L13

Question 1

Homo erectus facts and features

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Peking man

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Piltdown forgery

Answer 3

• Both java and Peking man recognised as Homo erectus

Question 4

Where would we find H ergaster and H erectus

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

What was the first Hominin outside of Africa?

Answer 5

Homo Erectus

Question 6

Lake Turkana Africa

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

Current view of Ergaster and Erectus evolution

Answer 7

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

Two different species

Question 8

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

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Clearly H. ergaster/ erectus migrated out of Africa

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Did Ergaster co-exist? And who with?

Answer 10

Yes, with multiple species of Australopithecines and Homo in Africa

Question 11

Did H erectus co-exist

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What was H ergaster/ erectus like?

Answer 12

• 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?)

Question 13

Australopithecine brain capacity

Answer 13

400cc

• small in size species

Question 14

H habilis brain capacity

Answer 14

650cc

Question 15

H erectus brain capacity

Answer 15

850cc

Larger in body size

Question 16

H sapiens brain capacity

Answer 16

1350cc

Question 17

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

Answer 17

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

Question 18

The first indication of extended childhood

Answer 18

• costly to parent as have to get provisions
  
  • but enables learning

Question 19

Systematic tool making

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

When did these Acheulian tools appear?

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

The movius line

Answer 21

Tools never make it to East Asia

Question 22

First use of fire

Answer 22

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

Question 23

The appearance of systematic hunting and genuine home bases

Answer 23

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

Question 24

How did H ergaster / erectus live?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Home base studies

Answer 25

- Archaeological study - Charcoal and bones at sites allow for analysis

Question 26

Rival hypotheses

Answer 26

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

Question 27

different societies

Answer 27

- 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

Question 28

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

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Australopithecine subsistence

Answer 29

An animal like subsistence

Question 30

Early Homo subsistence

Answer 30

Scavenger simple animal/human like subsistence

Question 31

Homo Erectus subsistence

Answer 31

Simple / complex humanlike socioeconomics