Exam review, Archaic Hominins

Question 1

what are some of the archaic hominins

Answer 1

H. erectus, H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis

Question 2

what was a result of H. erectus / ergaster Brain Development

Answer 2

Encephalization is the increase in brain size, relative to body size
The trouble with a focus on brain size and cranial capacity is that it measures only the dimensions of the brain, not neural activity or structural complexity.
The relatively thin cerebral cortex is where the majority of brain activity takes place. Humans have highly textured brains, allowing for more overall cortical surface
While bipedalism was the first major distinction between hominins and apes, long-term encephalization was the most dramatic and lasting.
It is important to note that due to the complex physical structure of the human – and, by extension, the hominin – brain, size is not the only factor in intelligence. For example, we can’t say for certain that H. erectus / ergaster was 50% more intelligent than Au. africanus just because the latter’s cranial capacity was 50% lower

Question 3

what might have been the first to use language

Answer 3

H. erectus

Question 4

Bivalve shells with geometric engravings were recovered where

Answer 4

in the 1890s from the H. erectus erectus site of Trinil on Java,

Question 5

Volcanic sediment within the shell indicates it is how old

Answer 5

500,000 years old

Question 6

who made the Bivalve shells with geometric engravings

Answer 6

H. erectus

Question 7

There is evidence of a hominin (possibly H. erectus) presence in Europe between 1.2 mya and 800 kya at sites such as

Answer 7

Atapuerca, Spain and Boxgrove, England; however, non-sporadic occupation of Europe didn’t begin until around 500 kya.

Question 8

what species are collectively known as archaic H. sapiens (archaic hominins)

Answer 8

Middle Pleistocene European and African hominins share many morphological similarities with anatomically modern humans

Question 9

what is the term (archaic hominins) a blanket term referring to

Answer 9

those species likely bridging the gap between H. erectus and anatomically modern humans. Many of the physical traits of H. erectus/ergaster appear in the archaic hominins.

Question 10

An ancestor of the archaic hominins in Europe (and a candidate for a European variant of H. erectus) was a species known as what

Answer 10

Homo antecessor

Question 11

when did H. antecessor live

Answer 11

1.2 mya to 780 kya

Question 12

where was H. antecessor found

Answer 12

Fossils believed to belong to H. antecessor are limited to Atapuerca, Spain. It’s a relatively small sample on which to base observations of an entire potential species

Ancillary (non-fossil) evidence has been found in England and France

Question 13

H. antecessor had an average cranial capacity of around what

Answer 13

1000 cc

Question 14

Know that the first solid evidence for hunting (as opposed to scavenging) is found among what species and where

Answer 14

H. heidelbergensis fossils and artifacts in Germany

Question 15

who made the Happisburgh Footprints

Answer 15

H. antecessor

Question 16

where is H. heidelbergensis found

Answer 16

in the German city of Heidelberg; hence, the species name.

The vast majority of fossils have been found in Europe (Germany, Greece, Italy, Britain)

Question 17

what is Bergmann’s rule

Answer 17

states that that among polytypic species, body size is larger in colder climates to conserve body temperature
Think of it like this: body surface area decreases relative to body volume in colder climates (less body surface allows for less heat dissipation)

Question 18

H. heidelbergensis Evidence for Hunting

Answer 18

In 1994, a total of 8 separate, six-foot-long, well- crafted wooden spears were found at Shöeningen, Germany. Also found within these contexts were lithic flakes and more than 10,000 large-‐mammal bone fragments (including horse!). All material dates to around 400 kya.
Widely-associated with H. heidelbergensis, the Shöeningen material is the earliest-known evidence of technology designed explicitly for hunting large game

Question 19

when did H. floresiensis live

Answer 19

100 - 50 kya

Question 20

where was H. floresiensis found

Answer 20

cave site on the island of Flores, Indonesia

Question 21

what is unique about H. floresiensis

Answer 21

they were small

Question 22

what made H. floresiensis ssall

Answer 22

Over time, a phenomenon known as insular (or “island”) dwarfism likely reduced their size dramatically.
Related to two selective pressures:
1. Islands (with fewer resources) favour smaller individuals who need less food to survive
2. Fewer predators on islands means there is no disadvantage to having smaller, less defendable body size

Question 23

what are the H. floresiensis Skeletal Morphology

Answer 23

LB1 Cranial Morphology 
Only one relatively complete cranium (LB1) was recovered. 
Very low cranial capacity (380 cc). 
High vault elevation above orbits. 
Gracile supraortibal tori. 
Low degree of postorbital constriction. 
Low degree of facial prognathism. 
Generalized dentition, reminiscent of that of modern humans

Question 24

what was the debate over phylogeny

Answer 24

There was considerable initial debate over whether the type cranium (LB1) represented a microcephalic adult modern human, or one without a functioning thyroid (cretinism).
This was shown not to be the case; however, this is precisely the kind of question that should be asked of new fossil finds!
Natural selection alone—in the form of insular dwarfism—is widely considered to be the best explanation for the small stature of H. floresiensis

Question 25

when did H. naledi live

Answer 25

335 – 236 kya

Question 26

where was H. naledi found

Answer 26

Rising Star Cave

Question 27

H. naledi Skeletal Morphology

Answer 27

Outline shape and profile resembles Homo erectus / ergaster
Crucially, cranial capacity is between 465 (females) and 560 (males
Generalized dentition and comparatively small teeth
The foot is fairly modern in shape, with a pronounced arch

Question 28

was there a H. naledi Burial Culture

Answer 28

“There is no evidence of material culture, like tools, or any evidence any kind of symbolic ritual that we almost always associated with burial. … These bodies seem to have simply been dropped down a hole and disposed of.”

Question 29

what is the controversy over the chronology over H. naledi

Answer 29

Many researchers claimed that based on statistical analyses of morphology alone, H. naledi must have lived sometime around 2 mya (+- 500 kya)
Intial classifications grouped H. naledi closest to H. habilis and H. erectus based on anatomical similarities and assumed chronology
WRONG: Uranium-Thorium (radiometric technique used to date cave deposits) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) of teeth enamel yielded dates between 335 – 236 kya

Question 30

what are the Problems / Questions raised by H. naledi

Answer 30

Cladistic classification (homologous traits) can be misleading! H. naledi may serve an example of a species with more ‘primitive’ traits that survived longer than other hominins 
Did H. naledi evolve in isolation? Unlikely, since we know S. Africa is FULL of other hominins, notably Anatomically Modern Humans (AMHs) at the same time. What was its relationship to them? 
Along with H. floresiensis, natural selection can no longer be assumed to be universally driving the evolution of larger brains in hominins during the last million years. What does this mean for our understanding of modern human complex thought?