Homonid Evolution Flashcards
Key points about Australopithecus afarensis
- Lived 3.9-2.8 mya
- from east Africa
- diastema
- large, specialised teeth
- saggital crest
- prognathic jaw
- sloped forehead
- predominant brow ridges
-long arms - curved fingers and toes
Key features of Australopithecus africanus
- 3.2 - 2 mya
- South Africa
- no diastema
- large teeth (smaller than afarensis)
- smaller supraorbital ridge
- arched forehead
- prognathic jaw
- light build
Let features of Homo habilis
- 2.3-1.5 mya
- south & east Africa
- round skull
- small brow ridge
- teeth in parabolic arch
- moderate prognathism
- slightly robust skeleton
- slightly curved fingers
- able to perform precision grip
Key features of Paranthropus Robustus
- 1.8-1.2 mya
- Southern Africa
- zygomatic arches
- saggital crest
- heavy brow ridges
Key features of homo erectus
-china & indonesia
- low, sloping forehead
- defined brow ridges
- thick jaw but no chin
1.8mya - 100,000ya
Key features of homo neanderthalensis
-Europe & Middle East
- 28,000 - 300,000 ya
- occipital bun
- brow ridges
- prognathic jaw
- barrel-shaped rib cage
- wider shoulders
Same height as sapiens
Key features of homo sapiens
- 300,000ya - present
- shirt jaw
- chin
- small, unspecialised teeth
- height - 160(f) - 175(m)
- straight fingers and toes
- oval shaped ribcage
Hominid species matched with tool type
Homo sapiens- upper Palaeolithic
Neanderthalensis- mousterian
Erectus - acheulian
Habilis - oldowan
Mousterian tools
Made using Levallois method
Neanderthals
Acheulian tools
Type of hand axe flaked on all edges
- erectus
Oldowan tools
Sharpened tolls made by striking rocks against each other
- habilis, maybe Australopithecus
Trends in tool use
- more manipulation of materials
- increase complexity over time
- greater variety over time
- more specialisation over time
When was fire first used
Homo erectus - 1.8 mya - 100,000 ya
What’s Levallois technique
The process of producing a flake from a stone core. Normally has a flat side and a sharp side
