Neanderthals and Modern sapiens TheThe FamilyFamily BlobBlob

H. sapiens

H. heidelbergensis

Homo erectus

SpeciationSpeciationSpeciation Who Was ? Neanderthal Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

) Neander Valley, Germany 1856 ) Age: 40-50,000 Significance: First fossil acknowledged as such, and first specimen of Neanderthal. Most dismissed it as a freak, but Doctor J. C. Fuhlrott speculated that it was an ancient human. Changing Fortunes of Neanderthals Questions about Neanderthals

) How were they distinct from us? ) Where did they come from? ) How human were they? ) Why were they different? ) Where did they go? Neanderthal Cranial Morphology

) Midface prognathism ) Alveolar-zygomatic ridge ) Large nasal opening ) Large anterior teeth ) Retromolar gap ) Double brow ridges ) Low forehead ) Teardrop-shaped cranium ) Occipital bun ) No chin ) Long, semiflexed basicranium ) Large cranial capacity “Old Man” of La Chapelle H. sapiens neanderthalensis or H. neanderthalensis

) La Chapelle Aux-Saints, France ) Age: 50,000 years ) Cranial Capacity: 1625 cc

Early studies of this elderly male mistook symptoms of advanced age for signs of brutishness Boule’s Reconstruction: Kebara 2: “Moshe” Homo sapiens neanderthalensis or Homo neanderthalensis

Hyoid Moshe’s fingertip

Modern

) , Israel ) Lynne Shepartz, 1983 ) Age: 60,000 years Neanderthal skeleton, lacking cranium and legs. Includes a modern-looking hyoid (throat) bone and distinctly broad, flat fingertip bones. Neaderthal Skeleton Large, wide rib cage Long clavicle Wide scapula with more muscle attachments along rear edge Large shoulder joint Large elbow joint Bowed, short forearm Wide hips Large hip joint, rotated outwards Hand with strong grip and wide fingertips Long, thin superior pubic ramus Rounded, curved and thick-walled femur shaft Large, thick patella Short, flattened and thick-walled tibia Large ankle joint Wide, strong toe bones Cold Adaptation?

) Body proportions – Broadened hips and shoulders – Shortened lower arms and legs ) Large nasal and sinus passages Designed for close encounters?

Injury pattern resembles rodeo riders Neanderthal Origins: La Sima de los Heusos Atapuerca, Spain

) “The Pit of Bones” ) 300 kya ) Dozens of individuals ) Classified as H. heidelbergensis ) Proto-Neanderthal features TheTheThe Family BlobBlobBlob

H. sapiens Neanderthals

H. heidelbergensis

Homo erectus

SpeciationSpeciationSpeciation Neanderthal’s “” Tools

) Mousterian () tool tradition ) Large flakes from carefully prepared cores ) Greater variety than ) Included projectile points Hunting patterns ) Did not follow herds ) Year-round home Burial Practices Social Life

) Tightly knit, cooperative families ) Restricted intergroup contact Score One for Hobbes: Prehistoric Cannibalism

MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE ) Bodo (heidelbergensis) ) Choukoutien (late erectus) ) Gran Dolina (heidelbergensis) ) (neanderthalensis) WHY? War? Funerary ritual? Prey? Peaks, then fades . . . and one for Rousseau Neanderthal compassion Neanderthal Art? Cro-Magnons and

) Sudden change 40-35 kya ) Physical and cultural Upper Paleolithic Tools Cro-Magnon Art Ice Age Venus Ritual Life Unsolved Mysteries about the appearance of modern people:

1. Where did they come from? 2. Why did they coexist, then suddenly replace others? 3. Why the radical change in culture at 40k, long AFTER first appearance of sapiens? Next...

Modern human origins

AlsoAlso ...... ‹ 780780 kyky teenagerteenager fromfrom GranGran DolinaDolina sitesite atat AtapuercaAtapuerca,, SpainSpain ‹ AssignedAssigned byby discoverersdiscoverers toto HomoHomo antecessor,antecessor, anan intermediateintermediate speciesspecies ‹ ManyMany preferprefer H.H. heidelbergensisheidelbergensis forfor nownow