Chapter 3: Early Hominins Flashcards
Lithic analysis
the archaeologicial study of stone tools
Knapping
the manufacture of stone tools
Percussion
a sharp blow to a rock in order to break off a smaller piece
ex. lower Paleolithic tools
Flake
the piece that is struck off
Core
the piece from which the flake is struck
Ventral face
the sureface that is split off of the core
Bulb of precussion
- a convex area at the end where it was struck
- produced when the force of the blow enters the rock as a cone (like stone dropped in water)
Direct percussion
a hit directly at the core
Hard-hammer direct percussion
a rock used as a hammer
Soft-hammer direct percussion
- either an antler or a piece of hardwood is used
- allows the knapper to produce thin flakes with a less pronounced bulb of percussion
Indirect percussion
- the use of an intermediary device known as a punch between the hammer and the core
- advantage - the precise placement of the blow can be controlled
- used in making long blades or shaping arrowheads
Pressure techniques
- same as percussion except pressure is applied
- used for very fine shaping of tools
Retouch
the careful secondary shaping of a core or flake
Stones used by knappers
are brittle and fine grained and do not have internal features that determine the direction in which they break
ex. flint (chert), basalt, and obsidian are used to make stone tools
Hominins
all the members of the human lineage after it split with the chimpanzee lineage
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
a possible early member of the hominin lineage 7 million years ago
Ardipithecus ramidus
an early species in the hominin lineage 4.5 million years ago
Radiation
- a period in which there is a rapid increase in the diversity of a single lineage
- occurred in hominin lineage 4-2 million years ago
Australopithecine
a hominin genus that lived in Africa 4-1.8 million years ago
Laetoli
in Tanzania where tracks of australopithecine footprints were found, showing that australopithecines walked upright
Homo habilis
earliest species in the genus Homo 2.5-1.6 million years ago
Homo erectus
first hominin found on sites outside of Africa 1.9-1.5 million years ago
East African Rift Valley
a geo-logical feature stretching from East Africa to the Middle East that is the richest context for the recovery of early hominin archaeological sites
Olduvai Gorge
- most impressive and important location in the East African Rift Valley for the study of human evolution
- Australopithecus afarensis
Lower Paleolithic
the period when hominins began producing stone tools
Oldowan Lower Paleolithic
stone tool industry characterized by choppers and flakes
Acheulian
- lower Paleolithic stone tool industry
- handaxes and cleavers
Bifaces
- characteristic tools of the Acheulian
- handaxes and cleavers
Taï Forest
- location where chimpanzees use stone hammers and anvils to break open hard nuts
- tools found not manufactured
Hadar
East African Rift Valley where many important fossils, including the near-complete fossil of an australopithecine, and some of the earliest known stone tools have been discovered
Lomekwi
in Kenya where earliest stone tools 3.2 million years ago have been found
Lokalalei
in Kenya and indicates that stone tool manufacture at this early date was more complex than anticipated
FLK North (FLKN)
in Olduvai Gorge where the remains of an elephant were found together with stone tools
Home-base/food-sharing model
the sharing of meat at base camps as a fundamental part of the lives of early hominins
DK
in Olduvai Gorge where a stone circle was found suggesting evidence of a temporary structure built on a home-base site
Palimpsest
produced by a series of distinct brief occupations
Chesowanja
in Kenya and has produced unconfirmed evidence for the use of fire by early hominins
Dispersal
an event where a single species dramatically expands its range
Ubeidiya
one of the earliest archaeological sites outside of Africa in Israel
Dmanisi
oldest known archaeological site outside of Africa in the Republic of Georgia
Sangiran and Perning
on the island of Java where fossils of Homo erectus were found
Nihewan Basin
in northern China where there is solid evidence of human occupation
