The Lower Paleolithic Flashcards
homo genus, tool making
who follows Australopithecus Africanus in the Hominini branch? Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?
Homo Habilis
who follows Homo Habilis in the line of Hominins?
Homo Erectus
who was the first species assigned to the genus Homo?
Homo Habilis
what was Homo Habilis known for having?
a bigger brain and globular skull
who was the first species to show archaeological evidence of tool making?
Homo Habilis
where was Homo Habilis found in the world?
East & South Africa
what made Homo Habilis different from Austrlopithecines?
-Taller
-longer legs
-shorter arms (they didn’t need to use them to move through the trees)
-dexterous hands, large opposed thumb
-smaller dentition
-smaller facial features
-clear difference between male/female remains (sexual dimorphism)
what does sexual dimorphism mean?
there is a clear difference between male and female skeletal remains
what were the 2 tool industries found during the lower paleolithic?
Oldowan and Archeulean
who developed the Oldowan industry of tool making?
Homo Habilis
who developed the Archeulean industry of tool making?
Homo Erectus
Early stone age is defined as what (years)?
2.6mya to 300,000 years ago
300,000 years ago marked the beginning of what time period?
Middle Paleolithic
Oldowan tool industry was born when?
2.6mya
Archeulean tool industry was born when?
1.76mya
what did tool making tell archaeologists about hominin evolution?
-required complex thought/dexterity
-demonstrates hand eye coordination
-records ancient decision making
-may pre-date stone tools
what was the first site with stone tools?
Lomekwi 3 in Kenya (3.3mya)
what species of Hominin likely made the tools found at the Lomekwi 3 site?
Australopithecus Afarenisis
How did Oldowan tools get their name?
the Olduvai Gorge
why is the Olduvai Gorge significant?
it is the oldest site in the world with archaeological evidence of human ancestors
where is the Olduvai Gorge located?
Tanzania
what is significant about Oldowan tools?
hard hammer direct percussion flaking
what is the significance of the FLK 22 site in the Olduvai Gorge?
first evidence of modern human like hand bones; also found animal bones and stone fragments
Approximately how long ago were Oldowan tools first created?
2.6mya
define debitage
bits of rock/stone that are not useful after tool making
define cortex
the untouched surface of a stone tool (not chipped away at)
define flakes
slivers of stone that have been struck off a stone
what are flakes most ideal for?
slicing
slivers of stone that have been struck off a stone are called what?
flakes
what is a core?
pieces from which the flakes have been struck
what is a chopper?
a rounded stone with flakes struck off one edge
pieces from which the flakes have been struck from a rock are called what?
a core
a rounded stone with flakes struck off one edge is called what?
a chopper
define unifacial
a type of tool structure; taking bits off one side to create a sharp edge
define bifacial
a type of tool structure; two sides of a stone tool have been worked to create a cutting edge
what type of tool structure is best for smashing and butchering?
bifacial
what are the 2 types of scavenging?
passive & active
what is passive scavenging?
predator catches/kills prey, hominins get scraps, scavengers finish
what is active scavenging?
predator kills prey, hominins chase off predator, hominins transport carcass and scavengers finish
define hunting
hominins capture/kill prey, remove meat, transport carcass, scavengers finish
what is the most dangerous method of finding food?
hunting
what was the origin of homo erectus?
the ice age
the ice age occurred in what time period?
Early Pleistocene
the Early Pleistocene is also known as what?
the Ice Age
what type of effects did the Ice Age have on the terrain?
seawater levels dropped well below 100m, exposing land that was never seen before
the Shackleton Opdyke curve used measurement of what to determine climate changes?
concentration of oxygen isotopes
how were the oxygen isotopes measured when talking about the Shackleton Opdyke curve?
In the shells of foraminifera, tiny creatures that can be found fossilized in deep-sea sediments
the Ice Age went back and forth between what kind of environment chnages?
glacial (cold) & interglacial (warm)
“Glacial” is another word for cold, what is the more scientific term for glacial?
stadial
“interglacial” is another word for warm, what is the more scientific term for glacial
interstadial
Interstadial and Stadial describe what about the Ice Age?
temperature of the environment
what did the back & forth between cold & warm periods during the Ice Age mean for hominins?
-changed rainfall patterns (impacted animals & vegetation)
-forests shrunk and there was more grassland
-there was more land uncovered than before the Ice Age (they could walk across land that they couldn’t before)
the changes in ratio of land mass to water during the Ice Age is termed what?
walk to land masses
why was the Pleistocene more generically named the Ice Age?
it was characterized as a time when there was glacial fluctuations between cold and warm
what about oxygen isotopes was measured when the Shackleton Opdyke was developed?
the ratio of O16 to O18
where were oxygen isotopes trapped within the foraminifera?
within the shells
the sediments of the ocean floor held foraminifera where oxygen isotopes were trapped within their shells. What did this tell paleoanthropologists in terms of time?
colder periods (stadial) usually meant more O16 isotopes than O18
what was the ratio of isotopes during the interstadial (warmer) periods of the Ice Age?
more O18 isotopes than O16
more O18 isotopes than O16…what temperature of weather was consistent with this ratio?
warmer
more O16 isotopes than O18..what temperature of weather was consistent with this ratio during the Ice Age?
colder
Homo Erectus lived approx how many years ago?
400,000
what species of the homo genus existed during the emergence of Homo Erectus & extinction of Homo Habilis?
Homo Heidelbergnesis
between what years did Homo Erectus exist?
1.9mya & 400,000 years ago
Homo Erectus were then first hominins to do what?
move out of Africa
what species of hominins likely evolved out of Homo Habilis?
Homo Erectus
Homo Erectus is known for what tool making tradition & what anatomic adaptation in hominins?
Archeulean; hands for precision tool making
where did Homo Erectus live?
Africa, Asia & Europe
what are some characteristics of Homo Erectus?
-narrow hips/pelvis
-projecting nose
-chinless
-long, low skull
-smaller face & teeth
-Large supraorbital torus (brow bone)
-modern from the neck down
what part of the skull is called the Supraorbital Torus?
brow bone
what is the anatomically correct term for the brow bone?
Supraorbital Torus
why was the skull of Homo Erectus longer & lower than other genus’ of hominins?
to accommodate for larger brain size
what is another name for having a large Supraorbital Torus?
“Beetle Brow”
what was the average size of Homo Erectus’ brain?
960cc
Who is the most well known member of Homo Erectus?
Nariokotome Boy
Nariokotome Boy was found where, how old, and how tall?
Kenya, between 8-12 years old and 5’3”
how long ago did Nariokotome Boy live?
1.5-1.6mya
what is the name of the oldest Homo Erectus fossil site?
Koobi Fora, Kenya
Where is Koobi Fora located and what species’ fossils were found there?
Homo Erectus
what 2 species of hominin were around & what was happening to them when Homo Heidelbergenesis lived?
Homo Erectus was emerging and Homo Habilis was becoming extinct
Homo Heidelbergenesis was a subspecies of what hominin?
Homo Erectus
what type of tool tradition did Homo Heidelbergenesis use?
Archeulean
what two species of the homo genus used Archeulean tool making?
Homo Heidelbergenesis & Homo Erectus
how long ago did Homo Heidelbergenesis exist?
800,000 years
how did the body plan evolve with Homo Heidelbergenesis?
A narrow-chested and gracile build like modern humans, and a broader-chested and robust build like Neanderthals
Middle Pleistocene peoples presented what more than any other hominins before them?
high level of sexual dimorphism—clear difference between male and female skeletons
when was considered the Middle Pleistocene?
125-400,000 yrs ago
how did the people of the early Pleistocene differ from those of the middle Pleistocene?
early Pleistocene people had smaller brains & different skull shape to accommodate as such (smaller brain/skull, larger facial features)
what is the size difference of brain between Homo Habilis & Homo Erectus?
roughly 300cc
Homo Habilis’ brain is roughly how much smaller than the modern day human’s brain?
1000cc
Archeulean tool making was dicovered around the time of what 2 species of hominin?
Homo Erectus & Homo Habilis
Archeulean tools typically took on what kind of shape?
bifacial/teardrop shape
what did Archeulean tools make use of that Oldowan tools did not?
flakes
flakes were made useful in what form of tool making?
Archeulean
Archeulean tools looked mostly like what?
hand axes & cleavers
what type of tool making was more efficient use of material: Oldowan or Archeulean?
Archeulean
what made Archeulean tool making more efficient than Oldowan tools?
they had a bifacial design, which provided more efficient cutting techniques: they were easier to use, and more effective
how was an Archeulean tool made?
small flakes were chipped away to reveal sharp edges and precise shapes
what was used to chip at rock when making an Archeulean tool?
antler, bone or wood
the tool making technique that uses antler, bone or wood is called what?
soft hammer technique
describe hard hammer percussion
a knapper removes relatively broad flakes using a rounded hard rock against the core in a tangential blow
what is significant about hard hammer percussion?
larger flakes are left over & those can be made into other tools
what does it mean to strike one stone with another to create tools with a straight edge?
knapping
define knapping
to strike one stone with another to create tools with a straight edge
what did a stone tool tell archaeologists about the hands of the homo genus?
they developed hand eye coordination, specialized improved functions of the brain, they were evolving in survival as they needed more complex tools for hunting, building, processing meat, etc
what does handedness mean when it comes to tools?
you can tell if the toolmaker was R or L handed
Oldowan tools on average could be made using how many hits & were how big in size?
6 hits; 2 inches
Archeulean tools on average could be made using how many hits & were how big in size?
60 hits; 8 inches
what tools took more time to make but were larger in size & therefore more efficient when it came to performing tasks?
Archeulean
how much more time was spent making an Archeulean tool than an Oldowan tool?
10 times
how much of a difference was there in terms of size between Arceulean & Oldowan tools?
6 inches; Oldowan-2 inches, Archeulean- 8 inches
