Chapter 9 -The First Dispersal of the Genus Homo: Homo erectus and Contemporaries

Question 1

nuchal torus

Answer 1

(nuke ́-ul) (nucha, meaning “neck”) A projection of bone in the back of the cranium where neck muscles attach. These muscles hold up the head.

Question 2

Nariokotome

Answer 2

a nearly complete skeleton of a hominin youth who lived during the early Pleistocene. This specimen is the most complete early human skeleton ever found. It is believed to be between 1.5 and 1.6 million years old.

Question 3

Dmanisi

Answer 3

oldest well-dated hominins outside of africa; not like full H. erectus morphology, but are small-bodied and small-brained

Question 4

Acheulian

Answer 4

Pertaining to a stone tool industry from the Early and Middle Pleistocene; characterized by a large proportion of bifacial tools (flaked on both sides). Acheulian tool kits are common in Africa, Southwest Asia, and western Europe, but they’re thought to be less common elsewhere. Also spelled Acheulean.

Question 5

Pleistocene

Answer 5

The epoch of the Cenozoic from 1.8 mya until 10,000 ya. Frequently referred to as the Ice Age, this epoch is associated with continental glaciations in northern latitudes.

Question 6

Zhoukoudian

Answer 6

First discovery of H. erectus from anywhere; shows dispersal out of africa into southeast asia by 1.6 mya