make same sounds as humans
language symbolic–> not ties to specific sounds
was neanderthal life peaceful or violent
-evidence of violence
-100% of adults (m/f) >30yo had healed fractures
-evidence of caretaking?
what evidence shows neanderthals cared and possibly buried dead?
-skeletal evidence for survival from trauma and injury
-sima de los huesos site showed possible ritual
Homo sapiens
likely arose from African H. heidelbergensis
* Anatomy
o Average cranial capacity of 1350cc – within range of H. neanderthalensis
o Cranium
Parallel-sided brain case
No real brow-ridge, but a supercilliary arch above each eye
Canine fossa – bump over canine root
Vertical frontal bone forehead
Rounded occipital bone without a torus or bun
Face below/behind forehead
A true chin – mandible sticks out anteriorly from incisors
o Post-cranial anatomy
Reduced upper limb muscularity
Hands capable of fine motor control
Refined bipedal gait
Overall lack of skeletal robusticity
where did homo sapiens evolve
africa
fossils info
Oldest fossils found in Ethiopia – not necessarily exactly where H. sapiens originated, but
probably close.
* Oldest: 230,000 years ago
* By 100,000 years ago, many fossils found throughout African and the Middle East. Remember
that the Neandertals were still around at this point
Qafzeh cave & Skhul cave, Israel
115-90 ka (ka = 1000s of years ago)
o Interesting specimens – not entirely sure how they fit in to the story
o Some researchers think they are a transitional form (between Neanderthals and H.
sapiens). Round braincase, but prognathism & brow ridges
o Others think that they are a very early form of H. sapiens that made it out of Africa
much earlier.
o What happened to them?
Neanderthals occupied the same caves after they did – so maybe they were
simply replaced by Neandertals?
At any rate, no evidence that they moved on from Israel
Seem to be a ‘failed attempt’ to leave Africa. Made it out, but only barely before
going extinct
h. sapiens leaving africa summary
Species originate in Africa around ~200,000 years ago
o By ~100,000 years ago, all over Africa and into Israel
o Second wave properly left Africa 70-50Ka
o Europe – at least 45,000 years ago
o Central Asia – 42,000 – 39,0000 years ago
o Southeast Asia – 45,000 – 40,000 years ago
o Australia –50,000 years ago
o Americas – at least 15,000 years ago
second wave of h. sapeins made it out
One famous site is the Cro-Magnon rockshelter in France
Specimens dated to 30,000 years ago
More complex tool technology than Neanderthals
Also animal teeth with carvings on them, shells and teeth used as beads
* Indicates symbolic behavior
Early indicators of ‘modern’ behavior
Pinnacle Point, South Africa
165,000Ka
Evidence of eating shellfish – good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are
important for brain growth and development
Even more complex tools – made of silcrete (a flaky, soft stone), which they
used fire to harden
Engraved shells, beads, ochre – shows cultural transmission of knowledge
o No agriculture – just hunting and gathering.
Probably more vegetables than meat.
Large prey also provided useful items: hides, bone, antlers, etc
o Shelters that were constructed (rather than just living in caves)
o Cave art and carved symbols
o Development of language, suggesting social complexity
o Death rituals
H. naledi
Very few early Homo (rudolfensis, habilis) fossils, so still questions about the origins of
our genus
o Exciting find in S. Africa by Lee Berger and team
o Fossils from at least 15 individuals, found deep in a cave
o Mix of primitive (Australopithecus-like) and Homo-like features
o Possible burial of dead
o There is still some uncertainty about how old it is.
If ~2.5 million years old (as Berger initially claimed), then it’s one of the earliest
species of Homo
H. floresiensis
Discovered on island of Flores, Indonesia
o Nicknamed the “Hobbit”
o Found in a large limestone cave, along with stone tools and animal remains
o 30-year-old female, 3.5 feet tall
o Now the remains of at least 9 partial skeletons have been found
o Very small brain, not much bigger than a chimp
o But some cranial features like Homo
how does hominin fit into big picture human evolution
Homo sapiens with microcephaly?
* Supporting evidence:
o associated with complex stone tools
o Initially thought to be very recent (18ka)
* Evidence against:
o More accurate dating: 100-50ka (closer to the time when H.
erectus was known to still be in the region)
o No true chin (unlike H. sapiens, which has a true chin)
o Slight browridge and sloping forehead (unlike H. sapiens)
o Big feet (not a symptom of microcephaly)
isolated descendent of h. erectus?
Supporting evidence:
o Homo erectus recently living in S.E. Asia
o Elements of cranium resemble H. erectus
Slight brow ridge
Degree of prognathism
Teeth
* Evidence against:
o Complex stone tools
why h. floresiensis so small
Probably due to the phenomenon of “lsland dwarfism” or the “Island
rule”
o After many generations isolated on an island, large species tend
to become smaller, and small species tend to become larger.
Has to do with predation and competition for food
o H. floresiensis found with pygmy Stegodon (a species of
elephant) and giant rat fossils
h. floresiensis consensus
H. floresiensis is a descendent of H. erectus that was isolated on an
island and became very small via island dwarfism. Persisted longer than H.
erectus.
h. erectus expansion out of africa
-1.75 Ma, H. erectus found in Dmanisi (Georgia), indicating they expanded out of Africa around
1.8 Ma into Europe and Asia’
-Dmanisi fossils showed quite primitive traits
-1.6 ma, erectus fossils found in indonesis (se asia)
-600,000 yrs ago, erectus fossils found in china
-asian erectus had larger brains than african
how could h erectus expand
New tool technology that allowed them greater access to meat, which fueled brain
growth, allowed them to exploit new niches?
Maybe, because fossils associated with Acheulean stone tools – two-sided hand
axes that are very effective at defleshing large carcasses
But, only Olduwan tools at Dmanisi (and small brains), so maybe not
o Control of fire?
Maybe –
* evidence of hearths
* stone tools near baked earth
* burned animal bones with H. erectus fossils
But maybe not
* No convincing evidence of fire until around 500,000 years ago
cenozic era –> quatemary period –> epoch (start date)
holocene (10,000)
pleistocene (2.5 Ma)
*put eggs on my plate please homer
cenozic era–> tertiary period–> epoch (start date)
pliocene (5ma)
milocene (23 ma)
oligocene (34 ma)
eocene (56 ma)
paleocene (65 ma)
*put eggs on my plate please homer
Why did bipedalism evolve?
Provisioning model:
Males would gather food and bring back to females → hence their hands needed to be free to carry these items
But this would mean that pair-bonding evolved early… sexual dimorphism suggests otherwise (males bigger than females)
Using tools model:
Hands needed to be free to make tools and hunt
But, no evidence of stone tools until long after bipedalism evolved
Thermoregulatory model:
Reduced heat gain (sun just on head vs. being on entire back/body of quadrupeds)
Increased heat loss
But, lots of quadrupedal animals in savannas
Climbing mechanical model:
Retention of suspension morphology
Possible arboreal ancestors had to walk on ground bipedally because their arms were too long
