ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Kenyapithecus, Hominini, Bipedalism
27 Sep 2016
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Food, sex, death (anthropology 1aa3, term 1, 2016) Aims of week 2. 1: debate on human origins, the climatic context, review the fossil evidence, what constitutes human", early tool-making/ cognition. Week 2. 1: the short version : debate on human origins begins c. 7 mya, earliest hominins" sahelanthropos tchadensis, c. 5 mya = 1st bipedal hominin, c 3. 4 mya = 1st tool makers australopithecus afarensis e. g lucy. Temporal/ climatic/ geographic context: major climatic changes (earth orbit, warm . v. glacial periods, affected distribution, type and mix of plant/animal life, this impacts/drives evolution. Hominids vs hominins ?: hominids = group of all great apes (including all hominins, hominins= group of modern/extinct human and immediate ancestors. It started in africa: miocene (c. 23 mya) apes (restricted to africa, varied, c. 14 mya cilmate warmer & forest environment, appearance of kenyapithecus. Kenyapithecus (c. 14 mya: first hominid to descend from trees & practice simple knuckle-walking (like gorilla, pre-savannah transition- start to move to group dwelling- but still living in trees.
