Dispersal and Cultural Evolution Flashcards
Cultural evolution
Passing on traits and skills by learning rather than by genetic processes.
Acheulan tool culture
Tools made and used by Homo erectus
Typically tear dropped shaped
50 blows
Frontal lobe allowed them to make tools
Hunters - could use tools to hunt and kill
First to use fire habitually
Mousterian tool culture
Tools made and used by Homo neanderthalensis.
Typically hand axes but including scrapers and fine points.
Tools for hunting, making more tools, clothing, shelter
Oldowan tool culture
First tools made by Homo habilis. Typically a chopper for striking bones to extract the marrow.
5 blows
Scavengers
Dig up vegetation, crack bones to get bone marrow, scraped meat from bones
Feeds the brain - frontal lobe for creativity, planning etc. Cerebellum for precision grip.
Paleolithic tool culture
Stone age culture of Homo sapiens. Still in use by some groups of humans.
250 blows
Composite tools - wood and stone, putting two materials together to make tools
Travelled far to get materials to make tools.
Leaving Africa
Approximately 100,000 years ago, Homo sapiens emigrated out of Africa. Gradually replaced the other Homo populations that occupied Asia and Europe.
Multiregional Model
The Multiregional Model argues that Homo erectus left Africa around 1.8 mya and spread to Europe and Asia.
Homo sapiens then evolved simultaneously in these archaic populations.
Regular gene flow/interbreeding between separate populations allowed for evolution resulting in a single species, Homo sapiens, rather than multiple species of Homo.
Out of Africa model
The Out of Africa model argues that modern Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and not from wandering, interbreeding Homo erectus populations.
Some Homo sapiens left Africa approximately 100,000 years ago. These migrants replaced the other Homo species.
