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39 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
The earliest dispersal of the genus Homo
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Homo erectus
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First Dispersal of Hominins
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-around 2 mil years ago, expanded out of africa into other areas of the old world
-all early hominins restricted to Africa -Hominins found outside of Africa are members of genus Homo |
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Later, more widely dispersed hominins
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-larger
-more committed to a terrestrial habitat -used elaborate stone tools -variation among different geographical groups of these hominins (athropologists still debate how to classify them. split or lump.) |
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Terminology and Splitting
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-Now most are placed in species Homo erectus
-Possible seperate species in Africa (Homo ergaster) |
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Morphology of Homo erectus
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-there was regional population variation
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Homo erectus population Shared phyisical traits: BODY SIZE
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-larger than earlier hominins
-some adults weighed over 100 lbs -average weight about 5'6" -Heavy (robust) body build |
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Homo erectus population Shared phyisical traits: BRAIN SIZE
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-cranial size most obvious difference from early Homo
- a mean of 900cm^3 |
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Homo erectus population Shared phyisical traits:CRANIAL SHAPE
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-highly distinctive shape
-thick cranial bone -large brow ridges in front -projecting nuchal torus in rear (muscles attach to it) -vault is long and low (not much forehead) -cranium wider at base -sagittal keel |
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The First Homo erectus
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-East Africa 2-1.8 mya
-Some form of early Homo evolved into H. erectus |
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East Turkana
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-where earliest H. erectus fossil was found
-nearly a complete skull |
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West Turkana/Nariokotome
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-Where most complete H. erectus skeleton was found
-Boy about 12 years old -Nariokotome (Kenya) |
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Olduvai
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-Where Louis Leakey unearthed a fossil skull
-relatively big cranial capacity and huge browridge -however, thinner cranium than Asian H. Erectus |
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Gona Evidence
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-Ethiopia
-Female pelvis w/ wide birth canal -Large brained infants in utero |
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Daka
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-Ethiopia
-Cranium more like Asian H. erectus -Suggests East African fossils are same species as Asian H. erectus |
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Earliest African Immigrants
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- Homo erectus in East Africa 1.7 mya (thought to be starting place for H. erectus)
-Similar hominins appear around same time in Indonesia (Java) and Caucus Region (Dmanisi) |
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Dmanisi Hominins
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-Republic of Georgia
-East Europe -4 preserved crania -well preserved, oldest well dated hominin outside of Africa |
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Dmanisi crania
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-small cranial capacities
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Dmanisi stone tools
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-similar to Olduwan industry from Africa
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Possible 2 waves of migrations out of Africa
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1. small-brained, short-statured Dmanisi hominins
2. large, robust body build of H. Erectus populations of Java and China |
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Homo Erectus in Indonesia
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-H. erectus fossils found at 6 sites in Java
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Eugene Dubois
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-Dutch anatomist
-first research program to find fossils of "the missing link" |
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Dubois and the "Java Man" Fossils
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-found skullcap in 1891
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H. Erectus from Java
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-6 sites
-1.8 to 1.6 mya -Early to middle Pleistocene -some unusually recent dates (late survivals) -Modjokerto, Sangiran, Ngandong |
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Ngandong
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-individuals date from 50,000 to 25,000 years ago
-very late survival -extremely young -H. erectus contemporary w/ Homo Sapiens -no artifacts found yet w/ H. erectus in Java |
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Dragon bones
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-In China, used as medicine and aphrodisiacs
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H. erectus from Zhoukoudian
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-largest collection of H. erectus material found anywhere
-cast made but original specimens lost during American evacuation at start of WWII |
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Cultural Remains from Zhoukoudian
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-over 100,000 artifacts found
-site occupied for thousands of years |
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Zhoukoudian Tools
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-stone choppers are common
-retouched flakes -scrapers, points, burins, awls |
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Chinese way of life: traditional view
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-described as "hunter gatherer" who killed deer and horses
-used fire -this interpretation now rejected by some |
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Chinese challenges by recent researchers
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-probably not a hunter, but a scavenger. Remains are refuse of giant hyena carnivores
-probably didn't make fire -cave probably not inhabitated. it had a vertical shaft and was a "trap" instead of a shelter |
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Other H. Erectus Chinese sites
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-Most work done at Zhoukoudian but other sites found:
1. Lantian 2. Yunxian 3. Hexian |
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Asian H. Erectus
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-Asian crania from Java to China similar
-Explained by H. erectus migration from Java to China around 1 mil years ago |
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Comparing Asian & African Homo Erectus
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-African less robust cranial specimens and thinner cranial bones
-Asian more robust cranial specimens |
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Atapuerca: Sima del Elefante
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-oldest hominin known in WESTERN europe
-these include a partial jaw with a few teeth, resembling Dmanisi fossils and Oldowan like tools |
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Gran Dolina Site
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-northern Spain
-Atapuerca region -Spanish paleoanthropologist name new species "homo antecessor" (controversial classification) |
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Ceprano
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-Central Italy
-Only one individual may be among best evidence of Homo erectus in Europe |
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2 tool traditions of H. Erectus
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1. Oldowon tools
2. later replaced by Acheulian tool (hand ax) |
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Achedulian tool
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-biface tool used to cut, scrape, pound, dig
-from lower and mid pleistocene -BIFACIAL CORE tool (flaked on both sides) -assoiciated lower paleolithic cultural period |
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Asian bifaces
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-hand axe once thought to be absent in asia which represent a sort of "cultural divide"
-Similar bifaces recently found in Southern China -Stone tool technology largely equivalent over full geographical range of H. erectus -(w/ smaller tools) |