Chapter 8 Early Homo & Cultural Origins

Question 1

What was the earliest stone tools attributed to Homo habilis?

Answer 1

Oldowan tools; earliest identifiable tool tradition, 2.6 mya during the Old Stone Age.

Question 2

Were the earliest members of Homo habilis hunters or scavengers?

Answer 2

Scavengers; by the time Homo habilis got to the animal only bones usually remained

Question 3

How did the earliest members of H.habilis use tools to eat bone?

Answer 3

Used tools to break open the long bones to get at the rich marrow inside.

Question 4

Homo erectus

Answer 4

the direct descendent of early members of the genus Homo; lots of physical variation due to natural enviroment

Question 5

When were Homo erectus populations widespread?

Answer 5

Between about 1.9 million and 300,000 years ago.

Question 6

What are some physical characteristics of Homoerectus?

Answer 6

• 5’10” on average
• less robust than Australopithecines
• long legs/short toes
• sloping forehead/no chin
• larger than H.habilis w/ less sexual dimorphism

Question 7

Where did Louis and Mary Leakey discover H.habilis?

Answer 7

Oluvai Gorge, Tanzania

Question 8

H.erectus vs. H.sapiens

Answer 8

H.erectus: all face, not nearly as flat, receeding jaw, expansion in the frontal region of the skull (forehead)**
H.sapiens: all brain

Question 9

How old is Nariokotome Boy? Where was he found?

Answer 9

1.6 million years ago; West Lake Turkana, Kenya; Adolescent

Question 10

Where do Lumpers place H.erectus?

Answer 10

Lumpers place all individuals between 1.9-300,000 years ago in H.erectus

Question 11

Where do Splitters place H.erectus?

Answer 11

Splitters differentiate anatomically between Africa, Asia, and European forms.

Question 12

What do Splitters refer to African H.erectus as?

Answer 12

African: Homoergaster

Question 13

What do Splitters refer to Asian H.erectus as?

Answer 13

Asian: Homo erectus

Question 14

What do Splitters refer to European H.erectus as?

Answer 14

European: Homo antecessor or H.heidelbergens

Question 15

According to the “Becoming Human” video, how old was T. Boy when he died?

Answer 15

He was 8 years old

Question 16

According to the “Becoming Human” video, what area of the brain suggested T. Boy could speak?

Answer 16

The Broca’s area (speech capabilities)

Question 17

Middle Paleolithic

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Percussion method

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

Lower Paleolithic

Answer 19

first part of the Old Stone Age, beginning w/ the earliest Oldowan tools, 200,000-2.6 mya.

Question 20

Achaulean tradition

Answer 20

the tool making tradition of Homoerectus in Africa, Europe, and Southwestern Asia in which hand-axes were developed from the earlier Oldowan chopper.

Question 21

Anvil percussion

Answer 21

striking the raw material against a stationary stone

Question 22

Bipolar percussion

Answer 22

holding the raw material against an anvil, but striking it at the same time as a hammerstone

Question 23

Buriens

Answer 23

chisel-like tools in Eastern Asia

Question 24

What is one theory why humans have developed large brains?

Answer 24

They may have developed large brains as an accidental byproduct of jaw-size reduction.

Question 25

What is the advantage of gut reduction compared to apes?

Answer 25

It draws less energy to operate/ competing less with the high energy of the brain

Question 26

What do the deliberately marked objects of stone, bone, and ivory found in Acheulean contexts show?

Answer 26

Shows developing symbolic life; along with cave art in France from the Upper Paleolithic Era

Question 27

Hypoglossal canal

Answer 27

passageway through the skull that accommodates the nerve that controls tongue movement, seen in contemporary humans in fossil skulls dated to 500,000 ya.