Sites Flashcards
Olduvai, East Turkana (Africa)
Early Homo; bigger brained, possible ancestor of later Homo. 1.8-1.4mya. Lower Palaeolithic site where the Zinjanthropus skull was found. Oldest assemblage of tools, Oldowan. Early hominins here were home-based foragers.
Malapa, South Africa
Australopithecus sediba; possibly a transitional species between australopithecus and Homo. 1.9mya
Taung; Sterkfontein, South Africa
Later australopithecus (A africanus) Quite derived/mixed traits, likely evolutionary dead end. 2.5-2.0mya
West Turkana, East Africa
Paranthropus aethipicus. Highly derived, very robust. These were very likely a dead end and were the likely ancestor of later Paranthropus. 2.4mya
Laetoli; Hadar (East Africa)
Australopithecus afarensis. Possible ancestor of later hominins. “Lucy”, well known skeleton. 3.6-3.0mya
What hominins were the earliest documented bipeds?
Australopithecus afarensis.
Aramis, East Africa
Ardipithecus ramidus. Not well studied, not derived by probably bipedal. 4.4mya
Toros-Menarla (central Africa)
Sahelanthropus; the earliest hominin, bipedal? ~6.0mya
Where was the oldest well-dated H. erectus in Africa found? How old is it?
East Turkana; great amount of variation seen among individuals, possibly due to sexual dimorphism. Smaller and more gracile. 1.7mya.
Where in Asia was there very late survival of Homo erectus? How many years ago?
Ngangong, China. 70,000-40,000ya.
Where is the most famous H. erectus site in Asia, where evidence of populations adapted to temperate (cold) environments? How many years ago?
Zhoukoudian, China. 780,000ya.
Where was the first discovery of H erectus from anywhere, showing dispersal out of Africa?
Sangiran, Java. (Indonesia)
There is evidence of dispersal out of Africa by ____mya.
1.6mya.
Where did archaeologists find a well-preserved cranium that provided the best evidence of full H erectus morphology from any site in Europe?
Ceprano, Italy. 900,000-450,000ya.
Sima del Elefante; Atapuerca, Spain.
Oldest evidence of hominins in western Europe, possibly not H erectus. 1.2mya.
Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia
Oldest well-dated hominins outside of Africa; small bodies, small brained, not like full H erectus. 1.75mya. May represent an earlier dispersal from Africa than one that led to wider occupation of Eurasia. Variation is bigger between Asian and African forms than within, could indicate separate species. Similar body proportions to H erectus but brain case of H africanus.
Where was the best post cranial evidence of H erectus from anywhere found?
Nariokotome, Kenya.
Kabwe; Broken Hill, Zambia.
nearly complete skull; mosaic features. Browbridge very robust but braincase expanded. 130,000+ya. Transitional looking fossil. Ancestor of H. sapiens in africa?
Bodo, Ethiopia
Earliest example of African H. heidelbergensis.
Which site displayed evidence of butchering 600,000ya? By which hominin?
Bodo, Ethiopia. African H. heidelbergensis.
Where is the earliest site of H. heidelbergensis? How many years ago?
Gran Dolina, Spain. 850,000ya. Spanish anthropologists place them in separate species called Homo antecessor.
Site known for as “pit of bones”, or “sima de los huesos”, where 28 individuals were found.
Atapuerca, Northern Spain.
Why was Sima de los Huesos significant, evolutionarily speaking?
Very early evidence of Neanderthal ancestry, earliest evidence of deliberate body disposal of the dead. 600,000-400,000ya. (early Neanderthal)
What is the significance of the skull found in Swanscombe, England?
Shows considerable brain expansion.