Date Hominin Significance 7.0 mya Sahelanthropus tchadensis Oldest possible hominin ancestor - foramen magnum suggests bipedalism 6.0 mya Orrorin tugenensis Earliest known hominin, CT scans of the proximal femur have shown bipedalism 4.4 mya Ardipithecus ramidus Ardi Possible human ancestor, very primitive cranium, ape like, thin enamel, large canines (sectorial complex and diastema). Pelvis indicates bipedalism 4.2 3.9 mya Australopithecus anamensis Earliest australopithecine, gracile, thick enamel, large canines (sectorial complex and diastema). Cranial capacity 400cc 3.9 3.0 mya Australopithecus afarensis Lucy (gracile) 40% complete. Laetoli footprints. Considered human ancestor. Cranial capacity 420cc 3.5 mya Australopithecus platyops (gracile) "flat faced Kenya human", characterized by large flat face, but small cheek teeth, only early hominid with these features. A.K.A. Kenyanthropus 3.5 2.5 mya Australopithecus africanus Taung Child/Mrs. Ples (robust) first australopithecine found was Taung; cranial capacity ~440cc 2.3 1.4 mya Australopithecus boisei Largest of the robust australopithecines Zinj skull (OH 5) type specimen for boisei. Cranial capacity 510cc 2.5 mya Australopithecus aethiopicus Black Skull (WT 17,000), probably ancestral to Australopithecus boisei, Robust, cranial capacity 410cc 2.5 mya Australopithecus garhi Name means Surprise! Possible first tool users (Oldowan industry), long forelimbs and hind limbs, large teeth and projecting face, cranial capacity 450cc, gracile 2.0 mya Australopithecus sediba Gracile. Name means source, similar to H. habilis, cranial capacity 450cc 1.9 1.0 mya Australopithecus robustus Robust, sagittal keel, splayed zygomatic arch, supraorbital tori. Cranial capacity 530cc 1.9 mya Homo rudolfensis Originally considered to be H. habilis, but differs is in its larger braincase (775cc), larger molars. 2.4-1.4 mya Homo habilis Handy Man Oldowan tool industry. Cranial capacity 631cc 1.9 mya 140 kya Homo erectus Upright Man cranial capacity 750-1250cc. First hominin to leave Africa. Oldowan and Acheulean (possibly as late as 27 H. ergaster stone tool industries. Turkana Boy most complete skeleton kya in Java) H. antecessor Lived contemporaneously with H. sapiens and H. sapiens neanderthalensis 850 kya 200 kya Homo heidelbergensis Previously referred to as archaic Homo sapiens. Mix of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens traits. Africa H. heidelbergensis -> H. sapiens Europe H. heidelbergensis -> H. sapiens neanderthalensis Asia Regional H. heidelbergensis -> Seemingly dead end 400 25 kya Homo sapiens neanderthalensis Cranial capacity larger than H. sapiens- Lived contemporaneously with H. sapiens and interbred 100 50 kya Homo floresiensis The Hobbit All were very small & short small brain. H. erectus?? Or some other premodern human 200 kya Homo sapiens Modern humans, evolving in Africa and migrating out into Europe, Asia, etc.
H. habilis H. rudolfensis H. erectus H. ergaster H. antecessor H. heidelbergensis H. s. neanderthalensis H. floresiensis H. sapiens
At least one species (maybe two) of early Homo was present in East Africa a little prior to 2.0 mya These developed in parallel with an australopithecine species These hominin lines lived contemporaneously for at least 1 million years after which australopithecines seem to have disappeared forever
Homo habilis handy man * African hominin fossils, Dates to 2 1.5 million years ago Found in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania Brain: ~600 cc *Latin translation habilis: able or skilled
Most ancestral of all Homo long arms Short legs Short stature overall 4.5 ft fully grown Smaller face than Australopithecus
H. habilis was found with simple stone tools Tools are known as the Oldowan tradition
Simple chopping tools made by striking flakes off a rounded stone Gives it a rough cutting edge Capable of cutting animal flesh Requires considerable skill to make Made of lava and quartz
Used stone cores and small flakes Flakes for scraping wood, cutting meat, cutting grass stems Stone tools often found with butchered animal bones At Olduvai Gorge, stone tools and animal bones appear to have been brought from farther away
If Homo habilis was hunting animals, then we would expect: cut marks on bone first and then carnivore marks second What we see is the opposite
H. habilis H. rudolfensis H. erectus H. ergaster H. antecessor H. heidelbergensis H. neanderthalensis H. floresiensis H. sapiens
1.9 mya East Africa 1972 Lake Turkana in Tanzania (then known as Lake Rudolf) Its cranial capacity is somewhat larger than H. habilis (775 cc), but more similar to australopithecines in certain facial features Evolutionary relationships between species of early Homo are ambiguous
H. rudolfensis Brain: ~775 cc Cranial capacity is one of the main distinguishers between H. habilis and H. rudolfensis Homo size brain, but robust Australopithecinelike teeth (big brain, big teeth)
KNM ER 1470 (H. rudolfensis) KNM ER 1813 (H. habilis) There is only one really good fossil of Homo rudolfensis: KNM-ER 1470, from Koobi Fora in the Lake Turkana basin, Kenya.
Which best represents our ancestor? H. habilis has smaller, human-like teeth But also a smaller, australopithecine brain H. rudolfensis has a bigger, human-like brain But also has larger, australopithecine teeth Big debate: which best represents our ancestor? Small Teeth or Big brain? Or are they the same species?
It is difficult to learn anything about the earliest stages of hominin cultural development before the manufacture of stone tools Archaeological record is almost exclusively limited to material culture We can assume that early hominins used tools made of perishable materials, like wood, animal parts, plants, etc., and displayed an array of cultural behaviors even if little evidence remains in the fossil record
Gave crucial adaptive advantages to hominins Earliest tools likely made of perishable materials, leave no trace in fossil record Earliest stone tools date to about 2.6 mya, small sharp flakes Hominin bipedalism would have made tools easier to transport
Earliest recognized stone tool culture Oldowan tools found primarily in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania Excavations led by Mary and Louis Leaky
Four kinds of hominins lived about 1.8 mya near Lake Turkana N. Kenya: Australopithecus boisei, H. rudolfensis, H. habilis and H. erectus foraged in the same area. We don t know if they interacted.
H. habilis H. rudolfensis H. erectus H. ergaster H. antecessor H. heidelbergensis H. neanderthalensis H. floresiensis H. sapiens
1.9 mya to ~ 140 kya Upright Man so named because they were some of the first bipedal hominids identified Brain size 700-1250 cc Low forehead Supraorbital torus Sagital keel Nuchal torus
Nuchal Torus Supraorbital Tori KNM-ER 3733, ~1.7 mya E. African forms cranial capacity ~850-900 cc
Find A. boisei and H. erectus in the same deposit Live together? Compete?
First species to leave Africa Not all H. erectus left
Physical Characteristics Jaws were still large but smaller than those of earlier hominin Body proportions are similar to modern humans Limb proportions reflect a modern bipedal form, and suggest endurance running Narrow pelvic proportions indicate rapid brain growth continuing after birth
Had greater limb length - more efficient bipedalism First with cranial capacity near range of H. sapiens Efficient scavenger of meat; gave wider range of nutrients and more adaptable diet Ranged widely from Spain to Indonesia Transformed hominin evolution to human evolution
Note how different H. erectus is from much earlier A. afarensis.
Early hominin fossils have been found only in Africa, so it seems that hominins were restricted to Africa for as long as 5.0 my Close to 2.0 mya, hominins expanded out of Africa into other areas of the Old World
The later, more widely dispersed hominins such as H. erectus were physically larger, more committed to a terrestrial habitat and used elaborate stone tools There is some variation among the different geographical groups of these hominins, and anthropologists still debate how to classify them
After 2.0 mya, there s less diversity in these hominins than in their pre-australopithecine and australopithecine predecessors There is universal agreement that the hominins found outside of Africa are members of genus Homo Homo erectus is the species for which there is the most evidence
The first hominin to expand into new regions of the Old World As a species, H. erectus existed for over 1.0 my We can understand its success as a hominin species based on behavioral capacities (i.e. more elaborate tool use) and physical changes (i.e. larger)
H. habilis H. rudolfensis H. erectus H. ergaster H. antecessor H. heidelbergensis H. neanderthalensis H. floresiensis H. sapiens
Discoveries from East Africa have established Homo erectus by 1.7 mya Some researchers see anatomical differences between the African and Asian discoveries They place African fossils into the Homo ergaster species However, analyses show that H. erectus/ergaster represent closely related species and possibly geographical varieties of a single species Homo erectus Southeast Asia Homo ergaster East Africa
Asian H. erectus: Less robust Thinner brow ridge Brain: 900-1100 cc Thicker cranial bones 1.7-0.3 mya African H. erectus (aka H. ergaster) More robust Thicker brow ridge Brain: 750-1000 cc Thinner cranial bones 1.8-0.3 mya
Java specimen s cranial capacity: ~900-1000 cc
H. habilis and H. erectus
Homo Sapiens Skull
Thick cranial bone, large browridges (supraorbital torus [pl. tori]), and projecting nuchal torus Braincase long and low, with little forehead development Cranium wider at base, compared with earlier and later species
Sagittal keel, a small ridge from front to back along the sagittal suture, reflects bone buttressing in a very robust skull, rather than a specific function
Nuchal Torus - A projection of bone in the back of the cranium where neck muscles attach; used to hold up the head
Homo erectus evolved first in Africa, supported by evidence of: 1. Earlier hominins prior to the appearance of H. erectus occurring in Africa 2. 1.7 mya fossils at East Turkana, in Kenya, and not long after at other sites in East Africa 3. 1.8 mya populations in southeastern Europe; 1.6 mya populations in Indonesia, suggesting quick migrations
Homo erectus fossil site and migration routes Yellow
1984 discovery a small piece of skull on the west side of Lake Turkana at the site known as Nariokotome The excavations produced the most complete H. erectus skeleton ever found Facial bones, a pelvis, and most of the limb bones, ribs, and vertebrae
The Nariokotome skeleton is dated to about 1.6 mya The skeleton is that of a boy about 8 years of age with an estimated height of 5 feet 3 inches May have reached 6 feet by adulthood
Middle Awash of Ethiopia, date 1.0 mya Complete cranium more like Asian H. erectus than most earlier East African remains discussed Discounts argument that East African fossils are different species than Asian H. erectus
Evolved in Africa about 2.0 mya A greater range of physical variation in specimens outside of Africa at about 1.8 mya Reached Java, Indonesia by 1.6 mya Equates to less than 200,000 years to travel from East Africa to Southeast Asia
The discovery of the Dmanisi materials in Republic of Georgia began in the early 1990s Four well-preserved crania, with one being almost complete Dates to ~1.77 mya
Best-preserved remains of hominins of this age found anywhere outside of Africa
The most complete specimen has a less robust and thinner brow ridge, a projecting lower face, and a large upper canine All three Dmanisi crania have small cranial capacities A number of stone tools, similar to Olduwan industry from Africa, have been recovered at Dmanisi Remains from four individuals allows comparisons with H. erectus from other areas
Skull found of an older individual No teeth and evidence of severe bone loss Would have needed to be cared for
Six sites in eastern Java, dating from 1.6 mya to 1.0 mya, during the Early to Middle Pleistocene The Ngandong individuals may date from 53,000 to 27,000 ya! Solo Man
Largest collection of H. erectus remains found to date 40 male and female adults and children near Beijing, at Zhoukoudian, excavated beginning in 1920s 14 skullcaps, other cranial pieces, more than 100 isolated teeth, and scattering of postcranial remains Site occupied for 530,000 years Peking Man - Zhoukoudian Cranial capacity ~1100
Interpretations for this site range from ritualistic treatment (burial) or cannibalism to the suggestion that the H. erectus remains are the leftovers of the meals of giant hyenas! Cultural remains of more than 100,000 artifacts indicate site occupation of several thousand years Lack of evidence of the control of fire and suggestive evidence of bone accumulation of carnivores cast doubt on whether the cave was home or hearth
Reconstructed cranium of Homo erectus from Lantian, China, dated to approximately 1.15 mya Two adult females in association with firetreated pebbles and flakes Mandible with several teeth similar to those at Zhoukoudian
Date 800,000-580,000 ya, at similar age to Zhoukoudian Restored crania using imaging techniques allows comparative analysis Fauna and paleoenvironmental analysis suggests limited hunting of young and old animals
H. habilis H. rudolfensis H. erectus H. ergaster H. antecessor H. heidelbergensis H. neanderthalensis H. floresiensis H. sapiens
Atapuerca region in northern Spain, 1.2 mya partial jaw with few teeth; closely resembles Dmanisi fossils; simple flake tools and animal bones Spanish paleoanthropologists place these hominins into a species called Homo antecessor Gran Dolina, dated to appx 850,000-780,000 ya Assigning the fossils to a particular species is problematic, based on the fragmentary nature of the remains
From central Italy, provisionally dated to 800,000 900,000 ya. A specimen close to H. erectus, or perhaps a different species?
Expansion of the brain enabled H. erectus to develop sophisticated tools that span two stone tool industries: Oldowan and Acheulian Acheulian Biface - stone worked on both sides and used to cut, scrape, pound, and dig Raw materials transported more consistently and for longer distances Suggests foresight: knew they needed a stone tool in the future and carried what they regarded as useful
The Paleolithic is a prehistoric age distinguished by the development of stone tools known as the Old Stone Age A more accurate translation would be Old Stone From the Greek Paleo meaning old or ancient and Lithos meaning stone
Middle Stone Age, period in human development between the end of the Paleolithic period and the beginning of the Neolithic period It began with the end of the last glacial period over 10,000 years ago and evolved into the Neolithic period
Also called New Stone Age, final stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans It was characterized by stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding, dependence on domesticated plants or animals, settlement in permanent villages, and the appearance of such crafts as pottery and weaving Beginning of Neolithic varies by area; began as early as 6000 ya in the Middle East and as late as 3000 ya in area of Europe
The Paleolithic spans the entire age of prehistoric tools from Homo habilis 2.6 mya to premodern Homo sapiens 10,000 ya Usually split into lower, middle, and upper Lower Paleolithic 2.6 mya to 300,000 ya Middle Paleolithic 300,000 to 40,000 ya Upper Paleolithic 40,000 to 10,000 ya
Oldowan ~2.6 to 1.2 mya The Oldowan is the oldest-known stone tool industry Dating as far back as 2.6 million years ago, these tools are a major milestone in human evolutionary history: the earliest evidence of cultural behavior Homo habilis manufactured Oldowan tools
Acheulean ~1.6 mya to 200 kya The Oldowan is the oldest-known stone tool industry Acheulean tools were produced during the Lower Paleolithic and characterized by distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand-axes" Acheulean stone tools are the products of Homo erectus
A basic tool of the Acheulian tradition.
Bifaces, stone tools worked on both sides Flatter with straighter, sharper sides than Oldowan tools More efficient tool Basic Acheulian tool is the hand axe used for meat preparation Also made Scrapers, used for cleaning animal flesh and cleavers, used to break animal bones
Assignment 3 in class October 28, 2016 Part 1 November 4, 2016 Part 2 November 11, 2016 Part 3 Review Game November 4, 2016 Exam 3 November 11, 2016