chapter 7 Flashcards
Acheulean
The term used to designate the main Lower Paleolithic culture of Europe and Africa, beginning 1.65 million years ago. Characterized by bifacial, teardrop-shaped handaxes
crista sagittalis
sagittal keeling of the parietal bones, distinct from the sagittal ridge
encephalization
The ratio between brain and body size; an indicator of intelligence.
holotype
The type or definitive specimen for a species.
island dwarfism
A phenomenon that occurs when mid-sized or large
species become smaller owing to the limited resources of islands
Java Man
The nickname given to the fossil specimens that Eugene Dubois discovered in1891 near the village of Trinil in Java. It would later be identified as Homo erectus.
keeling
A characteristic rounding or gentle curving of the skull leading to the keel edge of the parietal and frontal bones.
Mojokerto Child
A nickname for a fossil specimen of Homo erectus
discovered on Java, Indonesia by Ralph von Koenigswald in 1936.
Movius Line
A theoretical geographic boundary separating regions with Acheulean tools from regions without.
Peking Man
The nickname given to the fossils of Homo erectus found in China in the region near Zhoukoudian.
torus angularis
A thickening or bulging of the top line of the temporal bone
as it approaches the occipital bone at the back
torus mandibularis
A thickening of the bone on the part of the jaw near the premolars.
torus occipitalis
A ridge of bone along the back of the skull on the occipital bone.
torus supraorbitalis
The brow ridge or lump of bone above the eye sockets.
Turkana Boy
The nickname given to a nearly complete specimen of a young Homo erectus from Lake Turkana by Kamoya Kimeu in 1984.
gain in brain size
homo habilis to homo erectus
meat provides:
essential protein for brain growth and development, development of shorter gut, animal matter is easier to break down
Dating H. habilis
between 1.9 and 1.6 mya,
Homo rudolfensis
Mandibles from East Turkana given this distinction, same holotype as h. habilis
Homo erectus
increase in cranial capacity range over its
predecessor. First homo to leave Africa almost 2 mya and colonize the world with wide distribution and variation. First bmh’s to emerge.
distinguishing H. erectus
armouring’ of the skull, thick cranial bones, torus supraorbitalis, torus angularis, torus
occipitalis, and crista sagittalis. traits were useful for protection against attacks by other H. erectus
The Mineralogical Hypothesis
only local rock available to H. erectus (living in Zhoukoudian cave system in Beijing) would
have been quartz and sandstone, neither of which could be used to
make Acheulean hand axes
The Alternative Tool Material Hypothesis
materials other than stone were used to make sophisticated tools. These materials would be less likely to survive than stone.
Asian H. erectus may have used bamboo and wood which was readily available but decayed over time.
The Early Departure Hypothesis
East Asian H. erectus populations left Africa long before hand axes were invented there. Evolved with different strategies
The Social Complexity Hypothesis
distinct clustering
of African H. erectus sites, a pattern that he associates with a higher
degree of social complexity. He found no such clustering for East Asian sites. Perhaps the social organization of East Asian H. erectus was not
conducive to the spread of knowledge about the use and manufacture of stone tools.
SPACE ROCKS
large stone tools of significant similarity to Acheulean hand axes had been discovered in southern China, near the Vietnam border.
SPACE ROCKS dating
803,000 years ago by analysing tektites, glass-
like stones thought to be made by meteorite impacts. meteorite created the opportunity for tool use.There was evidence of widespread forest fires; these fires may have exposed stony outcrops from which the tools were made.
Sangiran
Several fossils were discovered by Ralph von
Koenigswald near Sangiran, Java, and have recently been dated to
1.66 mya ± 0.04 by Swisher and Curtis. The maxilla appears to have apelike features (e.g. projecting
canines and a diastema); some thought it was a pongid. These features are not unusual for Homo erectus in Java; perhaps
part of subspecies development at Sangiran.
Ngandong
In the early 1930s 12 hominid crania or cranial fragments were
discovered near the village of Ngandong, close to the Solo River in Java. The
brains were larger than usual for Homo erectus.
Homo georgicus
Hominid fossils have been found in the area of Dmanisi, Georgia,
dating from 1.8 to 1.75 mya, and were named Homo georgicus.
The three crania all have distinct brow ridges and occipital tori.
Homo floresiensis
2004: an unusual hominid (LB 1) was discovered in Liang Bua cave
on one of the Indonesian Islands. The brain, although small, had the basic structure of a H. erectus brain. Feet are long, and they lack a well-developed arch and are
somewhat curved, hands are curved as well. These traits suggest that
she was probably good in the trees
