1. Modern Human Origins

2. Key Questions When and where modern humans first appeared?
What does it mean to be a ‘modern human’?
Are we talking about modern human-being or modern traits?

3. Chin = mental eminence

4. Artifacts of Africa & Upper Paleolithic in Europe

5. Upper Paleolithic Technology and Art
Europe, 40,000 ya
Stone tool technologies
Chatelperronian
Aurignacian
Gravettian
Solutrean
Magdalenian
burin
Solutrean blade
Atlatl spear thrower

6. The Punch Blade Technique
A core is selected, the top portion is removed by use of a hammerstone.
A flat surface called a striking platform is created.

7. The Punch Blade Technique
The core is struck by use of a hammer and punch (bone or antler) to remove the long narrow flakes (blades)

8. The Punch Blade Technique
Or the blades can be removed by pressure flaking.

9. The Punch Blade Technique
Highly consistent sharp blades can be used as knives or modified (retouched) to make a variety of other tools (such as burins, scrapers, and awls).

10. Burial
Skeletons of two teenagers, a male and a female, from Sungir, Russia, 24,000 ya,
a bed of red ochre
thousands of ivory beads and engravings
mammoth tusk spears
jewelry

11. Modern Human Morphological Traits

12. Modern Humans in Africa
Omo Kibish,
Ethiopia 195,000 ya
Omo 1 - presence of chin and modern cranial characteristics, compared to Omo 2 which is more robust and less modern in morphology

13. Morphology and Variation in H. sapiens

14. Herto Ethiopia 160,000–154,000 ya
Complete and incomplete craniums older than other equally modern H. sapiens elsewhere
1450 cm3 cranial capacity
Heavy skull, arching browridge
Large, projecting occipital protuberance
“near modern” (White et al., 2003)
H. sapiens idaltu
Support African origin of modern humans

15. Modern humans in the Near East
Skhūl Cave, Mt. Carmel, 130,000 – 1000,000 ya
Qafseh Cave, Mt Carmel, 120,000 – 92,000 ya
Tabun Cave, Mt. Carmel, 120,000 ya
Vault height, forehead, and lack of prognathism
Skhūl 5.
Qafzeh 6.

16. Modern Humans in Asia
Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian, China, 27,000 ya Tianyuan, China, 40,000 ya Niah Cave, Borneo 45,000 – 40,000 ya

17. Modern Humans in Australia
Lake Mungo, 60,000 ya (previously dated 30,000 – 25,000 ya)
Kow Swamp, 14,000 – 9,000 ya
receding foreheads
heavy supraorbital tori
thick bones

18. Anatomically Modern Homo sapiens Asia and Australia

19. Modern Humans in Central Europe
Oase Cave, Romania
35,000 ya
robust
chin and canine fossa present

20. Modern Humans in Central Europe
Mladeč, Czech Republic, 31,000 ya
Dolní Věstonice,
Czech Republic, 26,000 ya

21. Anatomically Modern Humans in Europe

22. Modern Humans in Western Europe
Cro-Magnon, 28,000 ya
associated with Aurignacian tool industry
no “typical” Upper Paleolithic western European

23. “The Little People” Homo floresiensis

24. Liang Bua Cave, Flores, Indonesia
Called “hobbits” by press
Small body, 3 feet tall
Small brain, 417 cm3
Hand and foot anatomy resembling H. erectus from Dmanisi
18-13 kya, stone tools dating 1 mya
May derive from early migration of early Homo to SE Asia
Represent isolated island population showing considerable dwarfing
Pathology?