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Palaeobiology > L13 > Flashcards

L13 Flashcards

1
Q

Homo erectus facts and features

A
  • Essentially earliest discovered hominid
    • Long legs
    • Skull cap
    • Occupied Java 1-1.8Ma
    • Most people mistook it for an ape
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2
Q

Peking man

A
  • Also H erectus
    • 0.4-0.7 Ma
    • Various sites across eastern China
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3
Q

Piltdown forgery

A
  • Both java and Peking man recognised as Homo erectus
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4
Q

Where would we find H ergaster and H erectus

A
  • Oldest 1.9Ma
    • China 0.75Ma
    • Java 1.8Ma
    • Subsequently recognised in Africa 1.9Ma
    • Georgia 1.7 Ma
    • Europe 0.5Ma
    • Homo Erectus was the first hominin outside of Africa
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5
Q

What was the first Hominin outside of Africa?

A

Homo Erectus

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6
Q

Lake Turkana Africa

A
  • 1985
    • 1.5Ma specimen
    • Near complete specimen
    • Tall, upright, large brained hominin
    • Large range of variation in skull characteristics
    • Differences are within a range that allows them to be two species
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7
Q

Current view of Ergaster and Erectus evolution

A
  • Homo ergaster Africa 1.5-1.9Ma
    • Homo erectus outside of Africa 0.5-1.8Ma

Two different species

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8
Q

Did they differentiate in Africa and Ergaster moved out, or on the route to Asia erectus evolved into ergaster?

A
  • Potentially Habilis evolved from something close to Africanus and homo evolved from this, although Rudolfensis may have evolved from K. platyops and is an evolutionary blind alley.
    • Habilis gives rise to ergaster which gives rise to erectus
    • Ergaster is basal then erectus
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9
Q

Clearly H. ergaster/ erectus migrated out of Africa

A
  • At least by 1.8Ma moved out of Africa
    • Happened quickly
    • Ice retreats and expansions can cause quick migration
    • Migration from Africa to East Asia could have taken a mere 25,000 years based on the glacial pace of population expansion of only 15 km per generation
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10
Q

Did Ergaster co-exist? And who with?

A

Yes, with multiple species of Australopithecines and Homo in Africa

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11
Q

Did H erectus co-exist

A

beyond Africa H erectus was probably the sole hominin in these regions

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12
Q

What was H ergaster/ erectus like?

A
  • Similar to modern humans but more robust and heavily muscled due to physical requirements
    • First molars erupted at 4.6 years and lifespan of 53 years
    • Decreasing sexual dimorphism may reflect change in social structure and dynamics eg more male-male cooperation
    • Hole through which spinal column ran is small indicating smaller demand for never signal traffic and possibly less control over breathing (no speech?)
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13
Q

Australopithecine brain capacity

A

400cc

  • small in size species
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14
Q

H habilis brain capacity

A

650cc

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15
Q

H erectus brain capacity

A

850cc

Larger in body size

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16
Q

H sapiens brain capacity

A

1350cc

17
Q

How was H ergaster/ erectus a new grade of hominin? (5 reasons)

A
  1. First indication of extended childhood
  2. Systematic tool making
  3. First use of fire
  4. The appearance of systematic hunting and genuine home bases
  5. The first migration of hominins beyond Africa
18
Q

The first indication of extended childhood

A
  • costly to parent as have to get provisions
    • but enables learning
19
Q

Systematic tool making

A
  • They invented a new type of toolkit
    • Acheulian tools
    • Most developed thus far
    • Tool fossil records Indicate migration of erectus/ergaster
    • Useful in absence of bones
    • Lots of evidence of animal from tool use
    • Tool making requires flint, obsidian
    • Efficient in cutting meat, skinning animals
    • Some still have starch grains and evidence of meat consumption suggesting their diet
20
Q

When did these Acheulian tools appear?

A
  • Africa 1.4Ma
    • Israel 1.0Ma
    • Europe 0.9Ma
    • These tools never make it to East Asia = the movius line

Explanations for this:

1. These regions have high bamboo so perhaps this was an easier alternative

2. As man migrated out they migrated out before technology evolved, nothing followed them

3. Technology was developed prior to migration but a corridor of incorrect rock on the way to asia meant they couldn’t make it and then eventually forgot how to make these tools
21
Q

The movius line

A

Tools never make it to East Asia

22
Q

First use of fire

A
  • Burnt tools, bones and charcoal
    • Heat, cooking and fending off animals
23
Q

The appearance of systematic hunting and genuine home bases

A
  • Evidence for hunting eg fire, tools
    • Extended childhood and tools suggest home bases
24
Q

How did H ergaster / erectus live?

A
  • Research based on current hunter gatherer societies in late 20th century
    • Sometimes is not correct, has to be sensibly interpreted
25
Q

Home base studies

A
  • Archaeological study
    • Charcoal and bones at sites allow for analysis
26
Q

Rival hypotheses

A
  • Cache of stones
    • Home base
    • Eating meet up trees to avoid competition
    • Ergaster and erectus use home bases and food sharing
27
Q

different societies

A
  • Australopithecines had an animal like subsistence
    • Early homo had a scavenger simple animal/human like subsistence
    • H erectus had a simple humanlike socioeconomics possibly complex humanlike socioeconomics
    • Moving out of Africa meant great adaptation and intelligent requirement

H ergaster/ erectus is a new hominin

28
Q

What are the three reasons why tools dont make it into Africa?

A
  1. These regions have high bamboo so perhaps this was an easier alternative
  2. As man migrated out they migrated out before technology evolved, nothing followed them
  3. Technology was developed prior to migration but a corridor of incorrect rock on the way to asia meant they couldn’t make it and then eventually forgot how to make these tools
29
Q

Australopithecine subsistence

A

An animal like subsistence

30
Q

Early Homo subsistence

A

Scavenger simple animal/human like subsistence

31
Q

Homo Erectus subsistence

A

Simple / complex humanlike socioeconomics

Palaeobiology (15 decks)

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