Homo Erectus, Archaics, and Neanderthals

Homo erectus, Archaics & Neanderthals

Homo Ergaster

  • Earliest Appearance: East Africa.

  • Timeline: Approximately 1.8-1.7 million years ago (mya).

  • Key Sites: East Turkana, Nariokotome/West Lake Turkana.

Variations and Designation

  • Cranial Differences: East African specimens (Homo ergaster) exhibit less skull buttressing (brow, nuchal) compared to Asian forms (Homo erectus).

  • Bone Thickness: Thinner cranial bones in African specimens.

  • Associated Technology: Utilized Acheulian technology.

  • Species Debate: Differences are significant enough for some researchers to designate the African specimens as a separate species, Homo ergaster.

Nariokotome (West Turkana, Kenya)

  • WT 15,000: The most complete H. ergaster fossil skeleton discovered (1984-1985).

  • Age and Stature: Belonged to a 12-year-old boy who was 5 ft. 3 in. tall and would have reached over 6 ft. at maturity.

  • Lifespan: Estimated at 20-30 years, a significant increase from the 15-20 years for australopiths.

  • Bergman's Rule: Postcranial remains are similar to modern humans, suggesting adaptation to tropical environments (larger body size for heat dissipation).

  • Pelvis: Small pelvis and consequently a small birth canal.

Brain Capacity

  • Increase: Significant increase in brain size from Homo habilis.

  • Average: Approximately 900 cubic centimeters (cc).

  • Birth Estimate: Estimated at 200 cc at birth to fit through the birth canal.

  • Infant Care: This implied a necessary intensification of infant care, suggesting the formation of family units.

Acheulian Technology- looks like Indian arrow heads

  • Period: Lower Paleolithic.

  • Timeline: Approximately 1.6 million to 200,000 years ago (ya).

  • Materials: Primarily chert and obsidian tools.- travel to get better materials for tools

  • Characteristics: Bifacial (flake removal on both sides of the tool).

  • Tool Types: Hand-axes and cleavers, often pear-shaped.

  • Distribution: Bifaces show remarkable similarity throughout Africa and later in Europe.

Tool Preparation

  • Process: A two-stage process.

    1. Blank Preparation: Initial shaping with a hammerstone.

    2. Refinement: Further refined with a softer stone or antler.

  • Edge Work: Shaping and thinning performed on the edges.

  • Required Skills: Demanded good raw material, foresight, and planning.

  • Communication: Reflects (possibly symbolic) communication of method and form.

Handaxe Function

  • Experimental Archaeology: Studies involved natural elephant deaths.

  • Uses: Used for cutting, sawing, and scraping.

Big Game Hunting (vs. Scavenging)

  • Debate: Whether Homo ergaster was capable of big game hunting or primarily scavenging.

Olorgesaile, Kenya (Evidence for Hunting)

  • Date: Approximately 800,000 Before Present (BP).

  • Tools: Over 400 Acheulian hand axes found.

  • Material Transport: Over 1 ton of stone material was transported to the site.

  • Material Quality: Preferred high-quality materials like chert and obsidian.

  • Source Distance: These preferred sources were 43-48 km away, rather than local quartzite sources.

Hunting Theory- Homo Erg aster first hunter

  • Method: Theory suggests hunting by encircling troops at night.

  • Prey: Now-extinct giant baboon, with remains of 44 adults and about 15 juveniles.

  • Bone Distribution: Broken long bones consistent with marrow extraction.

  • Additional Prey: Also remains of antelope and hippo.

Earliest Fire-Homo Erg-aster

  • Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya.

  • Date: Approximately 1.6 mya fireplace.

  • Residue: Mixture of burned trees and grass species.

  • Phytoliths: Microscopic bits of silica produced in plant cells confirmed plant burning.

  • Fuel: Mostly palm wood, which burns easily.

  • Tools: 2,000 stone tools/$160$ chert tools found burned, possibly used to start fires.

Homo Naledi

  • Discovery: Found in South Africa in 2014, deep within the Rising Star cave.

  • Remains: 1,550 bones from five individuals.

  • Key Features:

    • Brain Size: Small brain (approximately 560 cc).

    • Shoulders: Apelike shoulders adapted for climbing.

    • Teeth: Similar to human teeth (small molars with 5 cusps).

    • Hands: Modern-looking hand bones, but curved for climbing trees.

    • Feet: Modern appearance.

  • Age: Aged 236,000-335,000 years ago.

Out of Africa (Homo erectus/ergaster Dispersal)

  • Factors for Migration:

    • Intelligence: Increased cognitive abilities.

    • Fire Control: Mastery of fire provided warmth, protection, and cooking opportunities.

    • Environmental Fluctuations: Lower sea levels during cooler periods (Pliocene becoming Pleistocene/Ice Age, 1.7 mya to 10,000 ya) allowed travel to Southeast Asia.

Asia (Early Homo erectus)

  • Eugene Dubois: Discoverer of the first Homo erectus (1858), influenced by Darwin.

  • Controversy: Ancestral home outside of Europe was a point of contention.

  • Trinil, Java: Early hominids found approximately 1.8-1.6 mya.

The "Movius Line"

  • Definition: A geographic boundary separating two Paleolithic cultures.

  • Cultures: Acheulian (west of the line) and East Asian Chopping Complex (east of the line).

Asian Chopping Tool Complex

  • Tools: Generally considered cruder than Acheulian tools (adze, chopping tools, proto-hand axe).

  • Environment: Different from the savanna; forested areas, particularly those with bamboo.

  • Bamboo Use: Bamboo could be used for rope, projectile points, and traps.

  • Tool Function: Chopping tools were likely used to cut bamboo and other woods to create further tools.

Zhoukoudian (Dragon Bone Hill, China)

  • Discovery: John G. Andersson & Davidson Black initially searched for medicinal cures.

  • Date: Approximately 700,000-200,000 ya.

  • Materials: Imported stone, including quartz and flint.

  • Tools: 200,000 stone tools, including scrapers and choppers.

  • Remains: Remains of 40 individuals identified as Homo erectus.

  • Historical Event: Site was lost during WWII.

Gathering and Fire at Zhoukoudian- homo erectus

  • Gathering Evidence: Charred seeds of hackberry fruits, earliest direct evidence of gathering.

  • Fire Evidence: Hearths, dense layers of ash, baked sediments, and burnt bone.

Cannibalism & Ritual (Debunked)

  • Initial Interpretation: Absence of faces and undersides, and suggestions of brains extracted and eaten, led to theories of cannibalism or ritual.

  • Reinterpretation: Almost certainly carnivore activity, similar to hyena kill remains.

European Evidence (Homo erectus)

  • Key Sites: Torralba and Ambrona, Spain (among others like Abbeville, Clacton-on-Sea).

Hunting at Torralba and Ambrona, Spain

  • Date: Approximately 500,000 BP.

  • Prey: Evidence of 50 prehistoric elephants, 26 horses, 25 deer, 6 rhinos, and 10 wild cattle.

  • Strategy: Indication of seasonal hunting.

  • Technology: Use of fire and Acheulian tools.

Homo erectus/ergaster - Key Achievements

  • New stone tool technologies.

  • Expansion into diverse environments.

  • Utilization of long-distance resources.

  • Controlled use of fire.

  • Engaged in hunting.

Making the Transition from Erectus/Ergaster to Archaics

Models for Modern Human Origins

  • Multi-Regional Model (Asia Evidence):

    • Hypothesis: Homo erectus populations globally evolved independently into anatomically modern humans.

    • Mechanism: Gene flow maintained morphological continuities.

    • Critique: Asian evidence, especially from China, has too few, poorly described, and poorly dated anatomically modern specimens to fully support this model.

  • Replacement Theory (African Eve):

    • Hypothesis: Modern humans originated in Africa and then migrated, replacing earlier hominin populations without significant interbreeding.

    • Evidence (mtDNA): DNA collected from Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and New Guinea showed the most variation in African populations, indicating the longest period of change and thus the oldest lineage.

Archaic Homo Sapiens

  • Timeline: Approximately 400,000-130,000 BP, possibly as early as 160,000 BP.

  • Characteristics: A "grab bag" of traits, sharing characteristics with both Homo erectus and anatomically modern humans.

  • Distribution: Found in Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Recognizing Fully Modern Humans (Cranial Features)

  • Large brain (average 1350 cc).

  • Vertical forehead.

  • Relatively small browridges.

  • Pyramidal mastoid process.

  • Relatively small teeth.

  • Definite chin.

General Archaic Homo Sapiens Traits

  • Brain Expansion: Typically 1200-1300 cc.

  • Brow Ridge: Large, like erectus.

  • Vault: Low, like erectus.

  • Occipital Torus: Present, like erectus.

  • Skull Bones: But with thinner skull bones.

  • Skull Base: Essentially modern base of skull.

  • Speech: Basic cranial structure is similar, suggesting the ability to speak, or almost speak, like modern humans.

Technology of Archaics- Bodo Ethiopia

  • Africa and Europe: Associated with Acheulian Culture.

  • Asia: Associated with the Asian Chopping Complex.

African Archaics

  • Bodo, Ethiopia: Dated to 500,000 BP.

  • Cranial Capacity: 1300 cc.

  • Evidence: Cut marks on the skull suggest defleshing or scalping, possibly symbolic behavior.

The Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis)

  • Evolution: Evolved from archaic sapiens with distinctive biological and cultural features.

  • Location: Primarily Europe, but also Western Asia.

  • Timeline: 130,000-35,000 BP.

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