Course Business Origin of Modern Humans
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5/7/2014 Course Business • Today is the last lecture, an emotional day for us all • Final exam, next week; 6:30-9:00, same room Lecture Lab Text Book Australopiths Australopith Ch. 11 Diet Early Homo & Oldowan Early Homo Ch. 12 H. erectus: anatomy & behavior; Out of Africa 1 Homo erectus Ch. 13 Archaic H. sapiens: anatomy & behavior Late Homo Ch. 14 Neanderthal: anatomy & behavior Ch. 15 Modern H. sapiens: anatomy & behavior; Out of Africa 2 1 Origin of modern humans • Anatomically modern Homo sapiens • Behaviorally modern Homo sapiens • When, where, why? 2 1 5/7/2014 Hominin Date Ranges • Early hominins: 7.0 – 4.4 Ma • Gracile australopiths: 4.2 – 2.0 Ma • Robust australopiths: 2.3 – 1.2 Ma • Early Homo (H. habilis and H. rudolphensis): 2.0 – 1.6 Ma • Homo erectus: 1.8 mya – 50 ka • Archaic Homo sapiens (H. heidelbergensis): 600 – 125 ka • Homo neanderthalensis: 150 – 30 ka • Homo floresiensis: 90-11 ka • Anatomically modern Homo sapiens (AMHs): 195 ka 3 Modern human It’s complete!! Homo neanderthalensis Homo floresiensis Archaic Homo sapiens Paranthropus boisei Paranthropus robustus Homo erectus Homo rudolfensis Homo habilis Paranthropus aethiopicus Australopithecus africanus Australopithecus afarensis Australopithecus anamensis Ardipithecus (?) 4 2 5/7/2014 Cranial features of Homo sapiens: • Gracile skull (and postcranial anatomy) • Limited brow ridges, no superstructures • Rounded cranium with maximum breadth high on the vault • Orthognathic face • Small teeth and jaws • Obvious chin 5 Figure 14.01 6 3 5/7/2014 Diepkloof Rock Shelter (South Africa) ~ 60 ka engraved ostrich egg-shell containers 47 Sufficient evidence to conclude that many elements of modern human behavior appear (gradually) in Africa by 75 ka 48 24 5/7/2014 Modern humans entered Europe around 35-40 ka… What follows are dramatic changes in the fossil record and archaeological record of that region 49 Neanderthals die out by 27-29 ka The last Neanderthals are found in Spain (29 ka) and in Croatia (Vindija, 27 ka) 50 25 5/7/2014 Archaeological record in Europe • Rapid changes occur with the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans • It is the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic (35-10 ka) – Same hallmarks as LSA in Africa • Modern humans are associated with the Upper Paleolithic • Neanderthals are associated with the Middle Paleolithic – Same hallmarks as MSA in Africa 51 Do Upper Paleolithic modern humans have these features? Feature: Evidence: Result: Complex technologies Variety of artifacts, (innovations/versatility) technologies, and subsistence strategies Built structures/shelters Structures (e.g., post holes, hearths) Clothing Needles and awls Migration/travel Site locations 52 26 5/7/2014 Innovations/Versatility 53 Blade Technology • Blade technology is more efficient (produces more cutting edge per gram of raw material) • Blade technology helps standardize blanks for tools 54 27 5/7/2014 Were modern humans fundamentally different from Neanderthals in their ability to produce symbols? 95 Does this mean they had language, and Neanderthals didn’t? Or can we only infer that Neanderthals did not create symbols out of durable materials? 96 48 5/7/2014 Is language what enabled modern humans to be successful? And eventually replace existing populations (Neanderthals, Homo erectus)? 97 Why did the Neanderthals go extinct? 98 49 5/7/2014 Some hypotheses… • They were outcompeted by smarter Upper Paleolithic modern humans • They were out-populated • They couldn’t cope with the dramatically fluctuating climate (time period between 60- 30 ka) and/or strong interglacial period • Maybe they didn’t go extinct! (maybe they interbred with incoming modern humans) 99 50 .