Chapter 9 Anthropology

Front 1

The earliest dispersal of the genus Homo

Back 1

Homo erectus

Front 2

First Dispersal of Hominins

Back 2

-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

Front 3

Later, more widely dispersed hominins

Back 3

-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.)

Front 4

Terminology and Splitting

Back 4

-Now most are placed in species Homo erectus
-Possible seperate species in Africa (Homo ergaster)

Front 5

Morphology of Homo erectus

Back 5

-there was regional population variation

Front 6

Homo erectus population Shared phyisical traits: BODY SIZE

Back 6

-larger than earlier hominins
-some adults weighed over 100 lbs
-average weight about 5'6"
-Heavy (robust) body build

Front 7

Homo erectus population Shared phyisical traits: BRAIN SIZE

Back 7

-cranial size most obvious difference from early Homo
- a mean of 900cm^3

Front 8

Homo erectus population Shared phyisical traits:CRANIAL SHAPE

Back 8

-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

Front 9

The First Homo erectus

Back 9

-East Africa 2-1.8 mya
-Some form of early Homo evolved into H. erectus

Front 10

East Turkana

Back 10

-where earliest H. erectus fossil was found
-nearly a complete skull

Front 11

West Turkana/Nariokotome

Back 11

-Where most complete H. erectus skeleton was found
-Boy about 12 years old
-Nariokotome (Kenya)

Front 12

Olduvai

Back 12

-Where Louis Leakey unearthed a fossil skull
-relatively big cranial capacity and huge browridge
-however, thinner cranium than Asian H. Erectus

Front 13

Gona Evidence

Back 13

-Ethiopia
-Female pelvis w/ wide birth canal
-Large brained infants in utero

Front 14

Daka

Back 14

-Ethiopia
-Cranium more like Asian H. erectus
-Suggests East African fossils are same species as Asian H. erectus

Front 15

Earliest African Immigrants

Back 15

- 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)

Front 16

Dmanisi Hominins

Back 16

-Republic of Georgia
-East Europe
-4 preserved crania
-well preserved, oldest well dated hominin outside of Africa

Front 17

Dmanisi crania

Back 17

-small cranial capacities

Front 18

Dmanisi stone tools

Back 18

-similar to Olduwan industry from Africa

Front 19

Possible 2 waves of migrations out of Africa

Back 19

1. small-brained, short-statured Dmanisi hominins
2. large, robust body build of H. Erectus populations of Java and China

Front 20

Homo Erectus in Indonesia

Back 20

-H. erectus fossils found at 6 sites in Java

Front 21

Eugene Dubois

Back 21

-Dutch anatomist
-first research program to find fossils of "the missing link"

Front 22

Dubois and the "Java Man" Fossils

Back 22

-found skullcap in 1891

Front 23

H. Erectus from Java

Back 23

-6 sites
-1.8 to 1.6 mya
-Early to middle Pleistocene
-some unusually recent dates (late survivals)
-Modjokerto, Sangiran, Ngandong

Front 24

Ngandong

Back 24

-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

Front 25

Dragon bones

Back 25

-In China, used as medicine and aphrodisiacs

Front 26

H. erectus from Zhoukoudian

Back 26

-largest collection of H. erectus material found anywhere
-cast made but original specimens lost during American evacuation at start of WWII

Front 27

Cultural Remains from Zhoukoudian

Back 27

-over 100,000 artifacts found
-site occupied for thousands of years

Front 28

Zhoukoudian Tools

Back 28

-stone choppers are common
-retouched flakes
-scrapers, points, burins, awls

Front 29

Chinese way of life: traditional view

Back 29

-described as "hunter gatherer" who killed deer and horses
-used fire
-this interpretation now rejected by some

Front 30

Chinese challenges by recent researchers

Back 30

-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

Front 31

Other H. Erectus Chinese sites

Back 31

-Most work done at Zhoukoudian but other sites found:
1. Lantian
2. Yunxian
3. Hexian

Front 32

Asian H. Erectus

Back 32

-Asian crania from Java to China similar
-Explained by H. erectus migration from Java to China around 1 mil years ago

Front 33

Comparing Asian & African Homo Erectus

Back 33

-African less robust cranial specimens and thinner cranial bones
-Asian more robust cranial specimens

Front 34

Atapuerca: Sima del Elefante

Back 34

-oldest hominin known in WESTERN europe
-these include a partial jaw with a few teeth, resembling Dmanisi fossils and Oldowan like tools

Front 35

Gran Dolina Site

Back 35

-northern Spain
-Atapuerca region
-Spanish paleoanthropologist name new species "homo antecessor" (controversial classification)

Front 36

Ceprano

Back 36

-Central Italy
-Only one individual may be among best evidence of Homo erectus in Europe

Front 37

2 tool traditions of H. Erectus

Back 37

1. Oldowon tools
2. later replaced by Acheulian tool (hand ax)

Front 38

Achedulian tool

Back 38

-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

Front 39

Asian bifaces

Back 39

-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)