Premodern Humans

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Chapter 10

• Premodern Humans

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Chapter Outline

• When, Where and What
• Premodern Humans of the Middle Pleistocene
• A Review of Middle Pleistocene Evolution
• Middle Pleistocene Culture

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Chapter Outline

• Neandertals Premodern Humans of the Upper
  Pleistocene
• Culture of Neandertals
• Genetic Evidence
• Trends in Human Evolution Understanding
  Premodern Humans

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The Pleistocene

• The Pleistocene, often called the Ice Age, was
  marked by advances and retreats of massive
  continental glaciations.
• At least 15 major and 50 minor glacial advances
  have been documented in Europe.
• Hominids were impacted as the climate, flora, and
  animal life shifted.
• Middle Pleistocene (780,000 25,000 y.a.)
• Upper Pleistocene (125,00010,000 y.a.)

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Changing Pleistocene Environments in Africa
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Changing Pleistocene Environments in Eurasia

• Green areas show regions of likely hominid
  occupation. Blue areas are major glaciers. Arrows
  indicate likely migration routes.

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Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H.
heidelbergensis) Fossils from Africa
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Bodo (Ethiopia) Middle Pleistocene (600,000) Incomplete skull, part of braincase
Broken Hill (Kabwe) (Zambia) Late Middle Pleistocene (130,000 or older) Nearly complete cranium, cranial fragments of second individual, miscellaneous postcranial bones
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Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H.
heidelbergensis) Fossils from Europe
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Arago (Tautavel, France) 400,000300,000 date uncertain Face parietal perhaps from same person many cranial fragments up to 23 individuals represented
Atapuerca (Sima de los Huesos, northern Spain) 320,000190,000, probably 300,000 Minimum of 28 individuals, including some nearly complete crania
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Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H.
heidelbergensis) Fossils from Europe
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Steinheim (Germany) 300,000250,000 date uncertain Nearly complete skull, lacking mandible
Swanscombe (England) 300,000250,000 date uncertain Occipital and parietals
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Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H.
heidelbergensis) Fossils from Asia
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Dali (China) Late Middle Pleistocene (230,000180,000) Nearly complete skull, lacking mandible. Nearly complete skull
Jinniushan (China) Late Middle Pleistocene (200,000) Partial skeleton, including a cranium
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Time line ofMiddle Pleistocene hominids.
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Review of Middle Pleistocene Evolution
(400,000-125,000 y.a.)

• Like the erects/sapiens mix in Africa and China,
  fossils from Europe exhibit traits from both
  species.
• Fossils from each continent differ, but the
  physical differences are not extraordinary.
• There is a definite increase in brain size and a
  change in the shape of the skull.

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Middle Pleistocene Tools

• African and European archaics invented the
  Levallois technique for tool making.
• Acheulian tools are associated with hand axes.
• Different tool traditions coexist in some areas.

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The Levallois Technique
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Culture of Neandertals

• Neandertals, who lived in the cultural period
  known as the Middle Paleolithic, are almost
  always associated with the Mousterian industry.
• In the early part of the last glacial period,
  Mousterian culture extended across Europe and
  North Africa into the former Soviet Union,
  Israel, Iran, and as far east as Uzbekistan and
  perhaps even China.

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Culture of Neandertals

• Neandertals improved on previous prepared-core
  techniques by inventing a new variation.
• They trimmed a flint nodule around the edges to
  form a disk-shaped core.
• Each time they struck the edge, they produced a
  flake, continuing this way until the core became
  too small and was discarded.
• They then trimmed the flakes into various forms,
  such as scrapers, points, and knives.

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Mousterian Tools
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Settlements

• People of the Mousterian culture lived in open
  sites, caves, and rock shelters.
• Windbreaks of poles and skin were placed at the
  cave opening for protection against severe
  weather.
• Fire was used for cooking, warmth, light, and
  keeping predators at bay.

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Subsistence

• Remains of animal bones demonstrate that
  Neandertals were successful hunters.
• Used close-proximity spears for hunting (spear
  thrower and bow and arrow werent invented until
  the Upper Paleolithic).
• Patterns of trauma in Neandertal remains match
  those of contemporary rodeo performers,
  indicating close proximity to prey.

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Symbolic Behavior

• Prevailing consensus has been that Neandertals
  were capable of articulate speech.
• Even if Neandertals did speak, they did not have
  the same language capabilities of modern Homo
  sapiens.

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Burials

• Neanderthals buried their dead.
• Their burials included grave goods like animal
  bones and stone tools.
• They placed the bodies of their dead in a flexed
  position.

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Key Neandertal Fossil Discoveries
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Vindija(Croatia) 42,00028,000 35 specimens cranial fragments
La Chapelle(France) 50,000 Nearly complete male skeleton
Shanidar(Iraq) 70,00060,000 9 partial skeletons
Tabun(Israel) 110,000 date uncertain 2 or 3 individuals, almost complete female skeleton
Krapina(Croatia) 125,000120,000 Up to 40 individuals, fragmentary
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Cultural Contrasts Neandertals and Upper
Paleolithic Modern Humans
Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans
ToolTechnology Numerous flake tools few, however, apparently for highly specialized functions use of bone, antler, or ivory very rare relatively few tools with more than one or two parts Many more varieties of stone tools many apparently for specialized functions frequent use of bone, antler, and ivory many more tools comprised of two or more component parts
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Cultural Contrasts Neandertals and Upper
Paleolithic Modern Humans
Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans
Hunting Efficiency and Weapons No long-distance hunting weapons close-proximity weapons used (thus, more likelihood of injury) Use of spear-thrower and bow and arrow wider range of social contacts, perhaps permitting larger, more organized hunting parties (including game drives)
Stone Material Transport Stone materials transported only short distances Stone tool raw materials transported over much longer distances, implying wider social networks and perhaps trade
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Cultural Contrasts Neandertals and Upper
Paleolithic Modern Humans
Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans
Art Artwork uncommon usually small probably mostly of a personal nature some items perhaps misinterpreted as art others may be intrusive from overlying Upper Paleolithic contexts cave art absent Artwork much more common, including transportable objects as well as elaborate cave art well executed,using a variety of materials and techniques stylistic sophistication
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Cultural Contrasts Neandertals and Upper
Paleolithic Modern Humans
Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans
Burial Deliberate burial at several sites graves unelaborated graves frequently lack artifacts Burials much more complex, frequently including both tools and remains of animals
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Three Major Evolutionary Transitions

1. Transition from early Homo to H. erectus.
   Geographically limited to Africa and occurred
   rapidly.
2. Transition of H. erectus grading into early H.
   sapiens. Not geographically limited, but occurred
   slowly and unevenly.
3. Transition from Archaic H. sapiens to
   anatomically modern H. sapiens.

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Quick Quiz
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• 1. The evolution of the genus Homo over the last
  two million years
• can be divided into at least three major
  transitions.
• has been fairly steady.
• has been uniform over the different geographic
  regions.
• can be clearly interpreted unlike the evolution
  of the Australopithecines.

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Answer a

• The evolution of the genus Homo over the last two
  million years can be divided into at least three
  major transitions.

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• 2. With regard to the evolution of the genus
  Homo, most paleoanthropologists
• agree that two or three different species of
  archaic sapiens existed.
• agree that all members of the genus should be
  lumped into one species.
• agree that Homo erectus should also be included
  in the species sapiens.
• have differing opinions regarding the
  interpretation of the fossil material.

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Answer d

• With regard to the evolution of the genus Homo,
  most paleoanthropologists have differing opinions
  regarding the interpretation of the fossil
  material.

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• 3. Paleoanthropologists study the sudden
  expansion of modern Homo sapiens. One problem
  they have is explaining what happened to the
  _________________ .

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Answer Neandertals

• Paleoanthropologists study the sudden expansion
  of modern Homo sapiens. One problem they have is
  explaining what happened to the Neandertals.

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• 4. Neandertals used fire routinely.
• True
• False

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Answer True

• Neandertals used fire routinely.