Module 12

Question 1

Site: Olduvai Gorge

Answer 1

The site where the nutcracker man in the last chapter, as well as the Homo habilis.

Question 2

Homo Habilis (2.4 Million years ago)

Answer 2

1. No sagittal crest
2. Smaller brow ridges
3. Cranial size: 630 cc (20% increase on australopithecines).
4. Still some prognathism but reduced.
5. More rounded cranial base.
6. Basic early toolmaking capabilities very basic and rudimentary crushing or chopping instruments with signs of very basic alteration to a specific purpose. A sharpened rock is a good example. (Olduwan tool culture).

Question 3

Homo Habilis Teeth Characteristics

Answer 3

1. Larger front teeth relative to back teeth.
2. Narrower premolars
3. Smaller molars than australopithecines but larger than humans.
4. Dental arcade is still narrow like great apes.

Question 4

Site: Koobi Fora

Answer 4

The site where Homo rudolfensis was found. (1.8 million years ago).

Question 5

Homo rudolfensis (1.8 million years ago)

Answer 5

1. Cranial size: 755 cc
2. Noticeable brow ridges
3. Face still quite robust
4. Back teeth still quite large
5. Reduce Prognathism
6. Skull vault very rounded with fairly high forehead (as compared with H. habilis and Australopithecus).
7. Long, low skull shape

Question 6

When did the homo line leave Africa?

Answer 6

around 2 million years ago. In a very short period of time that left Africa spread across the old world VERY QUICKLY. The australopithecines didn’t survive long enough to move out of Africa.

Question 7

H. ergaster (Nariokotome boy)

Answer 7

1. 5’6 - 6 ft teel (adult).
2. Significant amount of sexual dimorphism
3. Significant robusticity with heavy muscles and big bones.
4. Arm and leg proportions nearing human proportions.

Question 8

Homo ergaster Head characteristics

Answer 8

1. low forehead
2. cranial size 880 - 910 cc
3. still fairly large brow ridges
4. still somewhat evident prognathism but not as much as H. habilis
5. Dentition much more similar to humans smaller than H. habilis, a little larger than humans.
6. Slight nuchal torus (cranial base ridge) indicates thicker neck muscles than humans but not as thick as H. erectus.
7. long braincase.
8. Thicker cranial bone than humans.
9. No sagittal ridge.
10. Much more jaw arcade like humans.
11. Much more human-like teeth.

Question 9

Trends of Early Homo

Answer 9

1. These hominids are entirely commited to a terrestrial habitat, spending all of their time and conducting all of their activities on the ground.
2. There are significant increases in body size, as well as overall robustness.
3. Changes in limb proportions reflect a body pattern more closely resembling modern humans, although not exactly.
4. There is significantly greater encephalization with cranial size showing a clear intermediary step between humans and extinct ape species.
5. Starting with H. habilis, over 2 million years ago, tool-making is a widespread cultural feature, with complexity in tool-making clearly linked to those species with greater encephalization.
6. Likely as a result of increased tool-making, the species of the genus Homo would probably incorporated more meat in their diet, which would have aided in encephalization, as well as resulted in reduced jaw muscles and reduced dentition size.

Question 10

Site: Dmanisi

Answer 10

A site in eastern Europe in the area of Georgia(not the state).

Question 11

Homo Erectus(?) Dmanisi (1.75 million years ago)
Note: It is not certain this is homo Erectus and it is debated.

Answer 11

1. thinner brow ridges
2. large upper canines
3. Less robust face in general
4. Wide cranial base with a marked nuchal torus
5. Cranial size 650-78- cc
6. More prognathic face
7. Long low braincase
8. Sagittal ridge.

Question 12

Tools associated with the Dmanisi Hominids

Answer 12

more sophisticated than Homo habilis tools but less sophisticated than other H. erectus tools.

Question 13

Order of general hominid timeline.

Answer 13

H. Habilis - Dmanisi hominid - H. ergaster - H. erectus - H. heidelbergensis - H. neanderthalensis - H. sapiens

Question 14

Order of a possible single lineage

Answer 14

H. habilis - Dmansi hominid - H. erectus - H. sapiens

Question 15

Site: Sangiran

Answer 15

A site reached by Homo erectus on an island long ago when it was actually possible to travel there.

Question 16

Homo Erectus in Sangiran, Java (1.8 million years ago - 50 thousand years ago. This is hotly debated and it is very strange we have such a young species of Homo erectus).

Answer 16

1. Cranial size 800 - 1000 cc
2. Long, low Skull
3. Cranial walls slope widest breadth low on cranium.
4. No real evidence of associated stone tools
5. less prognathism than Dmanisi hominids, similar to H. ergaster.
6. Really big brow ridges.
7. Sagittal ridge.

Question 17

Site: Zhoukodian (Zhoukodian Cave).

Answer 17

1. The site where the Zhokoudian Cave Homo erectus was found.

Question 18

Homo Erectus Zhoukoudian Cave

Answer 18

1. Sagittal ridge
2. Rounded dental arcade similar human dentition, only larger
3. Cranial size 900-1000 cc
4. thick cranial bones
5. Slightly prognathic
6. Lacking forehead
7. Widest at bottom of cranium
8. nuchal torus
9. noticeable brow ridges.
10. Used tools of some sort simple at first but more complex over time
11. The first time it seems that the controlled use of fire was discovered and used. However, this is not correct due to later research.
12. No evidence of butchery.
13. No evidence of hunting.

Question 19

Acheulean tool kit H. Erectus

Answer 19

1. The all-purpose Handaxe great for chopping & hacking (first purposefully made stone toolkit).
2. The pointed Burin good for puncturing & making holes (need to make holes to sew pieces of leather together or make houses. There is no evidence Homo erectus sewed or made houses, however).
3. The Scraper useful for scraping hides (used for scraping all of the flesh and veins and other stuff off the hide to keep it useful).

Question 20

Site: Loloresgailie, Kenya

Answer 20

An Acheulean butcher site around 800 thousand years ago. Thousands of handaxes next to the bones of butchered carcasses.
1. There was no direct evidence of hunting from this it is possible the animals were scavenged though no person truly knows. It is possible Homo erectus was both a hunter and scavenger.