Week 4 Part 1 Flashcards
Where can homo habilis be found?
Eastern & Southern africa
How many millions of years ago was Homo habilis around?
Point 4 to point 4.
2.4 to 1.4 mya
Did Homo habilis use Acheulian technology?
No. They used Oldowan technology
What’s different about homo habilis than its predecessors?
3 points and 2 sub-points
- Larger braincase
- Shallower face and teeth
- > Moderately prognathic
- Smaller teeth than Australopithecus but strong jaws and thick tooth enamel
- > Designed for hard food chewing
What do we learn from homo habilis butchery patterns and dental microwear? 1 point each.
- Dental microwear suggests flexible and versatile diet
- Butchery patterns suggest use of Oldowan tools
Why is it so hard to study Homo rudolfensis? 1 point
There is only 1 decent H. rudolfensis fossil
When was Homo rudolfensis around? .9 to .8
1.9 - 1.8
What species was originally thought to be Homo habilis?
Homo rudolfensis
What is different about H. Rudolfensis to its predecessors? 1 point
- Lacked heavy jaw and strong muscle attachments
- > Indicates different diets to Paranthropus
Why can’t we be sure that H. Rudolfensis used Oldowan tools?
- No stone tools discovered from same layers as H. Rudolfensis
- But they do occur during the same time period
- > But 4 species can be found in the Turkana basin
Where are Homo ergaster and Homo erectus from? What’s the scientific debate about their differences?
Homo ergaster
- African
Homo erectus
- Asian
Some academics believe they’re the same species
- They lump them together as Homo erectus sensu lato
What species was around 1.9 to 1.4 mya?
Homo ergaster
What species was around 1mya to 143 kyr?
Homo erectus
Describe the anatomy of Homo ergaster. 2 points
- Reduced tooth size
- Relatively strong built hominin
What lithic technologies were Homo ergaster and Homo erectus using?
Oldowan and Earliest Acheulian technologies
