Chapter 6 Flashcards
Populations of Homo erectus arrived in Java, Indonesia
as early as 1.8 mya
Sahul
connection in landmasses in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea in lowest sea level during that time period
Sunda
landmasses connecting Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, and most of Indonesia)
Wallacea Island
separated Sahul and Sunda was too deep to have ever been dry land in the past 50 million years
The Wallace Line
the line that separates the unique animals and plants of Australia (Sahul) from those of Southeast Asia (Sunda)
- humans had to cross the line by sea to reach Australia
Flores in Wallacea
Homo Erectus fossils were found from 900,000-800,000 years ago
Homo floresiensis
hominis date back between 100,000-60,000 years ago was found on Flores Islands
- much smaller in size (results of long-term isolation on an island with limited food and nutrition)
- tools were very simple and used flakes as cores
- not distinct species but rather microcephaly (smaller head size)
Humans arrival in Austraila
60,000-50,000 years ago (10,000 years before arriving in Europe)
Possile Scenarios for the people of Asutraila
- Modern humans migrating out of Africa were capable of sea voyages and had already spread far beyond Africa
- Multiregional hypothesis: modern humans evolved locally from Homo erectus inEast Asia, while another modern humans group evolved fromHomo erectus in Africa
- Multiple dispersals of modern humans out of Africa occurred and those arriving to Australia followed the same coastal route used by Homo Erectus to get to Java
Extinction of Megafauna
in Australia took place between 50,000-40,000 years ago (took place 10,000 years after the first arrival of humans in Australia)
Glacial maximum
climate change occurred 20,000-15,000 years ago (extinction took place before that)
Human Activity
little evidence for hunting of megafauna by humans and little evidence for highly sophisticated hunting weapons
Altered the ecology
by using fire to smoke animals to hunt, which destroyed the grasses and other food sources for megafauna (still used by Aboriginal peoples in the 1800s)
Rock art
popular form of expression early on in peopling of Australia
- highly developed mythological and ritual trditional
x-ray style
applying beeswax to rock-shelter wall and often the depicted internal bone structure
Ubirr
figure shows various equiment carried by hunter-gatherer aboriginal people in Kakadu National Park in Australia
Micronesia and Polynesia
first spread out around 35,000 years ago
Obsidian and bones
not a one-time chance voyage likely was sustained trade between the various islands
Lapita
style of pottery 3,500 years ago spread across the region
Strict rules of inheritance
favored the firstborn child (motivated younger siblings to seek their own”house” and traveled a new lands
Advanced seafaring
explain the migration
3 current Models for Human Occupation of the “Americas”
- Clovis first model (the Clovis culture is considered the first humans occupation of the “New World” 13,500-12,500 years ago)
- Pre-Clovis Model (human occupation of the “Americas” predates 13,500 years ago)
- Early arrival model (humans arrived by 30,000 years ago)
Clovis first model
- 1932, CLOVIS, NM at Blackwater Draw spearpoints were found underneath a level of bison remains and Folsom points
- were found with mammoth and horse bones, and are slightly different from Folsom points
- since been found on a large number of sites across North America
- evidence of the earliest human occupation of the “Americans”
- 13,5000-12,500 years ago
Clovis first model migration
from Siberia to North America via the Beringia land bridge when the global sea levels dropped during a period of glacial advance
Ice-free corridor
traveled from Alaska to the Great Plains between the western Cordilleran glacier and eastern Laurentide glacier
- hard for humans to survive in this zone
- no cosistent chronological pattern from Siberia to NM some points in Alaska are younger than NM
Meadowcroft Rockshelter
western Pennsylvania with 11 natural levels that dates between 23,000-15,000 years ago (might have been carried by grounwater)
Monte Verde, Chile
occupied that dates to 15,000 years ago and includes oddly preseved organic remains (animal meat, rope, wood)
Coastal Migration
suggest that people migrated along the ice-land, which wounld explain why older remains are found in Chile than the Great Plains
Early Arrival model
first appeared in the “Americas” as early as 50,000 years ago
- earlierst occupied in Siberia dates to only 30,000 years ago
Genetic testing
few remains that exist older than 9,000 years ago
- the few remains the exist and of living Native Ameriacan populations reveal strong support for pre-Clovis model
Beringian Standstill Hypothesis
population was issolated around 25,000 years ago and around 16,000 years ago when the ice sheets retreated ad rapidly dispersed in “Americas”
Megafauna extinction
occured at the smae time as the Clovis period
- 17 genera megafauna became extince between 13,250-12,900 years ago
Paleoindian time period
Clovis (13,500-12,5000) and Folsom (12,600-12,200) time periods combined
Archaic Period
follows paleoindian period and shift to increase reliance on smaller animals and plants foods
Systematic burial
dead also is evidenced in the archaic period
Middle and Late Archaic
around 8,000 years aog was increased emphasis on collecting shellfish in the southeast U.S. area
Newnans Lake, Flordia
drought in 2000 lowered the lake and reveled 42 Late Archaic conoes
Mound buildings
practice in the Archaic period
