ANT 2511 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Faiyum Oasis, Hard Tissue, Laetoli
13 Apr 2018
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Document Summary
Fossils and their place in time and nature. Fossils equal actual concrete evidence for previous ideas. Herodotus recognized that mineralized shells were remains of once-living organisms. Jefferson loved it; father of archeology; first to go dig up a site with questions. William smith: father of english geology; surveyor, noticed coal seams were patterned th. Physical evidence of life forms; strong evidence for theory of biological evolution. Evidence of life going back 4+ billion years. Ex of early hominins preyed by large carnivores. Laetoli footsteps: 3. 6 mya; earliest evidence; direct evidence of bipedalism formed as ho fresh volcanic ash layer; found by accident. Geological history is complex and destructive; differential preservation results in some tim poorly represented while others good d through an area of s hominins walked across e time periods being poorly represented while others good. Fayum depression: 25mya, includes primates but preservation stops at 29 mya. Bc less conducive to the formation of fossils.
