HIST 2706 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Oldowan, Metalworking, Microlith

• School: Carleton University
• Department: History
• Course: HIST 2706
• Professor: Mohamed Ali

Document Summary

1. suggest reasons why the earliest hominids/hominins may have evolved in africa. As charles darwin suggested, africa is the birthplace of humankind and it is the only continent in which evidence has been found for man"s early evolution. This evidence includes fossils, ancient bones and stone tools. Hominin is a general biological term for human or humanlike creatures with enlarged brains and the ability to walk on 2 legs. The earliest species of hominin include the gorilla and chimpanzee. When the earliest species of hominins began walking on 2 legs, they were able to carry food and use tools because their hands were free. Those who were able to stand upright survived longer reproduced more and passed this advantage on to their descendants. Another genus of the early hominins is the australopithecus (southern ape) who were largely scavengers and had the brain capacity less than a third that of modern humans.