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Paranthropus robustus. Australopithecus africanus. Set IV. Early Homo (2.4-1.8 m.y.a.). The earliest appearance of our genus, Homo may be as ancient as the robust Australopithecines . Leakey named these specimens Homo habilis ("handy man") for Olduwan tools.
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Set IV. Early Homo (2.4-1.8 m.y.a.) • The earliest appearance of our genus, Homo may be as ancient as the robust Australopithecines. • Leakey named these specimens Homo habilis ("handy man") for Olduwan tools • Differs from Australopithecus in cranial cavity and dental proportions.
Pleistocene Homo • Terminology • The Pleistocene (1.8 m.y.a. - 10,000 y.a.) • Overview of Homo erectus Discoveries • Morphology of Homo erectus • Technological Trends • Population Trends
I. Homo erectus: Terminology • The discoveries of fossils now referred to as Homo erectus go back to the 1890s. These early fossils had different names: • Javanese remains were called Pithecanthropus (first found). • The fossils found in China were called Sinanthropus. • After World War II the previous taxonomic splitting was combined under the classification of Homo erectus. • Today they are referred to by some as Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, and Homo ergaster
II. The Pleistocene (1.8 m.y.a.. - 10,000 y.a.) • Northern hemisphere largely covered with ice to about 40 degrees N latitude • Known as the “age of glaciers” or “ice age”
II. The Pleistocene • Glacial advances and retreats influenced hominids • Pleistocene levels went down as much as 125 m.
III A. Discoveries in Java • Six sites in eastern Java have yielded all the H. erectus fossils that have been found on this island. • Dates range from 1.8 m.y.a. to 1.6 m.y.a. • These were among the first found in the 1890s by Eugene DuBois
III B. Discoveries in Peking • Near Zhoukoudian, more than 40 male and female adults and children have been found along with 100,000 artifacts since the 1920s. • The site was occupied for almost 250,000 years. • 40 % of the bones found were of individuals less than 14 years old and 2.6 % of the bones found were of individuals in the 50-60 year range. • Some evidence of fire use and cannibalism
III C. Discoveries in East Africa • Louis Leakey unearthed a fossil skull at Olduvai. • An almost complete skull was discovered in east Turkana. • The most complete H. erectus skeleton ever found was uncovered at western Lake Turkana (Turkana or Nariokotome Boy). • In Ethiopia, an abundance of Acheulian tools have been found as well as a mandible dating to 1.3 m.y.a.
IV. Morphology of Homo erectus • Brain size has a mean of 900 cm3 • Range of 800-1200 cm3 • Body sizedramatically increased compared to earlier hominids. Some close to 2 m tall • Cranium had a distinctive pentagonal shape with thick cranial bone and large brow ridges. Low, long skull • African specimens have thinner cranial bones than those found in Asia and are taller and thinner overall. • Shovel-shaped incisors (early African and later Asians)
Technological Trends in the Pleistocene • Expansion of the brain enabled H. erectus to develop sophisticated tools: • The biface, a stone that was worked on both sides, was used to cut, scrape, pound, and dig. • There is widespread evidence for butchering, thousands of Acheulian hand axes have been found with remains of large animals. • Homo erectus is seen as a potential hunter and scavenger.
Trends in the Pleistocene • Homo erectus liked to travel. • Stone tools found on the island of Flores, 375 miles east of Java, suggest that H. erectus may have constructed ocean-going vessels. • Homo erectus embraced culture as a strategy of adaptation.
