Ch 13- Modern Humans Flashcards
When and where were the earliest modern Homo Sapiens?
Earliest fossil of a fully anatomically correct human:
Omo Kibish, Ethiopia
- Skull called Omo 1
- 195 000 years ago
Middle Awash Area, Ethiopia
- Called the Herto remains
- 160-154 000 years ago
- Paleoanthropologists called the skull ‘near-modern’
When did modern humans first arise
East and South Africa
East Africa between 150-200 kya
South Africa by 100 kya
Multiregional Continuity Model
- In general
“Local populations in Africa, Europe, and Asia continued their own indigenous evolutionary development from premodern Middle Pleistocene forms to anatomically modern humans”
Multiregional Continuity Model
- Milford Wolpoff and colleagues
- Said the earliest modern H. sapiens didn’t originate exclusively in Africa
- If true, how did we all end up with such similar morphologies?
Multiregional Continuity Model
- New genetic dat and how it disproves this theory…
• Now, with genetic data, can ask: “if this is true, how is it possible that we are so similar genetically”?
- The original model cannot account for abundant genetic data that strongly support an African origin for modern Homo sapiens
Replacement Models
- In general
“Modern humans evolved in Africa and with later dispersal that replaced all hominins already living in the area”
Replacement Models
- Complete Replacement
- Chris Stringer and colleagues
- Modern H. sapiens were a separate species and could not interbred with other hominins
- We now know that is untrue
• aDNA proves it
Replacement Models
- Partial Replacement
- Gunter Brauer and John Relethford
- Interbreeding occurred but not that much
- The “mostly out of Africa” idea is correct
- 1-4% (and probably 1.5-2.1%) of Neanderthal DNA in non- Africa modern populations; 0% in indigenous African populations
Replacement Models
- Assimilation Model
- Fred Smith
- Based on fossil evidence only, not genetic data
- More interbreeding took place, at least in some regions, than Brauer and Relethford say
**“Lapedo Child”
Abrigo do Lagar Velho site in Portugal - 4-year-old child - 24,500 kya - Argue it is a mixed set of anatomical features indicating both Neanderthal and modern H. sapiens • Supports partial replacement model
Which Theory does the Lapedo Child Support?
Partial Replacement Model
New Discovery!
January 2018!
What, when and why don’t people believe it?
- Upper jaw
- Dated to 175-200 kya
- ~55 kya earlier than other dates
- Argued to be modern human
- People may not believe it but they are taking it seriously because of the technology they were found with- very modern
Modern Human Remains: Madjedbede rock shelter
- > 10,000 stone tools, ochres, plant remains and bones
- OSL dating showed it was much older than we originally thought
• The Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, representing the Mirarr people, joined much of the excavation and reviewed the findings
What is OSL Dating?
Where was it used (via her lecture)
- Used in:
Madjedbede rock shelter
- Dating of oldest layers by optical stimulated luminescence (OSL)
- OSL is used on minerals to date the last time it was exposed to sunlight
How are Homo Sapiens burial sites different than previous burial sites?
- Larger and more elaborate
- Higher population densities
- Increasingly sophisticated technology
What are some examples of sophisticated Homo Sapien tools? (4)
- New use of materials (bone, antler, ivory)
- Barbed harpoon for catching fish
- First evidence for bow and arrow
- Wooded atlatl - spear thrower – farther + more accuracy
How did the control of fire impact skull and teeth morphology?
Better tools and improved control/use of fire = more efficient food processing
- Loss of selective pressure for
• Large chewing muscles
• Large occlusal surfaces of the teeth
- Now possibility for smaller jaws and smaller teeth
The Venus Figures
- What they were wearing
Clothing
- Clothing includes: skirts, bandeaus, etc.… doesn’t seem to be typical clothing for that era
- This indicates that the clothing on these little guys might have been ritual wear, distinguishing between different classes
The Venus Figures
- Material
Material
- Soft stone, clay
The Venus Figures
- Size
Size
- 1.5 inches-10 inches
The Venus Figures
- Representation
What do they represent?
- Not a common burial offering
- Fertility symbols, self-portrait, stone age dolls, realistic women, ideal representations of a woman, religious icons, equivalent to pornographic imagery?
African Rock Art
- Blombos Cave
When and What
- 73,000 years before present
* Shell beads, decorative ocher fragments, remarkable bone tools
African Rock Art
- Pinnacle Point Cave
When and What
- 165,000 years before present
- First use of red ocher, also systematic exploitation of shellfish
- Use of very small stone blades (microliths) by 71,000 years before present
African Rock Art
- Sibudu Cave
When and What
- 70,000 years before present
* Traces of adhesives to haft stone tools to handles, possible use of snares and traps to catch small animals
African Rock Art
- Border Cave
When and What
- 44,000 years before present
* Notched bones, wooden digging sticks, bone awls & points, maybe even a wooden poison application
