Chapter 8 Early Homo & Cultural Origins Flashcards
What was the earliest stone tools attributed to Homo habilis?
Oldowan tools; earliest identifiable tool tradition, 2.6 mya during the Old Stone Age.
Were the earliest members of Homo habilis hunters or scavengers?
Scavengers; by the time Homo habilis got to the animal only bones usually remained
How did the earliest members of H.habilis use tools to eat bone?
Used tools to break open the long bones to get at the rich marrow inside.
Homo erectus
the direct descendent of early members of the genus Homo; lots of physical variation due to natural enviroment
When were Homo erectus populations widespread?
Between about 1.9 million and 300,000 years ago.
What are some physical characteristics of Homoerectus?
- 5’10” on average
- less robust than Australopithecines
- long legs/short toes
- sloping forehead/no chin
- larger than H.habilis w/ less sexual dimorphism
Where did Louis and Mary Leakey discover H.habilis?
Oluvai Gorge, Tanzania
H.erectus vs. H.sapiens
H.erectus: all face, not nearly as flat, receeding jaw, expansion in the frontal region of the skull (forehead)**
H.sapiens: all brain
How old is Nariokotome Boy? Where was he found?
1.6 million years ago; West Lake Turkana, Kenya; Adolescent
Where do Lumpers place H.erectus?
Lumpers place all individuals between 1.9-300,000 years ago in H.erectus
Where do Splitters place H.erectus?
Splitters differentiate anatomically between Africa, Asia, and European forms.
What do Splitters refer to African H.erectus as?
African: Homoergaster
What do Splitters refer to Asian H.erectus as?
Asian: Homo erectus
What do Splitters refer to European H.erectus as?
European: Homo antecessor or H.heidelbergens
According to the “Becoming Human” video, how old was T. Boy when he died?
He was 8 years old
According to the “Becoming Human” video, what area of the brain suggested T. Boy could speak?
The Broca’s area (speech capabilities)
Middle Paleolithic
marked by diversification of tool types and more sophisticated methods of fabrication; 200,000 and 400,000 ya-brain size of genus Homo reached modern proportions.
Percussion method
a technique of stone tool manufactre performed by striking the raw material w/ a hammer stone or by striking material against a stone anvil to remove flakes.
Lower Paleolithic
first part of the Old Stone Age, beginning w/ the earliest Oldowan tools, 200,000-2.6 mya.
Achaulean tradition
the tool making tradition of Homoerectus in Africa, Europe, and Southwestern Asia in which hand-axes were developed from the earlier Oldowan chopper.
Anvil percussion
striking the raw material against a stationary stone
Bipolar percussion
holding the raw material against an anvil, but striking it at the same time as a hammerstone
Buriens
chisel-like tools in Eastern Asia
What is one theory why humans have developed large brains?
They may have developed large brains as an accidental byproduct of jaw-size reduction.
What is the advantage of gut reduction compared to apes?
It draws less energy to operate/ competing less with the high energy of the brain
What do the deliberately marked objects of stone, bone, and ivory found in Acheulean contexts show?
Shows developing symbolic life; along with cave art in France from the Upper Paleolithic Era
Hypoglossal canal
passageway through the skull that accommodates the nerve that controls tongue movement, seen in contemporary humans in fossil skulls dated to 500,000 ya.
