Physical Anthropology

What is Anthropology

A social science that attempts to explain the origins, physical and cultural development of biological characteristics and social and culture development of human kind.

Myths

Important to anthropologists because they include stories which explain origin of the world, recount important events and powers, give insights to cultures where they come from and where they are going, shares values. 

Anthropology vs Sociology

Anthro is focused on non-industrialized people whereas sociology focuses on western nations. Anthropologists focus on observation vs sociologist focus more on statistics.

Physical Anthropology

Focuses on Human biology and evolution. Studies Bones, fossils, genetics, human adaptation. Example: Studying ancient human skulls

Physical anthropology

Looks at what makes us biologically human.

Primatology

Study of non human primates including behaviour, biology evolution and taxonomy.

Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey

Study with chimps in Tanzania and Mountain gorillas

Paleoanthropology

The human focus, it tries to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans. Explores disease patterns. Hominization is the process (evolution primates to humans). Reconstructs evolutionary kinship lines within the family. Uses biological evidence.

Stone age

Early stone age is when most basic stone implements were made by early humans like hammer stones and sharp flakes. 176 million years ago early humans began making hand axes and larger cutting tools. Middle stone age is when shafts are spears started being made and tied together, tools were used to remove hides. Later stone age more inventions rose and people started experimenting with bone, craftsmanship also increased and cultural identity ways started. 

Ice age

Ended between 40,000-10,000 ya, farming began after the period. 38,000 ya deserts appeared

Australopithecus

Earliest hominin (1)

Homo Habils

The handy one. Used sharper rock and simple tools like hacks (2)

Homo Erectus

First to use fire. Good hunters and better tool makers. 600,000 years ago (3)

Homo Neaderthals

True beginning of a man in genesis. 200,000 - 40,000 years ago. Complex tools, carved antler, polished. Brain size increase. Straighter body features more human like but still had larger nose and no chin. Language forming with hyoid bone. Non honing chew. Hunting an control of fire. Nomadic, in caves all over. Died at the end of iceage. Buried their dead. (4)

Homo Sapiens

Start of Modern Human. 50,000-100,000 YA. speech and language. Dependance on domesticated foods. Complex. (5)

Hyoid Bone

A part of Neanderthals, it’s a horseshoe shaped structure in the neck which suggests they had the ability to speak. It supports the root of the tongue, in none humans its not placed in the right position to talk.

Cro-Magnon

People who lived on earth at the end of the last ice age (40-10,000 ya), populated central and north europe and central asia, live alongside neanderthals, they settled lands moving only to follow foods Outlasted the neaderthals.

Neanderthal

Lived 130,000 and 40,000 ya after that they were extinct

Describe where humans come from

First human, named Australopithecus, began out of Africa. They started here and began to migrate out eventually populating the entire world.

Lucy

An early austrolopithecus, member of hominin family, walked around 3.2m, legs have an inward slant so they could walk upright, wisdom teeth and brain was the size of a modern chimp. (found by donald johanson) 

When did the start of the human race begin?

Around 300,000 ya in Africa

Civilization came from

Mesopotamia 4000-3500 BC the location of modernay iraq, kuwait and syria is considered the birthplace of civilization. (means between two rivers) Sumer was the southern region of mesopotamia located between the tigris and euphrates rivers is where the first government was formed and therefore the birth of civilization.

Types of farming

Persistence hunting (chasing animals), subsistence farming (growing crops for family), Agriculture farming (growing but also selling), pastoral farming (livestock), Nomadic farming (moving with animals)

Leakey Family, Louis and Mary

Proved in 1959 that humans are from africa. They found a skull named “dear boy” or “zinj” which is a 1.75million year old austro skull. 

Later found homo hails tools, homo erectus skeleton (turkana boy in kenya), fire inventions. also began school of primatology

Lascaux and Alitimira caves

Caves which house some of the most famous examples of prehistoric cave paintings

Tarahumara people

Indigenous people of america living in chihuahua mexico know for running, ran 435 miles in 2 days, used to run to hunt down prey

Why is forensics part of anthropology?

It applies all the methods and knowledge of physical anthropology particularly human remains for crimes.

How do we learn about ourselves through the study of primates?

By comparing primate traits with out own we can gain insights into shared ancestry, unique adaptations and origins of complex behaviours.