ANTH 168 Ch 10/11

Early Members of the Genus Homo and Archaic Homo

Definition of the genus Homo

has characteristics that define humanness, such as large brain size, smaller & flatter face, smaller jaws & teeth, increased use of culture, larger overall body size, longer legs, and shorter arms

• implements adaptive strategies and use of the environment

Climate change

a big factor that influences human evolution and can be assessed in several ways

Climate change during the Pliocene

2.3-5.6 mya, cool and drier climate, warmer than today

Milankovitch Cycles and Global Cooling

describes the collective, long-term changes in Earth's movements: eccentricity (100k years), tilt/obliquity (26k years), ice age periodicity of 100k years

Eccentricity

the shape of Earth’s orbit around the Sun fluctuates from less to more elliptical, changing the amount of exposure to solar energy, which has a full cycle of 100k years

Tilt/Obiquity

The angle of Earth’s axis tilt changes every 26k years. A smaller tilt means less seasonal contrast and cooler summers, which allows ice to build up in high latitudes

Pleistocene Epoch Climate Change

11kya - 2.6mya, cycles between interglacial and glacial, geography and climate affect hominin migration, paleoclimate of africa

Homo adaptions to climate change

new foods, cultural solutions, behavorial change

Places where water locked up during glacial periods

indonesia, sumatra, borneo, java connected to southeast asia mainland

geographical changes due to climate change

• new guinea becomes a part of africa

• siberia and alaska are connected viz Beringia (land bridge)

Homo habilis

1.7-2.5 mya, 650 cc, rounded skull — less facial prognathism, smaller teeth, thinner enamel — parabolic dental arcade, postcrania similar to Australopithecus

found in east and south africa

Controversy on H. habilis

brain size very variable, more arboreal, body proportions unknown, suspected Au. behaviors, and statistical analyses support a separate genus designation

Culture and Lifeways of the H. habilis

Oldowan — oldest stone tool industry, 1.6 - 2.5 mya, “flake and chopper” tools used to butcher animals

• indicates that H. habilis are meat eaters and ingest more protein and calories

Evidence of Stone Tools and Diet (H. habilis)

1. cut marks on bone, leg bones often cracked open to extract nutritious marrow

2. scavenging carcasses from large cats

3. microscopic wear patterns (phytoliths) suggest plant processing, such as: wood, tubers, and grass seed

Homo erectus

200 kya - 1.8 mya, 900cc long low skull, thick cranial bones, sagittal keel, less prognathism, smaller teeth, receding chin, more modern body size and proportions

found in africa, asia, and europe

African H. erectus vs Asian H. erectus traits

Asian specimen displays a thicker skull, larger sagittal keel and larger brow ridges than African specimen

• splitters classify the Asian specimen as H. erectus, but the Africa specimen as H. ergaster

H. erectus tool making and use

1.5 mya, Acheulean tool industry, symmetrical bifacial flaking —- shows signs of planning, skill, coordination, cooperation

• forms: handaxes, scrapers, cleavers, flake tools

H. erectus subsistence and diet

more meat eating, large brain (brains consume 20% of caloric intake), scavenging or hunting (?), more dietary variability: primarily roots, bulbs, tubers

H. erectus food cooking consequences

smaller tooth & jaw size, larger brain, larger body, smaller gut

signs of earliest fire (H. erectus)

Kenya, 1.5 mya

Life history of H. erectus implications

overall pattern of growth, development, and reproduction

• modern hunter-gatherer societies, mosaic evolution, multiple species (?), developmental plasticity.

breaking the stigma of homo ancestors

caveman depictions in media are overly simplistic, misleading, and ultimately incorrect — we share a great deal with our archaic Homo ancestors

changing environments during the mid pleistocene epoch

impact on temperatures and sea levels, glaciation, interglacials, dramatic swings in climate — 15 major and 50 minor glacial events in Europe alone

Interglacial events

alternation between glacial and warm periods

Glacial Refugium

global cooling periods shift plant and animal communities to lower latitudes

Surviving the Middle Pleistocene

easier to survive with generalistic compared to specialist traits (e.i. raccoons), archaic ancestors would adapt to shifting landscapes, migratory changes, and latitude changes in biota

Defining characteristics of the old world/middle pleistocene

200-600kya, transition between H. erectus and H. sapiens

splitters schizo-calling transition species between H. erectus and H. sapiens

H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis, H. georgicus, H. neanderthalensis, H. rhodopensis

Archaic Homo

<1100 cc, less angular and higher skulls & smaller brow ridges than erectus, also wider nasal apertures, midfacial prognathism, robust post cranial regional variation

Examples of the archaic homo

1. Broken Hill man — found in Zambia, H. erectus-like skull

2. Atapuerca 5 archaic H. sapiens — found in Northern Spain, nearly complete skeleton w/ traits foreshadowing Neanderthals

H. neanderthals

35-150 kya, 1500 cc, adapted to ice age climate, extreme and robust version of traits seen in other archaic H. sapiens (basically think everything like big), postcranial — short and stocky body, increased musculature, barrel-shaped chest

found in Neander valley, western Europe, middle east, western asia

H. neanderthals culture and behavior

Mousterian tools: lavallois technique

• smaller, thinner, and lighter than Acheulian axe, removed edges of cortex before removing ‘lid’

• flakes then used as cutting tools

• saved, re-used tools (not single-use)

Glue, close-range hunting, care-taking, deliberate burials (first of its kind), grave goods, ritual, communication, intelligence

• fastened/hafted stone tools on short pieces of wood or antler bone

• hunted in large-bodied animals in groups

• had injuries in head, beck, and back similar to rodeo riders

H. neanderthals diet

• isotopes suggest a diet high in meat (80%, like wolves)

  • ibex, seals, rabbits, and pigeons

• Iraqi specimens showed more varied diets with date palms, wheat, barley

Significance of Shanidar 1

a H. neanderthals skull that showed evidence of healed facial injury leading to blindness, lower right arm was missing and right humerus showed extreme atrophy

• healing suggests care-taking behavior, which was thought to be a human characteristic (taking care of sick, injured elderly)

H. neaderthals burial practices

bodies interred into flexed position, debates over pollen, grave goods, and other ornamentation placed into grave sites

• red ochre and manganese dioxide found at site and used for artistic impressions

Dr. Svante Pääbo

from the Max Plank Institute of Evolutionary Anthro

• won Nobel in 2022 for sequencing the first Neanderthal genome

• formalized a new field of study in anthropology, paleogenomics

H, neanderthals vocal speech

throat anatomy and genetic evidence support this — hyoid bone found at sites indicating the ability to control vocal chords — alleles on FOXP2 gene shared w/ humans

H. neanderthals African contemporaries

middle stone age (MSA) fossils

• 30-300 kya, anatomical features correspond to modern H. sapiens

• some stone tools resemble Mousterian, some Levallois

• flexibility of behavior and adaptability to local environment

The end of Neanderthals!!!?

climate change, volcano in Europe, lack of innovation, brain differences, reproduction, modern human expansion…?

we don’t know lol

Homo Naledi

236-335 kya, 500 cc, derived and precise hand characteristics, smaller bodied like larger Au., defined supraorbital torus, sagital keeling smaller than H. erectus, mandible more gracile than other Homos, no mental eminence, probable tool use, evidence for use of fire and purposeful burial

found in Rising Star Cave, South Africa

Homo floresiensis AKA the dwarf

50-190 kya, 400 cc, like 3-4 ft tall, large teeth for small size, no mental eminence (small), receding forehead

found in Flores, Indonesia

H. florensiensis diet and culture

• hunted small elephants and large rodents

• made and used stone tools, and fire

Nuchal Torus vs Occipital Bun

ridge on back of skull, lower vs fully rounded extension