Early Man

Early Man

Why should we be concerned about our origins?

What is the basic thesis of the article “Our Earliest Ancestors”, by

Ann Gibbons

Pre-historic Unit “Our Earliest Ancestors”, by Ann Gibbons

•What were some of the challenges for paleoanthropologist, Tim White, while searching for fossil remains?

Hominid - refers to members of the family of humans or human like creatures


• Numerous hominid species– Sahelanthropus tchadensis – “Toumai”, 7 mya– Orrorin tugenensis – “Millennium Man”, 6 mya– Ardipithecus ramidus – “Ardi”, 4.4 mya– Australopithecus aferensis - “Lucy”, 3.2 mya– Australopithecus africanus – “Taung Child”, 1.5 mya– Homo habilis- “Tool Man” 2 mya– Homo erectus – “Upright Man”, 1.8 mya– Homo sapiens – 500,000 ya– Homo neanderthalensis - 50,000 ya– Cro-Magnon, 40,000 ya

Revolutionary Family Tree


• Sahelanthropus tchadensis – “Toumai”, 7 mya

c. 7 mya

Why is it hard to prove “Toumai” walked upright?


Ardipithecus ramidus – “Ardi”, 4.4 mya

c. 4.4 mya

Who is “Ardi” and why is she important?

Pre-historic Unit

Lucy, Australopithecus aferensis , c. 3.2 mya

Why was Lucy so controversial?


Australopithecus africanus

Java man , c.1.8 mya

Taung Child ,c. 1,5 mya

Foot Prints of Laetoli


• Why is there a debate over the age of skeletal remains?


Homo habilis - “Tool Man” 2 mya

Why is creativity so important for human evolution?


• Homo erectus – “Upright Man”, 1.8 mya

Neanderthal peoples , Homo neanderthalensis - 50,000 ya– Flourished in Europe and S.W. Asia between 100

and 35 thousand years ago – Careful, deliberate burials-evidence of a capacity

for emotion and feelings

• Cro-Magnon peoples, 40,000 ya

– - The first human beings of fully modern type, appeared 40,000 years ago

– - Classified as Homo sapiens sapiens

Review

• What is a hominid?• What is “Toumai”?• Why is Ardipithecus ramidus, “Ardi” so important?• How did “Lucy” change our view of human evolution?• What’s another name for Homo habilis?• Why Neanderthal interesting to the study of

evolution?• Describe Cro-Magnon.

Map of Australopithecus Sites

Great Rift Valley

• Paleolithic Age, c.1.5 mya to 13,000 ya

• Neolithic Age, c.13,000 to 3,000 B.C.E.

Map of Homo genus Sites

Domestication and Spread of Plants

The Great Migration• Out of Africa, c.200,000 to 150,000 y.a.

– “The Modern”– Shellfish

• Stages of Migration– Asia, c.70,000 y.a.– Europe and Australia, c.40,000 y.a.– North America, c.15,000 y.a.

• “Eve”– mitochondrial DNA– The Seven Daughters of Eve by Sykes

• Venus figurines – Besides jewelry and furniture, there were also Venus

figurines and paintings – The figurines reflect a deep interest in fertility

Paleolithic Cultures

• Cave paintings – Best known are Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain – Subjects: mostly animals – Purposes: aesthetic, "sympathetic magic"

Agricultural Revolution

Social Political Economic Technology

Paleolithic Age

Nomadic, classless, gender specific, Clans had up to 50 people, short lifespan and matrilineal

Neolithic Age

Sedentary, stratified, hierarchy, village and towns, longer life and primogeniture



Paleolithic Age


Decentralized, mixture of matriarchal and patriarchal

Neolithic Age


Strongly centralized, patriarchal, civil-service, bureaucratic, police and basic military



Paleolithic Age



Communal, gender specific and some bartering

Neolithic Age



Specialization, barter, trade centers, basic monetary exchange

“currency”



Paleolithic Age



Communal, gender specific and some bartering

Stones, wood, bones, fire, basket making and skins

Neolithic Age



Specialization, barter, trade centers, basic monetary exchange

“currency”

Domestication of animals, pottery, brick, basic metal and the wheel

• Artifacts• Culture• Technology• Australopithecus • Homo habilis• Homo sapiens sapiens • Homo erectus• hominid• carbon 14 dating• slash and burn• Neanderthal • Cro-Magnon• Sympathetic magic• Nomads• domastication

Documents

Early Man