Module 2 - Lecture 2: Tool Use / Lithic Technologies Flashcards
when was the first intentionally made stone tool created?
2.6 million years ago
OLDOWAN TOOLS
-> when were they made?
-> how were they made
-> who used them?
-> 2.6 - 1.6 million years ago
-> direct percussion
-> Australopithecines and Early Homo (H. habilis, H. erectus)
what is direct percussion?
using a hammerstone to break flakes off of another stone
what is Africa commonly known as?
“the cradle of humanity”
what is scavenging? supporting evidence?
-> extracting food from carcasses left by other predators using Oldowan (2.6-1.6mya) tools
-> cut marks/gnaw marks on bones
-> there is no evidence of appropriate hunting tools
-> modern human groups rely less on hunting
what happened during the Pleistocene (2.6- mya - 10 kya)? why is it significant?
-> the emergence of the homo genus
-> repeated cycles of glaciation / unstable environment
what was different in the homo genus compared to other early hominins?
smaller teeth/jaws, and larger brains
what dates were the Lower/Middle/Upper paleolithic?
-> lower paleolithic (2.6 mya - 250 kya)
-> middle paleolithic (250 - 35 kya)
-> upper paleolithic (35 - 10 kya)
h. Habilis
-> what period?
-> what environment?
-> any defining features?
-> lower paleolithic
-> E/S Africa (woodlands)
-> more bipedal, less arboreal
-> slightly larger brains
-> used Oldowan tools
what is homo Habilis commonly known as? and why?
“handy man” - because they used Oldowan tools
h. Erectus
-> what period?
-> what environment?
-> any defining features?
-> lower paleolithic
-> Africa and E/SE Asia (first hominin out of Africa)
-> almost fully modern locomotion
-> larger brain (1000cc)
-> less primitive
-> used both Oldowan and Acheulean tools
why is homo erectus so important?
-> first hominin out of Africa (into Asia)
-> emergence of new tools technology (Acheulean)
what two reasons are possible explanations for WHY homo erectus left Africa?
-> need for larger territories / outgrowing resources
-> glacial periods causing cooler/dryer climates
HOW was homo erectus able to leave Africa?
-> larger brains
-> new tools technologies
-> homo erectus was highly adaptable
h. heidelbergensis
-> what period?
-> what environment?
-> any defining features?
-> lower paleolithic
-> Africa, Europe, W Asia
-> first to build shelters out of wood and rocks
-> less prognathic
-> Acheulean tools
what is the muddle in the middle?
the uncertainty of evolutionary ties between early hominins
ACHEULEAN INDUSTRY
-> when did it arise?
-> how were they made
-> who used them?
-> 1.8 million years ago - 250 thousand years ago
-> soft hammers for more control / involved preconceived designs
-> hand axes and bifaces
(H. erectus, H. heidelbergensis)
what is the earliest evidence of human hunting? who likely made them?
wooden spears , likely made by H. heidelbergensis
when is the earliest possible evidence for fire? what is the context? who likely used it?
(1.5-1.0 mya)
-> bones burned at temperatures indicative of hearth use
-> likely H. erectus
what is the Middle Paleolithic known for?
(250 - 35 kya)
-> the rise of H. sapiens or anatomically modern humans
-> emergence of new modern behaviours
H. sapiens (or anatomically modern humans)
-> what time period?
-> what environment?
-> any defining features?
middle paleolithic
-> Africa
-> low prognathism
-> decreased tooth/brow size
-> 1350 cc brain
what are the 4 types of evidence to support behavioural modernity in AMH?
- new tool making techniques (pressure flaking)
- new tools after 250 kya
- broad diet
- emergence of symbolism
