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Cultural evolution Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

culture

A

anything that is learnt, eg making tools hunting food prep language etc

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2
Q

cultural evolution

A
  • gradual improvement in tools
  • better methods of obtaining food
  • increased sophistication of language
    or other changes that result in a complex culture
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3
Q

Australopithecines - Oldowan tools

A

Olduvai valley in Kenya, 2.6-1.7 million years ago
- pebble tools including choppers, scrapers, flakes, chisels
- scrapers: precision grip needed
- no evidence that tools were modified, used pebbles as they were

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4
Q

Australopithecines - significance of Oldowan tools

A

allowed exploitation of broader range of habitats as they exploit resources in their environment more effectively, explore other continents and colonise them, disperse from africa 2 million ya

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5
Q

Australopithecines - social - shelter

A

lived in home bases, camp site to which prehistoric hunters brought back food for other members of the group

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6
Q

Homo habilis - Oldowan tools

A
  • sharpened and shaped by striking 1 stone with another
  • skinning animals, chopping up meat, breaking open bones, digging up edible plant roots
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7
Q

Homo habilis - tools and diet link

A

cut marks on bones were made by both teeth and stone tools, shows that they were both scavengers and hunters
scavenging > hunting, increased hunting as homo evolved

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8
Q

Homo habilis - social - collecting food

A

shared food, worked in groups, males hunt, females gather plant material
grassland hunter gatherers

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9
Q

Homo habilis - social - language

A

communication important due to sharing food, bulge in speech producing area of brain, but larynx unable to make complex sound

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10
Q

Homo erectus culture significance

A

modify env to suit their own needs, effect of env as a selective agent diminishing
fire, building shelters, range of sophisticated tools

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11
Q

Homo erectus - Acheulean tools

A
  • St Acheul in Frace, 1.7 million - 200 000 years ago
  • hand axes, flaked all around the edges, first in 1 direction and then the other, until they formed 2-faced lumps, teardrop in shape
  • tools now developed for a specific purpose
  • systematic in the use of tools, increased commitment to routine meat eating
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12
Q

Homo erectus - fire

A

good example of manipulation of env to suit needs
- warmth and light
- keep predators away
- food safer to eat
- increase range of foods eaten by increased flavour and digestibility

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13
Q

Homo erectus - shelter

A

Terra Amata, 21 levels of habitation, constructed huts for shelter

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14
Q

Homo erectus - finding food

A

skillful hunter, employ a variety of techniques to catch prey like group hunting

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15
Q

homo erectus - social

A
  • capable of logical thought, had the ability to communicate and work with others in an organised and efficient manner
  • care for young increasingly more important, emphasis on cooperation
  • spoken language could have existed, not possible to tell
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16
Q

homo erectus - collective learning

A
  • social learning, communication lead to development of tools
  • this resulted in collective learning, ability to retain more info with one generation that is lost by the next
  • slow in erectus, but huge part of cultural development for later Homos
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17
Q

Homo neanderthalensis - Mousterian industry

A

Le moustier, France, 200 000 to 40 000 years ago
- flake tools that were then trimmed to form various cutting, scraping, piercing and gouging tools
- Levallois technique: piece of stone first trimmed into a disc-shaped core, then struck by another piece of stone flakes that were flat on one side and had sharp edges

18
Q

Homo neanderthalensis - hafting

A

tool joined onto a handle, spear or arrow through a process called hafting, broadened the use and increased effectiveness of tools
they used tools to make more tools

19
Q

Homo neanderthalensis - significance of tools

A

require planning and the ability to forsee possible outcomes, significant development in cognition of species

20
Q

Homo neanderthalensis - effect of better tools

A
  • collective learning - they used tools to make more tools, systematic in the use of tools and fire
  • use flake tools to make clothes in cool climates to keep warm
21
Q

Homo neanderthalensis - social

A
  • burying dead, belief in the afterlife
  • ceremonial burials practiced
  • cared for disabled members, highly developed social system of sharing food and other resources
22
Q

Homo sapiens - Aurignacian tools

A

Aurignac, France, 43 000, 26 000
- blade tools, flakes of stone with roughly parallel sides
- made by removing long flat rectangles from the core stone, easy to handle, and effective in cutting
- both bone and stone

23
Q

Homo sapiens - tools in general

A

finer blades, projectile weapons
better clothing and shelters, survive the cold of europe

24
Q

Homo sapiens - Solutrean culture

A

Solutre, France, 22 000 to 19 000 years ago
- blades formed in the shape of willow or laurel leaves
- many hours of intricate skill to produce, probably an ornament or symbol of tool maker’s craft

25
Q

Homo sapiens - Magdalenian culture

A

La Madeline, France, 18 000 to 12 000 years ago
- art produced
- bone and antler tools made using a chisel like cutter, a tool used for manufacture of other tools
- bone, antler, ivory cut to make a range of tools, eg fine needles, barbed spear points, spear throwers

26
Q

Homo sapiens - social

A

new neurological connections gave them new abilities, maybe fully articulate speech to pass on information effectively

27
Q

Australopithecines special features

A

rounded skull at back, no brow ridges
low forehead
short, less mobile thumb, fingers heavily built

28
Q

afarensis stats

A

3.9 to 2.8 mya, 105-150cm, east africa

29
Q

afarensis special features

A
  1. low sloping forehead
  2. 430cm3
  3. short saggital crest
  4. diastema present
  5. long curved fingers and toes
30
Q

africanus stats

A

3.2-2 mya, 110-130cm, southern africa

31
Q

africanus special features

A
  1. slightly arched forehead
  2. 457cm3
  3. less curved fingers and toes
32
Q

significance of Laetoli footprints

A

Afarensis walked over wet volcanic ash
- deep impression at heel, and when big toe pushes forward for next stride
lateral transmission of weight from heel to big toe, well developed longitudinal arch
- gait not side to side, carying angle present, allow him to walk straight

33
Q

Paranthropus stats

A

southern africa, 1.8-1.2 mya, 100-120cm

34
Q

Paranthropus special features

A
  1. sagittal crest
  2. large premolars and molars, small incisors and canines (more veg based diet for grinding and chewing)
  3. wide dish-shaped face
  4. large zygomatic arches
  5. heavy brow ridges
  6. flatter forehead than Aus
  7. heavier than graciles
35
Q

habilis stats

A

1.5-2.3 mya, 110-130, east and south africa

36
Q

habilis features

A

large cranium in comparison to face
slightly curved finger bones, more robust hands, strong power grip
small brow ridge
590cm3

37
Q

erectus stats

A

2mya-100 000ya 145-185cm, bit of europe

38
Q

erectus features

A

low sloping forehead
more prominent brow ridges
short stocky body with thick bones
large thick jaw
no chin
decreased molar size, less prognathism
1004cm3

39
Q

neanderthalensis stats

A

28 000 to 300 000 ya, germany middle east, 156-168cm

40
Q

neanderthalensis features

A

long low brain case
1485cm3
sloping forehead
heavy brow ridges
occipital bun
depression at the back of the skull
no chin
flared zygomatic arches
more prognathism
short heavily jointed limbs with powerful muscles
barrel shaped ribcage with thick muscles
wide pelvis

41
Q

sapiens stats

A

300 000 years to present, worldwide, 160-175cm

42
Q

sapiens features

A

chin
higher in region of the top of the skill and rounder at the back
shorter skulls from front to back
short slender trunks, long limbs
less wide pelvis

Human bio (10 decks)

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