ARCH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Homo Naledi, Rising Star Cave, Brain Size
27 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Australopithecus africanus 440cc
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Homo erectus 1000 cc
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Homo sapien 1300+ cc
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Homo erectus showed evidence of hunting
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Homo erectus sites
Low sea level, ability to walk to all these different islands
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Java, Indonesia
First homo erectus ever discovered, but also first homo found in
Indonesia
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Brain capacity around 550 cc
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Found a femur, recognized as bipedal
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There's a lot of sediment ( from volcanoes) great for argon and
carbon dating
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Recovered by Eugene Dubois in 1891
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Initially classified as Pithecanthropus erectus but later reclassified
as Homo erectus
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Dates of some Homo erectus fossils from Indonesia have been
reported to be as old as 1.6 –1.75mya
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China
First most important hominin site found in China
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“Peking Man” fossils from Zhoukoudian were originally called
Sinanthropus pekinensis (Chinese man of Peking)
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Date 800,000 to 200,000ya
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Recent evidence of sites in Northern China as old as 1.36*to
1.1mya
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The Initial Occupation of Western Europe
Earliest hominin fossils in Western Europe have been classified as:
Homo erectus
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Homo antecessor
Earliest hominins found in this area of Spain
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Around 1000 cc
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Low forehead
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Occipital torrus
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Like homo characteristics
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Found in Spain
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Dates 1.2 million to 800,000 years ago
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Homo heidelbergensis
Huge midface regions
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Big forehead, large bridge
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Large cranial capacity
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Skull is long an low
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Ancestor of the Neandertal
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Some in Asia and Africa
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Dates 600,000 to 400,000 years ago
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Cranial capacity 1,100-1,400cc
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Could have travelled through the Levant corridor (modern day Israel)
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Early Western European Sites
Sima del Elefante Cave AND Gran Dolina, Spain (there is evidence of
cannibalism)
Are two sites at Atapuerca in Northern Spain
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Earliest hominin site in Spain
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Clear evidence of hominin presence
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Schöningen, Germany
400,000 years old
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They found wooden 3 spears, from 6ft. - 7.5 ft.--carefully
sharpened, used to hunt animals
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Wild horse bones, deer…
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Boxgrove, England
Southern England
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Perforated horse scapula
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150 hand axes discover
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Homo floresiensis
Unique hominin species discovered on the Indonesian (very tiny)
Island of Flores
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This hominin was originally reported as dating between 35,000 and
14,000 years ago, but scientists have now determined it dates
between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago.
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tiny hominin with a cranial capacity of 420cc***
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evidence of tool use, hunting and fire***
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Liang B
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Found a skull, looking at adult female, 3ft. 45 lbs. (found 8 others)
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Island dwarfism--selective advantage (b/c island is so limited--
smaller bodies, less need to energize body)(found in 2004)
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Microcephaly// small skull, reduce stature?
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Homo naledi
Could have been some isolated
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450 cc
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Around 5 ft. tall (males--so they were small)
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Dinaledi Chamber--video 'Dawn of humanity'
Maybe a ritual burial?
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Washed in by water?
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This is a newly discovered hominin. The fossils have not been dated
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Recovered from the Rising Star Cave System in South Africa
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Over 1,500 fossils representing 15 individuals have been identified
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They have a small cranial capacity
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Some of their features are like australopithecines but others are
similar to early Homo
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Archaeology in the news
'Fossil skull may belong to world's first murder victim'
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**The first midterm will include material up to this point**
The first midterm is on Wednesday, October 4. It will be written during class
time. The exam will have 50 multiple choice questions. Remember to bring a
pencil to fill in the multiple choice responses, and make sure you know your
nsid and fill it in on the opscan sheet.
Homo erectus (cont'd) and Homo floresiensis (pg.
104-146)
Friday, September 29, 2017
10:25 AM
Document Summary
Low sea level, ability to walk to all these different islands. First homo erectus ever discovered, but also first homo found in. There"s a lot of sediment ( from volcanoes) great for argon and carbon dating. Initially classified as pithecanthropus erectus but later reclassified as homo erectus. Dates of some homo erectus fossils from indonesia have been reported to be as old as 1. 6 1. 75mya. First most important hominin site found in china. Peking man fossils from zhoukoudian were originally called. Recent evidence of sites in northern china as old as 1. 36* to. Earliest hominin fossils in western europe have been classified as: Earliest hominins found in this area of spain. Could have travelled through the levant corridor (modern day israel) Sima del elefante cave and gran dolina, spain (there is evidence of cannibalism) Are two sites at atapuerca in northern spain. 7. 5 ft. --carefully sharpened, used to hunt animals. Unique hominin species discovered on the indonesian (very tiny)
