Becoming Human


Classification of extant catarrhines

(Old World monkeys and apes)


differences between the old monkey and ape:

Miocene Hominidae (early apes)

  • Arboreal

  • Long fingers and toes

  • Brain larger than prior primates

  • Large front teeth (incl canines)

  • Thick or thin enamel

  • No stone tools


Pliocene Hominini (early monkey)

  • Terrestrial

  • Long fingers and short toes

  • Slightly larger brain

  • Somewhat reduced canines

  • Very thick molar enamel

  • No stone tools



different dentition, y5 molars identified apes, old world monkeys have bilofadont?

What do we get with terrestrial bipedalism?


  • only humans are fully bipedal ( standing and walking on two legs )u


Recognising a hominin

  • Bipedality

  • Mandible shape rounded not U-shaped

  • Molars relatively small

  • Reduced prognathism

  • Diastema/CP3 complex

  • Thick tooth enamel



  • anterious position of spine into skull biped, s shape spine, pelvis is basin shaped, femur became curved, we have smaller birth canal so babes have to come out facing downwards, short feet, big toe



  • posterior position if spine into skull , thinner pelvis worse muscle attatchments

fossil finds:

geographic context


  • earliest = East Africa

  • Rift valley

  • associated volcanics

  • later in South Africa

The earliest possible hominins

  • Sahelanthropus tchadensis

  • Orrorin tugenensis


Hominin status hotly debated Assigned to the Tribe Hominini on very limited evidence

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Toumai, Chad

• 6-7 mya

• Cranium, teeth • Extremely large, robust brow ridge

• Hominin status from "smaller canines with apical wear"

  • reduced prognathism

  • poramen magnum anterior placement


may or may not be hominin, if yes would then be oldest one known.


Orrorin tugenensis


  • 5.6-6.2 mya

  • Diagnostic features limited

  • Hominin status = differential bone thickness on femoral neck


1 2.5 mya – { Diversity in hominin evolution:


  • Paranthropus and Australopithecus africanus

  • Homo habilis/rudolfensis

  • Homo erectus/ergaster

  • Morphological and adaptive diversity


more than one species of hominin species alive at same time

Australopithecines



Ardipithecus ramidus

  • Middle Awash, Ethiopia

  • 4.4 mya

  • tree covered habitat

  • long powerful arms

  • projecting canines

  • diastema

  • hominin status = apical canine wear, basicranial flexion > other apes

  • suggests non-chimp-like LCA


Australopithecus anamensis

  • 3.9-4.1 mya

  • Two sites around Lake Turkana, Kenya, also Fejej, Ethiopia

  • Dental, cranial and postcranial remains

  • More open habitats than Ardipithecus

  • Broader molars

  • knee & ankle = biped


the first evidence of bipedality - definate no dispute definitely diped.


A. afarensis also called lucy(nickname)

  • 2.8 –3.6 mya

  • Hadar, Ethiopia; Laetoli, Tanzania; Koobi Fora, Kenya

  • many specimens

  • chimpanzee-sized brain

  • bipedal

  • long arms

  • footprints at Laetoli

  • sexual dimorphism

  • u shaped dental pallet still

  • some ape like traits

  • femur angled

  • toes aligned with others

  • footprints



most complete fossil




A. bahrelghazali

  • 3-3.5 mya

  • found 1990s

  • Bahr el Ghazeli, Chad

  • Only mandibular fragment

  • Similar teeth to later A. afarensis but thinner enamel and different shape, so different species

  • w/ Sahelanthropus, indicates that distribution

    • f early hominins not limited to east Africa


  • found incomplete piece of mandible

  • found in chad, so western aka more distributed


not australopithoscene


Kenyanthropus platyops

  • ‘Flat-faced Kenyan Man’

  • Lomweki, W Turkana

  • 3.3-3.5 mya .

  • Cranium: badly crushed vault, face less so. Separate maxilla.

  • Deep, flat face with strongly built cheek


further diversity in hominin

A= austrolophithocus

A. africanus

  • 3-2.4 mya

  • Taung, Sterkfontein and Makapansgat in South Africa

  • Earliest hominin outside East Africa

  • Clumps of woodland in open environment

  • Postcrania differs little from

  • south africa

  • latger brain case

  • thickening of vertebrae as spien goes down to bumcheek



  1. afarensis

  • molars larger

  • brain case 430-480 cc



A. africanusParanthropus aethiopicus

(sometimes placed in Australopithecus)

  • 2.6 mya

  • Found 1985

  • KNM-WT17000

  • “The black skull”

  • Lake Turkana Kenya

  • Brain 400 cm3

  • Large cheek teeth and large front teeth

  • Dramatic prognathism

  • Prominent sagittal crest


robust solid skull


P. boisei (E. Africa)

  • Many sites in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania

  • Brain 500+ cm3

  • Face flatter (orthognathic) and deeper

  • Cheek teeth massive, front teeth small and crowded

  • Facial buttressing

  • Flaring cheekbones

  • 2.3-1.2 mya

South African



P. robustus (& ?P. crassidens)

  • Limited material from Kromdraai, more from Swartkrans

  • Heavily built face and jaws,

  • Massive cheek teeth but not as large as A. boisei

  • Small anterior teeth

  • Some differences in structure

    • f face

  • is Paranthropus a clade?



may be eating lots of animal proteins

using tools


A. garhi

  • 2.5 mya

  • Bouri, Ethiopia 1999

  • Brain 450 cc

  • Huge molars but also large anterior teeth

  • Prognathic

  • Long, ape-like arms

  • BUT femur lengthened so upper arm: thigh ratio like humans (contrast Lucy)

  • Tools and evidence of large mammal butchery in same area


discovered with stone tools

Oldowan/Mode 1

2.5 myaGona

  • old tools, cutting hide



Who makes the tools?

H./A. habilis

~1.65mya

A. gahriH. /A. rudolfensis

~1.8mya



Homo habilis

  • 2-1.6 mya

  • Hadar, Ethiopia; Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania; Koobi Fora, Kenya; Sterkfontein,

    1. Africa

  • Smaller teeth

  • Long arms

  • brain case = 550-700cc,

    1. > than Australopithecus

  • Phalanges & tools

Koobi Fora: