Early Homo

Question 1

Where was the first Homo discovery?

Answer 1

Homo erectus in Java, China.

Question 2

Why did the naming of Homo habilis cause controversy?

Answer 2

• Demonstrated that different species of hominins co-existed
• Had to redefine Homo genus because there was insufficient morphological time between A. africanus and H. habilis

Question 3

What are Homo characteristics?

Answer 3

• Upright posture, bipedal
• Brain size does not have to get bigger and bigger
• Fashioned primitive tools
• Difficult to tell if they could speak

Question 4

What brain CC and EQ does Homo habilis/rudolfensis have?

Answer 4

650CC
EQ 3.1

Question 5

What brain CC and EQ does Australopithecine have?

Answer 5

400CC
EQ 2.5

Question 6

What was Lucy’s child?

Answer 6

Discovered by Johnson and White 1986.
Homo habilis partial skeleton, but more apelike than Lucy (Lucy was a presumed Australopithecine ancestor)

Question 7

What did Richard Leakey discover in 1972?
How did it differ to H. habilis?

Answer 7

Older member of Homo (H. rudolfensis)
Lake Turkana
Lots of morphological differences to H. habilis

Question 8

What are the differences in morphology between H. rudolfensis and H. habilis?

Answer 8

H. rudolfensis:
- Large brain case
- Broad, flat face
- Slight brow ridge
H. habilis:
- Small brain case
- Small face, not flat
- Strong curved brow ridge

Question 9

What are the similarities/differences between Homo and Australopithecine?

Answer 9

Homo has larger brain, smaller face and teeth
Early homo has most similar diet to gracile Australopithecine (soft fruit, small amount of scavenged meat)
Not all homo entirely away from trees.

Question 10

When did the earliest stone tool artefacts appear?

Answer 10

2.5 MYA (with the appearance of Homo)

Question 11

What are some examples of early stone tools?
What were they made out of?

Answer 11

Hammerstone, unifacial / bifacial chopper, awl.
Made out of rocks that shatter easily to give a sharp edge.

Question 12

What is hypothesis X of sites presumed to be eating sites?

Answer 12

Hominins would have a cache of rocks at the base and transport a whole carcass to them.

Question 13

What is hypothesis Y of sites presumed to be eating sites?

Answer 13

To avoid competition, hominins would eat up trees.

Question 14

What is hypothesis Z of sites presumed to be eating sites?

Answer 14

Hominins would cut pieces off of a carcass and bring it back to the base where it would eat/share it.

Question 15

How have hunting hypotheses changed over time?

Answer 15

1960s: Cooperative hunting (complex humanlike)
1970s: Basic humanlike foodsharing (simple humanlike)
1980s: Animal like foraging
1990s: Animal/human foraging