Hominin Culture

Question 1

H. habilis tools

Answer 1

Tradition: Oldowan
Technique: Hard Hammer Percussion
Characteristic Tool: Chopper, unretouched flakes
Cultural period: Lower Paleolithic (2.6 mya-200KBP)

Impact on lifestyle: not man the hunter, but man the scavenger. Discovered that tools were used on bones after carnivore tooth marks. Hypothesis that humans opened up gnawed-on bones for the marrow.

Question 2

H. heidelbergensis tools

Answer 2

Tradition: Achulean
Characteristic Tool: Hand axes + retouched flakes
Technique: Hard + soft percussion
Cultural Period: Lower Paleolithic

They chose their rocks more carefully and mass produced stuff.

We used to think that this was it…however recently, blades have been found at approximately 400KBP. We used to think that they only showed up at 40KBP. Also, spears were found in Germany.

Question 3

H. erectus tools

Answer 3

Tradition: Achulean
Characteristic Tool: Hand axes, retouched flakes
Technique: Hard + soft percussion
Cultural Period: Lower Paleolithic

Question 4

H. neanderthalensis tools

Answer 4

Tradition: Mousterian
Characteristic Tools: A range of tools
Technique: Levallois/Prepared core. Punch or pressure flaking to produce blades
Cultural Period: European Upper Paleolithic 40-10 kbp