Lecture 15 - Homo erectus origins & dispersal Flashcards
(19 cards)
H. erectus general info
- c. 1.8 Ma - 40 Ka
- discovered in the 1890s by Dutch anatomist Eugene Dubois, working in Java
H. ergaster general info
- ‘African H. erectus ‘ or part of H. erectus s.l.
- ca. 2-1.4 Ma
- East & South Africa
H. ergaster
KNM-ER 992 general info
- type specimen of H. ergaster
- Koobi Fora, 1.5 Ma
H. ergaster
‘Turkana Boy’ general info
- KNM-WT 15000
- immature male
- endocranial volume 880cc
- adult volume around 950cc
- estimated statue of 6’ as adult indicates a significant size compared ot Aus
- very long legs
- estimated at ~8 years of age based on dental development
Illeret, Kenya footprints
- 1.5 Ma , discovered in 2009
- preserved in fine-grain soil
- indistinguishable from footprints made by modern humans, indicating human-like form of bipedal locomotion
development of modern body plan
what 3 features origins are important in the development of a modern body plan?
- endurance running, features that originated ~2Ma
- preservation of energy during long-distance locomotion
- persistence hunting - running after large game
change in diet?
what is the expensive tissue hypothesis? (Aiello & Wheeler)
gut & brains are energetically expensive organs
* if less cost is spent for digestion (softer foods, more foods rich in protein + fat = less bulk/faster digestion) it will lead to a smaller gut and more energy can go towards brain energy
change in diet?
what is the cooking hypothesis? (Wrangham)
similar to expensive tissue hypothesis but focuses emphasis on cooking food for better digestion rather than shift in the diet itself
fire evidence
evidence of fire in the archeological record
- red, oxidized sediment patches
- ashes
- carbonized grains, bones. etc.
fire evidence
natural vs. anthropogenic fire
anthropogenic fires are:
* more intense and longer lasting
* spatially localized
* associated w. cutmarked bones and/or artifacts
* but there is a lot of overlap
fire evidence
where did the earliest possible fire evidence come from?
multiple places
Koobi Fora & Chesowanja, Kenya - c. 1.6 Ma
* small localized, fully oxidized sedimented patches
Swartkrans, S. Africa - c. 1.5-1 Ma
* burned bones burned @ 900 degrees
* recent research suggests layer is actually 1-1.6 Ma
fire evidence
earliest undisputed fire evidence
Wonderwerk, S. Africa - 1 Ma
* light wood ashes
* deep inside the cave = cannot be natural causes
* charred bone fragments
* carbonized grass
* ‘pot-lid’ flakes
fire evidence
overall conclusion of fire evidence & its trajectory
- earliest origin starts with use of natural fires by hominins
- fire signal in the record c. 1 Ma
- signs of fire use multiply c. 0.8 Ma & through Old World - including colder region
tools!
Acheulean stone tools general info
requires more complex cognitive capabilites than the Oldowan
* mental representation of a target image
* advanced planning to arrive at that product
* ability to modify technique to achieve goal
tools!
dispersal of Acheulean
- mostly in Africa
- some spread to Southern Asia
tools!
modernity of the hand & implications for tool use
- third metacarpal styloid process present ~ 1.42 Ma in Eastern African hominin (West Turkana)
- allows for ‘locking’ of the hand into the wrist
- related to the manufacture of stone tools?
out of Africa
how & why did they move out of Africa?
- colder & more variable climate starting at 1.8 Ma exposed land bridges connecting continents
- behavioral innovations & morphological adaptations
out of Africa
who were the first hominins out of Africa & where did they go?
- Georgia, 1.8 Ma
- H. ergaster, H. erectus s.s., H. georgicus ??
- small bodies and brains
- Oldowan technology
- has H. erectus traits
- perhaps synchronic population who took care of old and/or sick individuals
summary of H. ergaster
- provides earliest good evidence of human-liek bipedalism
- first hominin to have an overall body plan that is more modern human-like than ‘ape’-like
- origins of moder modern behaviors (Acheulean, diet, fire)
