ANT 2000 Quiz 2 Review

Hominoids

Apes & humans

Hominids

Humans & our bipedal fossil ancestors

Great Chain of Being

God created everything within a hierarchy, Europeans on top and created first (earliest humans in Europe)

Relative Dating

Assigning an event as being older or younger than another, not specific (age, but not date)

Law of Superposition

Lowest rock layer is the longest and oldest (stratigraphic dating)

Chronometeric Dating

Dates assigned based on solar year

Radio Carbon Dating

C14 half life decays (only materials 100 to 40,000 years old)

Potassium Argon Dating

Date volcanic ash and not materials (100,000 years off and 4.5 billion years)

Raymond Dart (1920’s)

Found first Australopithecine in Taung, South Africa (Taung Child), human like/bipedal/larger brain

What makes us human

Bipedal, upright posture, straight downward orientation of foremen magnum on skull, cranial capacity

Sahelanthropustchandensis (earliest hominid)

Found in Djurab Desert, Northern Chad (controversial if bipedal and earliest)

Australopithecines- A. Ramidus (1)

Woodland environment, ate seeds, small size, bipedal

Australopithecines- A. Afarensis (2)

Lucy the wonderful woman (Lateoli, Tanzania- footprints, big toe in line/no arch)

Divergence of Gracile and Robust Forms (South Africa)

Gracile (A. Africanus)- omnivores, smaller teeth (continue on)

Robust (A. Robutus, A. Elethiopicus, A. Boisei)- hyper vegetarian, big teeth (die out)

Australopithecines- A. Garhi (3)

First tool makers (Oldowan Tools), 2.5 mya, communicate but no language

Scavenging

Bipedalism → scavenging, long periods of walking and carrying food away from predators

Taphonomy

Process of fossil assemblage formation

Oldowan Tools

A. Garhi (Gona, Ethiopia), butchering after scavenging, bone marrow extraction, sourced locally

Australopithecines- A. Habilis (4)

Handy Man (Lois Leaky 1964), Oldowan tools (locally available resources)

Homo Ergaster

Thinner cranial bones with Acheulian technology, significant increase in brain size, intensification of infant care

Bergman’s Rule & Allen’s Rule

Adaptation to tropical environment (tall & skinny) (Longer limbs with increasing temperature)

Achuelian Tools

Far sources, had to go get materials, Homo Ergaster

Homo Ergaster leaves Africa

Had fire, intelligent, and lower sea levels to SE Asia

Eugene Dubois (1858)

Found Homo Erectus, outside of Europe

Morius Line

Geographic boundary superheating Acheulian and East Asian Chopping Complex

East Asian Chopping Tool Complex

Cruder than Acheulian, from forested environment, chop bamboo to make tools

Gathering

Erectus and Ergaster gathered, charred seeds, fruits, hyenas eat brains of dead, seasonal hunting and fire possibility with Torralba and Ambrona Spain evidence, Acheulian tools)

Multi regional Theory

Homo Erectus from all over interacted and mated evolving into modern humans (not accepted)

Out of Africa (replacement theory)

Homo sapiens evolved in Africa, when they left, they replaced all other homo forms

Archaic Homo Sapiens

Cranial features (small brow ridges, flat forehead), language possible, Acheulian culture and Asian Chopping Complex

Africa Archaics (Bodo, Ethiopia (1300cc), defleshing, process the ancestors (Symbolic)

Neanderthals

Evolved from archaic sapiens, cold European and Asian environment, smart, mousterian tools from local sources), specialized tools, body and shoulder injuries from jumping on bulls and big animals

Hunter-gathers, super strong, complex stone tools and glue making, language similar to humans, interbred with AMH (Anatomically Modern Humans), wore symbolic materials, and introduced stronger immune systems to humans

Marcellin Boulevard

Found 40 year old Neanderthal with arthritis, slack jaw, and bent back and spread it and called them dumb

Shandiar Cave, Iraq

Mousterian tools, Flower Burial for the dead (garlands placed around neck), care for the disabled (40 year old male with arm stump)

Family units

Neanderthals had family units