Basics of PrehistoryBasics of Prehistory

Weltanschauung

History/Prehistory

Dating Techniques

Relative….Stratigraphy

Absolute….C-14, KAr

Evolution of HominidaeEvolution of HominidaeEarliest HominidsEarliest Hominids

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism

Don Johanson…Afar Depression of N. Ethiopia...Lucy, 1974, Australopithecus afarensis....ca. 3.2 MBP…almost 50%

Tim White…..Awash area, N. Ethiopia, 1994… Ardipithecus ramidus ("ground man-root”) ca. 4.4 to 4.5 MBP

Mary Leakey, Tim White…..Laetoli, N. Tanzania, Footprints, 1979, ca. 4.0 MBP

Michel Brunet….North central Chad, July 2001. Sahelanthropus tchadensis (“Toumai”)... ca. 6 -7 MBP

Early Early BipedalismBipedalism

Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy)

Discovered by Donald Johanson at Hadar in Ethiopia. Its age is about 3.2 million years. Lucy was an adult female of about 25 years. About 40% of her skeleton was found, and her pelvis, femur (the upper leg bone) and tibia show her to have been bipedal. She was about 107 cm (3'6") tall (small for her species) and about 28 kg (62 lbs) in

weight.

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism

Laetoli Footprints (ca. 3.6 MBP).

In 1978, fossil footprints of an extinct human ancestor were discovered by Mary Leakey and Tim White. The Laetoli footprints are the most unique evidence of early hominid bipedalism. The prints were impressed in volcanic ash in that location 3.6 million years ago, in sight of the Sadiman volcano 20 kilometers away, whose subsequent ash falls buried them under 30 meters of deposit.

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism Ardipithicus ramidus

Ardipithecus ramidus is one of the earliest hominids found. Ardipithecusramidus translates literally as "ground man-root" and is thoughtto be 4.4 to 4.5 million years old. Originally it was named as a member of the Australopithecine family, but it was later reclassified. Fragments of 17 different specimens were found including part of a child's mandible, some isolated teeth, a fragment of basi-cranium,and three bones of a left arm of a single individual.

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism

Cranium of Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Toumai)...recovered in Chad, July 2001. Dated at about 6-7 MBP. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6894/fig_tab/nature00879_fs.html

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism

AustralopithicusMany different variations…on average:

About 4’ tall

500 cc skull capacity

Fully bipedal

Gracile (africanus)

Robust (robustus)

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism

Homo habilisVery similar to late gracile Australopithecines

Larger skull capacity

More efficient blood circulation to brain (Fig. 6-10)

Genus Homo or Australopithecus?

Early BipedalismEarly Bipedalism

Pebble Tools…..Evidence of Culture?

Lithic TechnologiesEarliest Evidence of Culture

Core Flake

Blade

HOMO ERECTUS(PITHECANTHROPUS ERECTUS)

Skull capacity: (Note: Australopithecus average Skull capacity 500cc)

Average: 900ccRange: 750cc - 1100cc

Associated Culture:

Hand Axe CultureEarly use of fire

Base camps

Hand Axes

Representative Sites:Trinil, Java

Zhoukoudian, China

Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Mauer, Germany

Ternifine, Tripoli

Acheulean

By 1,000,000 Years Ago ... An adaptive radiation had occurred.

“Dragon Bone Hill”

Homo erectus from Zhoukoudian cave, China

Pioneers of Modern HumanityPioneers of Modern Humanity

Discovered by Johann Fuhlrott in 1856 in a small cave at Feldhofer in the Discovered by Johann Fuhlrott in 1856 in a small cave at Feldhofer in the Neander Valley in Germany. The find consisted of a skullcap, thigh bones, part of Neander Valley in Germany. The find consisted of a skullcap, thigh bones, part of a pelvis, some ribs, and some arm and shoulder bones. The lowera pelvis, some ribs, and some arm and shoulder bones. The lowerleft arm had been broken in life, and as a result the bones of the left arm were left arm had been broken in life, and as a result the bones of the left arm were smaller than those of the right.smaller than those of the right.

There were actually two earlier Neandertal finds. A partial cranium of a 2.5 year old child found in 1829 in Belgium was not recognized until 1936. An adult cranium found on Gibraltar in 1848 gathered dust in a museum until it was recognized as a Neandertal in 1864.

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

By 100,000 Years Ago ...

Homo sapiens Homo sapiens neanderthalensisneanderthalensis

1550cc skull capacity

Mainly confined to SW Europe

Very robust skeleton

Comparison of top view of Chimpanzee, Homo erectus, and Neandertal skulls.

Wesley Niewoehner from the University of New Mexico

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

First hominid known to have buried the dead.

Earlier cultures had core tool lithic technologies, Mousterian is characterized by flake tools.

Flake tool technology…

Mousterian Culture

Levallois flakes

consciousness…

aesthetics….

religion

Homo sapiens sapiensHomo sapiens sapiens

….had “grown into” a wide variety of local habitats throughout theOld World by cultural adaptation.

Upper Paleolithic Sequence in Southwestern France and Northern Spain

Magdalenian 15,000-10,000BC

Chatelperronian 38,000-28,500BC

Aurignacian 28,500-22,000BC

Gravettian 22,000-18,000BC

Solutrian 18,000-15,000BC

By 40,000 Years Ago….

AltamiraLascaux

Solutrian Laurel-leaf Points“Venus” figurines

Burins

Backed blades

Pech Merle

Lascaux - southwestern France

In this panel of Back-to Back Bison, reserves around the limbs in the background, distortion of shapes, choice of surface, symmetrical composition, are all used to create a three dimensional effect...

Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)

Altamira - northern Spain

Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)

In this representation of a horse, red is ocher, black charcoal. Undulations in cave wall and ceiling were incorporated in the composition of the paintings.

Summary of Early Fossil Summary of Early Fossil EvidenceEvidence

This chart shows rough sequence of fossil hominids.

10,000BP ------------------------------Homo sapiens (full culture, worldwide distribution)

100,000BP ----------------------------Homo sapiens (Neandertal, et al.)

1mBP ----------------------------------Homo erectus (Radiation thru Old World)

2mBP ----------------------------------Homo habilis (Earliest Culture?)

3mBP ----------------------------------Australopithecus var. (Fully bipedal)

4mBP ----------------------------------Ardipithecus ramidus (Earliest hominines?)

5mBP ----------------------------------

Post Pleistocene Post Pleistocene AdaptationsAdaptations

Mesolithic and Archaic - After last glaciation in Europe and New World.

NeolithicNeolithic

domestication of plants and animals

The Neolithic Revolution

Sedentary, population increase, specialization in division of labor

Jericho; Jarmo - early villages

occurred independently in several “hearths”

Early CivilizationEarly Civilization

Developed in various places at different times….

Sumerian Civilization - Early Phases (Developed in the Fertile Crecent region.)

generally in area of earliest domestication.

Sumerian Early Dynasty 3200-2800 BCE

Sumerian Protoliterate 3500-3200 BCE

Sumerian Ubaid Phase 3800-3500 BCE