Physical Anthropology 1 Milner-Rose Chapter 1 What is Physical Anthropology? Our Origins By Clark Spencer Larsen

What is Anthropology? Anthropology is the study of humankind Viewed from the perspective of all peoples and all times Our central question: “What is humankind?” All our research is aimed at describing and defining ourselves as a species that has changed over time and that varies over geographic space.

Human History and Prehistory Over Time and Space Biologically Modern Humans Appear in Africa 200 Kya SPACE 1 Mya Archaic Hominids Present in Asia and Europe 2 Mya First Hominids out of Africa 3 Mya Robust and Gracile Hominids 4 Mya Several Types of Hominids in Africa 5 Mya Bipedal Hominids spreading in Africa TIME 6 Mya only in Africa

What is Anthropology? The Four subfields of anthropology are Cultural or social anthropology Archaeology Linguistic anthropology Physical or biological anthropology

Franz Boas Onboard the Germania in 1883, on his Expedition to Baffin Island Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Boas, here Dressed and Equipped for Arctic Exploration Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Boas, here Dressed and Equipped for Arctic Exploration

Figure 1.2 The Four Branches of Anthropology Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.2 The Four Branches of Anthropology

What is Anthropology? Cultural anthropology Archaeology Studies living people, face-to-face Culture is defined as transmitted, learned behavior shared by a group Archaeology Studies and reconstructs past human cultures and societies Focuses on material remains and the processes behind them

What is Anthropology? Linguistic anthropology Studies the structure, use and change of language by human societies Language is defined as a set of heard or seen symbols that refer to things Physical or biological anthropology Studies all aspects of present and past human biology Deals with the evolution of and variation among human beings and their relatives

What is Anthropology? No anthropologist is an expert in all four branches of anthropology. Anthropologists study the diversity of humans culturally and physically. Within the field there is a commitment to the notion that humans are both cultural and biological beings. We are interested in what is universally true about humankind and what is unique about us compared to other animals.

What is Anthropology? The Biocultural approach Humans are a result of a combination of inherited (biological) traits and cultural (learned) traits. Anthropology uses a broad, historical and comparative (holistic) approach over time and space. Anthropology is interested in how and why humankind has changed.

What is Physical Anthropology? Anthropology generally asks, “Why do people look, speak, and behave differently in different places and times? Boas’ answer was that people are adapting to their environment with their particular historical backgrounds. Following Boas, physical anthropologists study human biological evolution and human biocultural adaptations.

Figure 1.9 Forests Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.9 Forests

Figure 1.8 Grasslands Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.8 Grasslands

What is Physical Anthropology? Two key concepts: Each person is a product of the evolutionary history of our species Including all biological changes that have brought humans to their present form. Each person is a product of an individual life history. We are a combination of our genetics and environment (including social and cultural factors), a unique individual with our own nature and nurture during our lifetime.

What Do Physical Anthropologists Do? Study all living people to describe our diverse and universal biological traits. Study other living primates to discover what behaviors & anatomy may be like that of our fossil ancestors. Study past remains to discover the bio- cultural changes that humankind has gone through. Always seeking, “What is humankind?”

Figure 1.3a A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.3a A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do

What Do Physical Anthropologists Do? Apply anthropological knowledge and methods to societal issues or concerns Forensic anthropology Study all biological aspects of the human species. Ex. Human genetics by mapping the DNA of living people and DNA extracted from fossil bones.

Physical anthropologists, forensic anthropologists in particular, played a vital part in identifying the remains of the victims following the events of 9/11 Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

What Do Physical Anthropologists Do? We are a biological science as well as a cultural science Biology is studied within the context of culture and biology We are an Interdisciplinary science Utilizes theories and methods from a wide variety of other fields

Figure 1.3b A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.3b A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do

Figure 1.3c A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.3c A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do

What Is So Different about Humans from Other Animals What Is So Different about Humans from Other Animals? The comparative method shows that hominids have evolved through Six Steps to Humanness: Humans differ from other animals in several important ways. Bipedalism (first evolved 6mya) Defined as walking on two feet Nonhoning chewing (next to evolve) Loss of a large canine (as other apes have)

Figure 1.10 Bipedalism Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.10 Bipedalism

Figure 1.4a The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: 1. Bipedalism, 2. Nonhoning Chewing, 3. Dependence on Material Culture, 4. Speech/Language, 5. Hunting/Cooking, & 6. Domestication of Plants/Animals Our Origins, 2th Edition

What Is So Different about Humans from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness: Complex material culture and tool use Humans depend completely on culture for day-to-day living and species survival. (first evidence of stone tool making at 2.6mya) Other great apes exhibit some forms of cultural behavior. Hunting with tools and cooking (deduced at 2mya from increase in brain size) Group pursuit of animals for food using tools Use of fire to alter the digestibility of food and provide safety at night from predators Group consumption and sharing of food

Figure 1.6 Tool-Making Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.6 Tool-Making

What Is So Different about Humans from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness: Speech/Language (estimate 1.5mya) The only animal that communicates by talking using symbols, either heard or seen Dependence on domesticated foods Development of ability to raise domesticated plants and animals, control their reproduction (evidence of domestication at 10kya)

Figure 1.4b The Six Big Events of Human Evolution: Bipedalism, Nonhoning Chewing, Dependence on Material Culture, Speech/Language, Hunting/Cooking, & Domestication of Plants and Animals Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method Systematic observation of the world Observations form the basis for the rest of the process. Identifying problems, developing questions, and gathering evidence (data) Data are used to test hypotheses. Hypotheses explain, predict, and can be refuted and replaced by better hypotheses.

Figure 1.3d A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.3d A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do

How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method This process is called the scientific method. A way of knowing the world around us through observation an experiment Results in an ever-expanding knowledge base, with corrections Empirical, or based on observation and subject to proving or disproving by other scientists

How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method Scientific Theory is developed through the process of the scientific method. Scientific Theories are explanations of the way things work. Theories can be modified by new evidence. In Science, Theories are not “theoretical”, they are functional (or they are discarded).

Figure 1.5 First Tools Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.5 First Tools

How We Know What We Know: All Sciences use The Scientific Method If a theory proves absolutely true, it becomes scientific law. Ex: gravity, thermodynamics, and motion “Hard” sciences like math, physics and chemistry need to have theories that are lawful and work 100% of the time. “Soft” sciences like biology and behavioral science produce theories that work from 60%-100% of the time. This because of individual variability in those realms.

Figure 1.3f A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.3f A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do

Figure 1.3e A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do Our Origins, 2th Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Figure 1.3e A Sample of What Physical Anthropologists Do