1. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 11 Rise of the Genus Homo

2. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Climate and the Evolution of Homo in the Pliocene and Pleistocene Origin and evolution of our species is related to climate change Cyclic glaciation began 3 MYA and increased throughout the Pleistocene ~2.5 MYA sea levels lowered so that island Southeast Asia connected to mainland Asia

3. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Defining the genus Homo Larger, more rounded brain case Less projecting face Smaller teeth Shorter arms More efficient bipedalism

4. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Earliest Genus Homo Louis and Mary Leakey discovered a nearly 2 million- year old juvenile partial skull at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania – larger brain than Australopithecines – named Homo habilis (the skilled human or handyman) – Leakey and colleagues suggested that Homo was the sole maker of stone tools – KNMR-ER 1470: 1.8 million years old more intact skull of H. habilis

5. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Early Tool Use Oldowan Industry – Cores/ flakes – Hammerstones – Carried around Butchering sites Quarrying sites Home base

6. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Hunting and Scavenging HuntingConfrontational scavenging Passive scavenging

7. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Who was Homo erectus? Anatomical Features – The Skull and teeth Prominent supraorbital torus No chin Occipital torus Sagittal keel Low vault 700cc-1200cc Shovel-shaped incisors

8. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Who was Homo erectus? (cont’d) Anatomical Features (cont’d) – Body size and shape Similar to Homo sapiens Narrow-hipped Platymeric femur Platycnemic tibia

9. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Who was Homo erectus? (cont’d) Homo erectus versus Homo ergaster Opinions differ about whether H. erectus constitutes one widely dispersed, variable species or two distinct species: – Homo erectus Asia – thicker cranial bones and more pronounced brow ridges – Homo ergaster Africa and Europe – thinner cranial bones and less pronounced brow ridges

10. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Homo erectus Around the World Africa 1.8–1.9 MYA Georgia 1.7 mya Southeast Asia 1.8 mya Continental Asia 800,000 years ago Western Europe?

11. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Homo erectus Around the World (cont’d) Koobi ForaLake Turkana Bouri FormationOlduvai Gorge African Origins

12. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Homo erectus Around the World (cont’d) DmanisiSimilar to ergaster Oldowan-like tools1.7 mya The First African Diaspora: Republic of Georgia

13. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Homo erectus Around the World (cont’d) IndonesiaChina Dispersal into East Asia

14. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Homo erectus Around the World (cont’d) The Status of Homo erectus in Europe – Questions exist about the existence of true Homo erectus in Europe – Early fossil finds are from two localities Sima de Elefante: 1.2 MYA (announced in 2008) Gran Dolina: 800,000 years ago Homo antecessor may be a common ancestor to both Neandertals and modern Homo sapiens

15. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lifeways of Homo erectus Homo erectus and the Early Stone Age Lower Paleolithic Acheulean tradition – Flakes – Bifaced – Hand axe – Cleaver – Standardized – Movius line

16. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lifeways of Homo erectus (cont’d) A Higher-Quality Diet: Homo erectus Subsistence – Carnivorous Smaller gut More leisure time Migration Cooking?

17. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lifeways of Homo erectus (cont’d) Homo erectus Life History – Chris Dean Teeth indicate fast early development – Maturity reached at 15 – k-selected

18. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lifeways of Homo erectus (cont’d) Homo erectus leaves Africa – climate change – following food supply (migrating herd animals) – technology – anatomical changes (physical adaptations) – changes in foraging strategies