The origin of modern humans L17 Flashcards
(36 cards)
When and where did our species originate?
Modern humans originated in Africa around 350,000ya
Describe the cranium of modern humans.
1) High vertical forehead
2) Small supraorbital superstructures
3) Orthognathic face
4) Proper chin
5) No retromolar space
6) Projecting mastoid process
7) Projecting mastoid process
8) Small nasal apertures
9) Canine fossa
10) Shorter face
Why is it difficult to define human-only characteristics?
Due to the high level of variation in modern humans an the effect of activity and climate on the skeleton
What did people used to think about the origin of humans?
They thought they appeared roughly at the same time throughout the old world between 40kya and 35kya
(This was not actually the case)
What are two theories that might explain why Europe was colonised later?
1) Climate (cold)
2) It was occupied by neanderthals and Denisovans
Where was the last place to be colonised by humans?
The Americas (approx. 14kya)
What evidence from mtDNA phylogeny supports an out-of-Africa expansion theory?
1) Greatest diversity in Africa
2) Root of the tree in Africa
3) No haplotype in Europe that cannot be traced back to Africa
How is mtDNA passed down?
Through the maternal line only
What do more recent analyses including the full genome tell us?
Non-Africans are a subpopulation of East Africans (see slide 20)
Genetic diversity _______ with increase in distance from Africa
Genetic diversity DECREASES with increase in distance from Africa
What kind of stone tools were early modern humans using?
The same as neanderthals, so palaeoanthropologists can’t use stone tools to tell which species were there.
What evidence is there of tools that H. sapiens probably used?
1) Levallois technique tools (280-50kya)
2) Control of fire
3) Iron and manganese compounds probably used as pigments
4) Intentional burials (but no unambiguous evidence of rituals).
How did tools change in the later stone age (Upper Paleolithic in Europe)?
There was higher variability in stone tool types and raw materials (bones and ivory, not just stone).
Also evidence of bows and arrows (they probably warmed stone and used antler or wood to take off little flecks)
How do we know that the stone flecks were used for bow and arrows?
They were too small to be anything else, they were so small they would have had to be mounted on something small
What evidence is there that humans had art?
Paintings in a cave in Chauvet (France) dated to 32kya and in Altamira (Spain) dated to 14kya. The paintings were so wonderful and well preserved that there were accusations of forgery and people thought it must have been done by a much more recent artist
What evidence is there of portable art objects?
Discovered in Europe 50kya (when humans arrived) like Ivory horse of voghelerd, Germany or Venus Willendorf, Austria.
This is a difference to neanderthals
Describe the theory linking art with language
Theory that art and language evolved together. Representation of a bison in 2D or 3D is already assigning a symbol to the representation. A painting of a bison is not a bison, it only represents it. Similar situation with words, although they are ever farther from the reality of the object. Not applicable to geometric art, though.
Problem with this approach: if the revolution happened in connection with the exit from Africa, what about African people? They are not less intelligent or less adept to speaking than Eurasian people are!
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence! Many historical populations produced art that would not have left any archaeological sign
Why do people now think there was a gradual accumulation of modern behaviour in Africa before humans dispersed outside Africa?
Most likely gradual accumulation because Africans aren’t any less adept at art or language than Europeans. It makes more sense that humans popping up in Europe that are suddenly adept at these things.
What do grindstones appearing in the middle stone age imply?
They were eating grains (you have to grind them first)
Why do some people think art was present in H. erectus?
They used Acheulean handaxes which were symmetrical - why would someone make something so symmetrical is not simply for the pleasure of seeing it?
Where and when are the oldest stone-tipped javelins from?
Ethiopia 280kya
Fractures on the stones indicate throwing impact, not thrusting so they were javelins not spears
When was one of the first pieces of evidence of H. sapiens burial?
In a cave in Israel 90-100kya
Burial of a child with fallow deer antler near the hands and head
Describe the evidence of tools and decorations at Blombos cave?
2,000 pieces of ochre, some showing signs of usage and at least two decorated (dating 75-100kya)
65 shell beads carefully perforated with a bone tool (75kya) for a necklace or other ornament
Evidence of fishing might date back to 140kya at Blombos
Give an example of a population losing culture traits
Tasmanian populations did not practice fishing (it was colonised by australians who did fish) so over the centuries they lost knowledge and so the cultural set that they had was smaller
