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Chapter Outline
• The Life and Times of Homo erectus• The Morphology of Homo erectus• Who Were the Earliest African
Emigrants?• Historical Overview of Homo erectus
Discoveries
Chapter Outline• Technological Trends in Homo erectus• Seeing the Big Picture: Interpretations of Homo
erectus• New Frontiers In Research: Ancient DNA
The Life and Times of Homo erectus• The oldest specimens of H. erectus have been
found in East Africa, they’re dated to approximately 1.8 mya.
• These new East African hominids used the same stone tools as their ancestors.
• They lived in lakeshores, riversides, forests, and grasslands.
• They scavenged and ate at least some meat, as evidenced by cut-marked bone.
The Life and Times of Homo erectus• Homo erectus left Africa about 1.8 mya.• From Kenya they headed north, where we find
them first in the Republic of Georgia, at a site named Dmanisi, in the Caucasus region.
• The next earliest fossil sites are found on the island of Java, Indonesia.
• About 1.6 mya H. erectus was living in three geographically divided regions: East Africa, eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Grade
• A grouping of organisms sharing a similar adaptive pattern.
• Grade isn’t necessarily based on closeness of evolutionary relationship, but it does contrast organisms in a useful way (e.g., Homo erectus with Homo sapiens).
Morphology of Homo erectus
• Brain size is related to overall body size.• Body size dramatically increased
compared to earlier hominids. • Cranium had a distinctive shape with a
thick cranial bone and large brow ridges.• Shovel-shaped incisors suggest an
adaptation in hunter-gatherers.
Question
• Compared to earlier members of the genus Homo, Homo erectus was
a) smaller overall.
b) larger overall.
c) more or less the same size.
d) varied.
Dmanisi Crania
• Dmanisi crania discovered in 1999 and 2001 and dated to 1.8–1.7 mya. (a) Specimen 2282. (b) Specimen 2280. (c) Specimen 2700.
The Dmanisi Hominids• The discovery of the Dmanisi materials began
in the early 1990s.• The most informative specimens are four well-
preserved crania, with one recently discovered being almost complete.
• These remains are the best-preserved hominids of this age found anywhere outside of Africa
• They show a mixed pattern characteristics, some quite unexpected.
The Dmanisi Hominids• The Dmanisi crania have similarities to H.
erectus, while some characteristics are different from other hominid finds outside of Africa. The most complete specimen has a less
robust and thinner browridge, a projecting lower face, and a large upper canine.
All three Dmanisi crania have small cranial capacities.
A number of stone tools, similar to early ones from Africa, have been recovered at Dmanisi.
Questions Raised by the Dmansi Discoveries
1. Was Homo erectus the first hominid to leave Africa—or was it an earlier form of Homo?
2. Did hominids require a large brain and sophisticated stone tool culture to disperse out of Africa?
3. Was the large, robust body build of H. erectus a necessary adaptation for the initial occupation of Eurasia?
Discoveries in Java• Six sites in eastern Java have yielded all the H.
erectus fossils found on this island. • Dates range from 1.8 m.y.a. to 1.6 m.y.a.• The Ngandong individuals date from 50,000 to
25,000 y.a. If the Ngandong dates are correct it would
make Homo erectus and Homo sapiens contemporaries.
In Java, no artifacts have been found that can be associated with Homo erectus.
Trinil Skullcap
• The famous Trinil skullcap discovered by Eugene Dubois near the Solo River in Java.
• This is the first time a fossil human was found outside of Europe or Africa.
Sangiran Dome• The Sangiran Dome Team,
composed of researchers from the University of Iowa and the Bandung Institute of Technology, shown here doing a paleoecological analysis of the ancient strata of the Dome.
Discoveries in Peking
• “Dragon bones” used as medicine and aphrodisiacs were ancient bones.
• 40 male and female adults and children have been found near Zhoukoudian. The site was occupied for 250,000 years. 40% of the bones were from individuals less
than 14 years old, 2.6% were from individuals between 50-60 years.
Zhoukoudian
• Composite cranium of Zhoukoudian Homo erectus, reconstructed by Ian Tattersall and Gary Sawyer of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Question
• Of the fossil remains at Zhoukoudian,a) 40% belonged to individuals under
14 years old.b) 20% belonged to individuals 50-60
years old.c) nuclear families were clearly
represented.d) all of these choices
Question
• Discoveries in Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia have pushed back the time frame for hominids in Europe.
a) True
b) False
Answer: True
• Discoveries in Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia have pushed back the time frame for hominids in Europe.
Reconstructed Cranium of Homo erectus
• (a) Reconstructed cranium of Homo erectus from Lantian, China, dated to approximately 1.15 mya. (b) Hexian cranium.
Key Homo erectus Discoveries from Asia
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Ngandong 50–25ky 11 crania
Zhoukoudian 670–410 ky40 individuals; 14 skullcaps, very few postcranial remains
Lantian 1.15 my 2 crania
Sangiran 1.6 myAt least 5 individuals; crania and a few postcranial remains
Discoveries in East Africa• Louis Leakey unearthed a fossil skull at
Olduvai.• An almost complete skull was discovered in
east Turkana.• The most complete H. erectus skeleton ever
found was uncovered in west Turkana.• In Ethiopia, an abundance of Acheulian tools
have been found as well as a robust mandible dating to 1.3 m.y.a.
East African Homo erectus
• East African specimens have thinner cranial bones than those found in Asia.
• Some scientists argue that the African and Asian erectus finds should be classified as separate species.
• The African and Asian populations are separated by more than one million years.
East Lake Turkana, Kenya
• Nearly complete skull of Homo erectus from East Lake Turkana, Kenya; dated to approximately 1.8 mya.
Nariokotome, Kenya
• WT 15000 from Nariokotome, Kenya: the most complete H. erectus specimen yet found.
Key Homo erectus Discoveries from Africa
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Bouri 1.0 my Well-preserved cranium
Olduvai 1.4 myPartial cranium and a few
postcranial pieces
Nariokotome 1.6 myMostly complete adolescent
Skeleton
E. Lake Turkana
1.8 myOne nearly complete cranium and a few postcranial pieces
Key Homo erectus Discoveries from Europe
Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains
Ceprano 900–800 ky Well-preserved cranium
Gran Dolina 850–780 ky Fragmentary remains
Dmanisi 1.75my4 crania plus a few postcranial
remains
Technological Trends in Homo erectus
• Expansion of the brain enabled H. erectus to develop sophisticated tools: Biface - stone that was worked on both sides
and used to cut, scrape, pound, and dig. Thousands of Acheulian hand axes have
been found with remains of large animals.• Homo erectus is seen as a potential hunter and
scavenger.