The Lower Paleolithic Flashcards

homo genus, tool making

1
Q

who follows Australopithecus Africanus in the Hominini branch? Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?

A

Homo Habilis

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2
Q

who follows Homo Habilis in the line of Hominins?

A

Homo Erectus

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3
Q

who was the first species assigned to the genus Homo?

A

Homo Habilis

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4
Q

what was Homo Habilis known for having?

A

a bigger brain and globular skull

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5
Q

who was the first species to show archaeological evidence of tool making?

A

Homo Habilis

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6
Q

where was Homo Habilis found in the world?

A

East & South Africa

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7
Q

what made Homo Habilis different from Austrlopithecines?

A

-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)

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8
Q

what does sexual dimorphism mean?

A

there is a clear difference between male and female skeletal remains

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9
Q

what were the 2 tool industries found during the lower paleolithic?

A

Oldowan and Archeulean

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10
Q

who developed the Oldowan industry of tool making?

A

Homo Habilis

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11
Q

who developed the Archeulean industry of tool making?

A

Homo Erectus

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12
Q

Early stone age is defined as what (years)?

A

2.6mya to 300,000 years ago

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13
Q

300,000 years ago marked the beginning of what time period?

A

Middle Paleolithic

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14
Q

Oldowan tool industry was born when?

A

2.6mya

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15
Q

Archeulean tool industry was born when?

A

1.76mya

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16
Q

what did tool making tell archaeologists about hominin evolution?

A

-required complex thought/dexterity
-demonstrates hand eye coordination
-records ancient decision making
-may pre-date stone tools

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17
Q

what was the first site with stone tools?

A

Lomekwi 3 in Kenya (3.3mya)

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18
Q

what species of Hominin likely made the tools found at the Lomekwi 3 site?

A

Australopithecus Afarenisis

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19
Q

How did Oldowan tools get their name?

A

the Olduvai Gorge

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20
Q

why is the Olduvai Gorge significant?

A

it is the oldest site in the world with archaeological evidence of human ancestors

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21
Q

where is the Olduvai Gorge located?

A

Tanzania

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22
Q

what is significant about Oldowan tools?

A

hard hammer direct percussion flaking

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23
Q

what is the significance of the FLK 22 site in the Olduvai Gorge?

A

first evidence of modern human like hand bones; also found animal bones and stone fragments

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24
Q

Approximately how long ago were Oldowan tools first created?

A

2.6mya

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25
Q

define debitage

A

bits of rock/stone that are not useful after tool making

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26
Q

define cortex

A

the untouched surface of a stone tool (not chipped away at)

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27
Q

define flakes

A

slivers of stone that have been struck off a stone

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28
Q

what are flakes most ideal for?

A

slicing

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29
Q

slivers of stone that have been struck off a stone are called what?

A

flakes

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30
Q

what is a core?

A

pieces from which the flakes have been struck

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31
Q

what is a chopper?

A

a rounded stone with flakes struck off one edge

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32
Q

pieces from which the flakes have been struck from a rock are called what?

A

a core

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33
Q

a rounded stone with flakes struck off one edge is called what?

A

a chopper

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34
Q

define unifacial

A

a type of tool structure; taking bits off one side to create a sharp edge

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35
Q

define bifacial

A

a type of tool structure; two sides of a stone tool have been worked to create a cutting edge

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36
Q

what type of tool structure is best for smashing and butchering?

A

bifacial

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37
Q

what are the 2 types of scavenging?

A

passive & active

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38
Q

what is passive scavenging?

A

predator catches/kills prey, hominins get scraps, scavengers finish

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39
Q

what is active scavenging?

A

predator kills prey, hominins chase off predator, hominins transport carcass and scavengers finish

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40
Q

define hunting

A

hominins capture/kill prey, remove meat, transport carcass, scavengers finish

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41
Q

what is the most dangerous method of finding food?

A

hunting

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42
Q

what was the origin of homo erectus?

A

the ice age

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43
Q

the ice age occurred in what time period?

A

Early Pleistocene

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44
Q

the Early Pleistocene is also known as what?

A

the Ice Age

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45
Q

what type of effects did the Ice Age have on the terrain?

A

seawater levels dropped well below 100m, exposing land that was never seen before

46
Q

the Shackleton Opdyke curve used measurement of what to determine climate changes?

A

concentration of oxygen isotopes

47
Q

how were the oxygen isotopes measured when talking about the Shackleton Opdyke curve?

A

In the shells of foraminifera, tiny creatures that can be found fossilized in deep-sea sediments

48
Q

the Ice Age went back and forth between what kind of environment chnages?

A

glacial (cold) & interglacial (warm)

49
Q

“Glacial” is another word for cold, what is the more scientific term for glacial?

A

stadial

50
Q

“interglacial” is another word for warm, what is the more scientific term for glacial

A

interstadial

51
Q

Interstadial and Stadial describe what about the Ice Age?

A

temperature of the environment

52
Q

what did the back & forth between cold & warm periods during the Ice Age mean for hominins?

A

-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)

53
Q

the changes in ratio of land mass to water during the Ice Age is termed what?

A

walk to land masses

54
Q

why was the Pleistocene more generically named the Ice Age?

A

it was characterized as a time when there was glacial fluctuations between cold and warm

55
Q

what about oxygen isotopes was measured when the Shackleton Opdyke was developed?

A

the ratio of O16 to O18

56
Q

where were oxygen isotopes trapped within the foraminifera?

A

within the shells

57
Q

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?

A

colder periods (stadial) usually meant more O16 isotopes than O18

58
Q

what was the ratio of isotopes during the interstadial (warmer) periods of the Ice Age?

A

more O18 isotopes than O16

59
Q

more O18 isotopes than O16…what temperature of weather was consistent with this ratio?

A

warmer

60
Q

more O16 isotopes than O18..what temperature of weather was consistent with this ratio during the Ice Age?

A

colder

61
Q

Homo Erectus lived approx how many years ago?

A

400,000

62
Q

what species of the homo genus existed during the emergence of Homo Erectus & extinction of Homo Habilis?

A

Homo Heidelbergnesis

63
Q

between what years did Homo Erectus exist?

A

1.9mya & 400,000 years ago

64
Q

Homo Erectus were then first hominins to do what?

A

move out of Africa

65
Q

what species of hominins likely evolved out of Homo Habilis?

A

Homo Erectus

66
Q

Homo Erectus is known for what tool making tradition & what anatomic adaptation in hominins?

A

Archeulean; hands for precision tool making

67
Q

where did Homo Erectus live?

A

Africa, Asia & Europe

68
Q

what are some characteristics of Homo Erectus?

A

-narrow hips/pelvis
-projecting nose
-chinless
-long, low skull
-smaller face & teeth
-Large supraorbital torus (brow bone)
-modern from the neck down

69
Q

what part of the skull is called the Supraorbital Torus?

A

brow bone

70
Q

what is the anatomically correct term for the brow bone?

A

Supraorbital Torus

71
Q

why was the skull of Homo Erectus longer & lower than other genus’ of hominins?

A

to accommodate for larger brain size

72
Q

what is another name for having a large Supraorbital Torus?

A

“Beetle Brow”

73
Q

what was the average size of Homo Erectus’ brain?

A

960cc

74
Q

Who is the most well known member of Homo Erectus?

A

Nariokotome Boy

75
Q

Nariokotome Boy was found where, how old, and how tall?

A

Kenya, between 8-12 years old and 5’3”

76
Q

how long ago did Nariokotome Boy live?

A

1.5-1.6mya

77
Q

what is the name of the oldest Homo Erectus fossil site?

A

Koobi Fora, Kenya

78
Q

Where is Koobi Fora located and what species’ fossils were found there?

A

Homo Erectus

79
Q

what 2 species of hominin were around & what was happening to them when Homo Heidelbergenesis lived?

A

Homo Erectus was emerging and Homo Habilis was becoming extinct

80
Q

Homo Heidelbergenesis was a subspecies of what hominin?

A

Homo Erectus

81
Q

what type of tool tradition did Homo Heidelbergenesis use?

A

Archeulean

82
Q

what two species of the homo genus used Archeulean tool making?

A

Homo Heidelbergenesis & Homo Erectus

83
Q

how long ago did Homo Heidelbergenesis exist?

A

800,000 years

84
Q

how did the body plan evolve with Homo Heidelbergenesis?

A

A narrow-chested and gracile build like modern humans, and a broader-chested and robust build like Neanderthals

85
Q

Middle Pleistocene peoples presented what more than any other hominins before them?

A

high level of sexual dimorphism—clear difference between male and female skeletons

86
Q

when was considered the Middle Pleistocene?

A

125-400,000 yrs ago

87
Q

how did the people of the early Pleistocene differ from those of the middle Pleistocene?

A

early Pleistocene people had smaller brains & different skull shape to accommodate as such (smaller brain/skull, larger facial features)

88
Q

what is the size difference of brain between Homo Habilis & Homo Erectus?

A

roughly 300cc

89
Q

Homo Habilis’ brain is roughly how much smaller than the modern day human’s brain?

A

1000cc

90
Q

Archeulean tool making was dicovered around the time of what 2 species of hominin?

A

Homo Erectus & Homo Habilis

91
Q

Archeulean tools typically took on what kind of shape?

A

bifacial/teardrop shape

92
Q

what did Archeulean tools make use of that Oldowan tools did not?

A

flakes

93
Q

flakes were made useful in what form of tool making?

A

Archeulean

94
Q

Archeulean tools looked mostly like what?

A

hand axes & cleavers

95
Q

what type of tool making was more efficient use of material: Oldowan or Archeulean?

A

Archeulean

96
Q

what made Archeulean tool making more efficient than Oldowan tools?

A

they had a bifacial design, which provided more efficient cutting techniques: they were easier to use, and more effective

97
Q

how was an Archeulean tool made?

A

small flakes were chipped away to reveal sharp edges and precise shapes

98
Q

what was used to chip at rock when making an Archeulean tool?

A

antler, bone or wood

99
Q

the tool making technique that uses antler, bone or wood is called what?

A

soft hammer technique

100
Q

describe hard hammer percussion

A

a knapper removes relatively broad flakes using a rounded hard rock against the core in a tangential blow

101
Q

what is significant about hard hammer percussion?

A

larger flakes are left over & those can be made into other tools

102
Q

what does it mean to strike one stone with another to create tools with a straight edge?

A

knapping

103
Q

define knapping

A

to strike one stone with another to create tools with a straight edge

104
Q

what did a stone tool tell archaeologists about the hands of the homo genus?

A

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

105
Q

what does handedness mean when it comes to tools?

A

you can tell if the toolmaker was R or L handed

106
Q

Oldowan tools on average could be made using how many hits & were how big in size?

A

6 hits; 2 inches

107
Q

Archeulean tools on average could be made using how many hits & were how big in size?

A

60 hits; 8 inches

108
Q

what tools took more time to make but were larger in size & therefore more efficient when it came to performing tasks?

A

Archeulean

109
Q

how much more time was spent making an Archeulean tool than an Oldowan tool?

A

10 times

110
Q

how much of a difference was there in terms of size between Arceulean & Oldowan tools?

A

6 inches; Oldowan-2 inches, Archeulean- 8 inches