There is very little evidence of either artwork or ritual behavior in Lower Paleolithic contexts with two exceptions: – A small pebble of volcanic rock with evidence of human work on it found at Berekhat Ram, Golan Heights – It appears to be a representation of a human female – At over 230,000 years old, perhaps the earliest representation of a human female – Evidence for special treatment of the dead found in a cave at Atapuerca – The complete remains of 27 individuals recovered from this inaccessible cave – The excavators argue that the individuals were placed in the cave as part of a funerary ritual 300,000 years ago • Found on Golan Heights, near Syrian border • Acheulean, either H. erectus or archaic H. sapiens? • Dated to ca. 250,000 years b.p.!
• neanderthal adj 1: ill-mannered and coarse and contemptible in behavior or appearance; "was boorish and insensitive"; "the loutish manners of a bully"; "her stupid oafish husband"; "aristocratic contempt for the swinish multitude" [syn: boorish, loutish, oafish, swinish] Dictionary.com
130,000 – 35/30,000 years ago Large cranial capacity Large browridge Receding chin Short, robust stature Cold adaptations
Diorama of Neanderthals, American Museum (1930s) Cro-Magnon (1) La Chappelle (1) braincase in modern humans is supraorbital torus present relatively shorter, occipital bun present forehead rounder and higher prognathism
1. Neanderthals and modern humans evolved separately from populations of Homo erectus, possibly through local intermediate species 2. The common ancestor of modern humans and Neanderthals was a distinct species that itself evolved from Homo erectus and lived 700,000-300,000 years ago 3. Neanderthals and modern humans did not evolve in isolation; rather there was a constant gene flow between the two populations • Sequences of Neanderthal DNA that have been recovered are significantly different from the DNA sequence of living humans
• Indicates that the Neanderthal and human lineages diverged somewhere between 740,000 and 320,000 years ago
• Genetic evidence suggests that Neanderthals evolved separately from modern humans for a considerable period of time Early Modern Humans: The Middle East The Middle East is the crossroads of the continents Lies geographically at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa The Middle East is where Neanderthals and Modern Humans may have coexisted— research there could answer: Are there characteristics that distinguish modern human and Neanderthal sites in the area? What is the chronological relationship between modern humans and Neanderthals? Early Modern Humans: The Middle East Middle Eastern data shows that Neanderthals were not a precursor of modern humans Instead, Middle Eastern data indicates that Neanderthals evolved in parallel with modern humans Humans did not expand beyond the Middle East before 60,000 years ago Neanderthals became extinct in the Middle East around 40,000 years ago
• Three or four triangular flakes detached from prepared core • Appears about 200,000 years ago • Produces longer edge • Takes less time • Sharper edges
• Bordes vs. Binford
• Mellart
• Frison Effect (Dibble) • Remains of animal bones demonstrate that Neanderthals were successful hunters. • They used close-proximity spears for hunting (spear thrower and bow and arrow weren’t invented until the Upper Paleolithic). • Patterns of trauma in Neanderthal remains match those of contemporary rodeo performers, indicating close proximity to prey. Location of fractures and types of injuries found on Neanderthal skeletons similar to those of rodeo riders
Cave habitation Rock shelters Open air structures La Chapelle aux Saints Shanidar burials Neander Valley La Ferrassie Teshik-Tash La Chappelle Shanidar
Burials included grave goods like animal bones and stone tools. Dead were placed in a flexed position.
Complex & conceptual tools Organized big game hunting Possible language Culture Habitually bipedal Grossly large brain
Controlled use of fire Dwelling structures Recognition of individuals Marked sexual dimorphism • Vicarism • Niche partitioning • Assimilation • Competitive exclusion
1. Multiregional Holds that Neanderthals evolved locally into modern humans as the result of a continuous gene flow between European and African populations. 2. Out of Africa Argues that Neanderthal populations in Europe were replaced by modern humans 30,000-40,000 years ago. 3. Hybridization States that Neanderthals “disappeared” as a result of substantial interbreeding between populations. • There is no tendency toward modern human traits in late Neanderthal populations in Europe — supports the Out of Africa position • Neanderthals have been found dating to as recent as 36,000 years ago with no modern characteristics — problematic for the Multiregional position • Persistence of Neanderthal traits until the arrival of modern humans — predicted by the Hybridization position • http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=puovZFKG7rw&feature=related Similarities between the archaeological records of early modern humans in Africa and Neanderthals in Europe include: Differences between the archaeological records of early modern humans in Africa and Neanderthals in Europe include: 1. Greater variability is found in early modern human stone tool industries 2. In the early modern human record there are elaborate bone tools, not in Neanderthals 3. Clear evidence of fishing and collecting shellfish exists for the early modern humans 4. Artwork is present in the early modern humans, absent in the Neanderthal