Basics of Prehistory Weltanschauung History/Prehistory Dating Techniques Relative….Stratigraphy Absolute….C-14, KAr

Evolution of Hominidae Earliest Hominids

Early Bipedalism Don Johanson…Afar Depression of N. Ethiopia...Lucy, 1974, Australopithecus afarensis....ca. 3.2 MBP…almost 50% Tim White…..Awash area, N. Ethiopia, 1994… Ardipithecus ramidus ( "ground man-root”) ca. 4.4 to 4.5 MBP Mary Leakey, Tim White…..Laetoli, N. Tanzania, Footprints, 1979, ca. 4.0 MBP Michel Brunet …. North central Chad, July Sahelanthropus tchadensis (“ Toumai ”)... ca MBP

Early Bipedalism Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy) Discovered by Donald Johanson at Hadar in Ethiopia. Its age is about 3.2 million years. Lucy was an adult female of about 25 years. About 40% of her skeleton was found, and her pelvis, femur (the upper leg bone) and tibia show her to have been bipedal. She was about 107 cm (3'6") tall (small for her species) and about 28 kg (62 lbs) in weight.

Early Bipedalism Laetoli Footprints (ca. 3.6 MBP). In 1978, fossil footprints of an extinct human ancestor were discovered by Mary Leakey and Tim White. The Laetoli footprints are the most unique evidence of early hominid bipedalism. The prints were impressed in volcanic ash in that location 3.6 million years ago, in sight of the Sadiman volcano 20 kilometers away, whose subsequent ash falls buried them under 30 meters of deposit.

Early Bipedalism Ardipithicus ramidus Ardipithecus ramidus is one of the earliest hominids found. Ardipithecus ramidus translates literally as "ground man-root" and is thought to be 4.4 to 4.5 million years old. Originally it was named as a member of the Australopithecine family, but it was later reclassified. Fragments of 17 different specimens were found including part of a child's mandible, some isolated teeth, a fragment of basi-cranium, and three bones of a left arm of a single individual.

Early Bipedalism Cranium of Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Toumai)... recovered in Chad, July Dated at about 6-7 MBP.

Early Bipedalism Australopithicus Many different variations…on average: About 4’ tall 500 cc skull capacity Fully bipedal Gracile (africanus) Robust (robustus)

Early Bipedalism Homo habilis Very similar to late gracile Australopithecines Larger skull capacity More efficient blood circulation to brain (Fig. 6-10) Genus Homo or Australopithecus?

Early Bipedalism Pebble Tools….. Evidence of Culture? Lithic Technologies Earliest Evidence of Culture Core Flake Blade

HOMO ERECTUS (PITHECANTHROPUS ERECTUS) Skull capacity: (Note: Australopithecus average Skull capacity 500cc) Average: 900ccRange: 750cc cc Associated Culture: Hand Axe Culture Early use of fire Base camps Hand Axes Representative Sites: Trinil, Java Zhoukoudian, China Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania Mauer, Germany Ternifine, Tripoli Acheulean By 1,000,000 Years Ago... An adaptive radiation had occurred. “Dragon Bone Hill” Homo erectus from Zhoukoudian cave, China

Pioneers of Modern Humanity

Discovered by Johann Fuhlrott in 1856 in a small cave at Feldhofer in the Neander Valley in Germany. The find consisted of a skullcap, thigh bones, part of a pelvis, some ribs, and some arm and shoulder bones. The lower left arm had been broken in life, and as a result the bones of the left arm were smaller than those of the right. Discovered by Johann Fuhlrott in 1856 in a small cave at Feldhofer in the Neander Valley in Germany. The find consisted of a skullcap, thigh bones, part of a pelvis, some ribs, and some arm and shoulder bones. The lower left arm had been broken in life, and as a result the bones of the left arm were smaller than those of the right. There were actually two earlier Neandertal finds. A partial cranium of a 2.5 year old child found in 1829 in Belgium was not recognized until An adult cranium found on Gibraltar in 1848 gathered dust in a museum until it was recognized as a Neandertal in Homo sapiens neanderthalensis By 100,000 Years Ago...

1550cc skull capacity Mainly confined to SW Europe Very robust skeleton Comparison of top view of Chimpanzee, Homo erectus, and Neandertal skulls. Wesley Niewoehner from the University of New MexicoUniversity of New Mexico

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis First hominid known to have buried the dead. Earlier cultures had core tool lithic technologies, Mousterian is characterized by flake tools. Flake tool technology… Mousterian Culture Levallois flakes consciousness… aesthetics…. religion

Homo sapiens sapiens ….had “grown into” a wide variety of local habitats throughout the Old World by cultural adaptation. Upper Paleolithic Sequence in Southwestern France and Northern Spain Magdalenian 15,000-10,000BC Chatelperronian 38,000-28,500BC Aurignacian 28,500-22,000BC Gravettian 22,000-18,000BC Solutrian 18,000-15,000BC By 40,000 Years Ago…. Altamira Lascaux Solutrian Laurel-leaf Points “Venus” figurines Burins Backed blades Pech Merle

Lascaux - southwestern France In this panel of Back-to Back Bison, reserves around the limbs in the background, distortion of shapes, choice of surface, symmetrical composition, are all used to create a three dimensional effect... Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)

Altamira - northern Spain Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP) In this representation of a horse, red is ocher, black charcoal. Undulations in cave wall and ceiling were incorporated in the composition of the paintings.

Summary of Early Fossil Evidence This chart shows rough sequence of fossil hominids. 10,000BP Homo sapiens (full culture, worldwide distribution) 100,000BP Homo sapiens (Neandertal, et al.) 1mBP Homo erectus (Radiation thru Old World) 2mBP Homo habilis (Earliest Culture?) 3mBP Australopithecus var. (Fully bipedal) 4mBP Ardipithecus ramidus (Earliest hominines?) 5mBP

Post Pleistocene Adaptations Mesolithic and Archaic - After last glaciation in Europe and New World.

Neolithic domestication of plants and animals The Neolithic Revolution Sedentary, population increase, specialization in division of labor Jericho; Jarmo - early villages occurred independently in several “hearths”

Early Civilization Developed in various places at different times…. Sumerian Civilization - Early Phases (Developed in the Fertile Crecent region.) generally in area of earliest domestication. Sumerian Early Dynasty BCE Sumerian Protoliterate BCE Sumerian Ubaid Phase BCE