1. T HE E ARLIEST H UMANS © Student Handouts, Inc.

2. H OW DO WE KNOW ? Archaeology: the study of fossils and artifacts to learn about prehistory and early people Artifacts: Any object made by people from the past Fossil: preserved traces of animals and plants from the past Primary Source: the actual object used by the people from the past Examples: tools, pottery, bones, statues, ancient writing Secondary Source: A record of the past made at a later time Examples: stories, articles, books

3. K EEPING TRACK OF TIME B.C.: Before Christ (time before Jesus Christ was born) B.C.E. : Before Common Era (time before Jesus Christ was born) A.D.: Anno Domini (time after Jesus Christ was born) C.E.: Common Era (after Jesus Christ was born) THE BIGGER THE NUMBER IN BC/BCE, THE LONGER AGO IT WAS!

4. F OSSIL E VIDENCE FOR E VOLUTION Paleontology Study of prehistoric life of all forms, typically using fossils Paleoanthropology Study of prehistoric human life (and human ancestry), typically using fossils Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, 1859 Found plant and animal evidence that supported his theory of natural selection: Individuals better suited for the environment they live in will survive to reproduce

5. Here’s what we know!

6. L UCY (A USTRALOPITHECUS ) “Lucy” is the name for the oldest human ancestral fossilized bones found Human-like ancestor who could walk on two legs for short periods of time Discovered in Africa (modern-day Ethiopia) http://www.history.com/vid eos/prehistoric-humans- cross-the-atlantic#lucys- giant-leap

7. H UMAN E VOLUTION Homo habilis (handyman) 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago Fossils found in southern and eastern Africa Used simple bone and stone tools Homo Naledi- somewhere in between! Homo erectus 1.8 million years ago to 70,000 years ago First human ancestor to walk fully upright Some made complex stone tools Descendants were humans and neanderthals http://www.history.com/videos/prehistoric-humans- cross-the-atlantic#homo-erectus http://www.history.com/videos/prehistoric-humans- cross-the-atlantic#homo-erectus

8. W HERE DID L UCY AND H ANDYMAN LIVE ? This migration is called the Out Of Africa Theory

9. Stop here!

10. N EANDERTHALS Homo sapiens neanderthalensis 400,000 to 30,000 years ago FIRE Lived in Europe and Asia Comparison of human and Neanderthal DNA shows that humans are not descended from Neanderthals, but descended from a common ancestor http://www.history.com/videos/p rehistoric-humans-cross-the- atlantic#discovering-neanderthal

11. H UMANS – H OMO SAPIENS “Homo” (Latin) means “man” or “human” “Sapiens” (Latin) means “wise” or “intelligent” “Homo sapiens” = “wise man” or “wise human” Humans and Neanderthals both considered “sapiens”

12. H UMANS – H OMO SAPIENS SAPIENS – “U S ” Fully modern humans (like us) in Africa by around 60,000 years ago Culture, language, music, etc. “Out of Africa” theory Humans began spreading throughout, and out of, Africa beginning around 60,000 years ago Early human migrations Humans left Africa By 10,000 years ago, modern human beings had spread all over the globe

13. H UMANS AND N EANDERTHALS Studies have shown that human DNA and Neanderthal DNA are very different. New studies coming out every few years about the possibility of interbreeding between Cro Magnon and Neanderthal THE QUESTION REMAINS: Would the offspring of Neanderthal/Cro Magnon be fertile? Mule/Horse Problem http://www.history.com/videos/prehistoric- humans-cross-the-atlantic#discovering- neanderthal

14. E ARLY H UMAN M IGRATIONS : R OUTE OF M DNA Numbers are thousands of years before the present. ← Africa ↑ North America

15. R EVIEW Q UESTIONS 1. What has archaeogenetics told us about Neanderthals? 2. Who was Mitochondrial Eve? 3. Who was Y-chromosomal Adam? 4. Describe the “Out of Africa” theory. 5. What parts of the world were the first to be settled by modern humans? The last?