1. Chapter 12
Premodern Humans

2. Chapter Outline When, Where, and What
Premodern Humans of the Middle Pleistocene
A Review of Middle Pleistocene Evolution
Middle Pleistocene Culture

3. Chapter Outline Neandertals: Premodern Humans of the Upper Pleistocene
Culture of Neandertals
Genetic Evidence
Trends in Human Evolution: Understanding Premodern Humans

4. The Pleistocene
There were at least 15 major and 50 minor glacial advances in Europe.
Hominids living in Europe and northern Asia were most affected by climatic oscillations.
As ice sheets expanded, the northern areas of Europe and Asia became uninhabitable.
As the climate warmed, migration routes such as the one from Central into Western Europe would have reopened.

5. Changing Pleistocene Environments in Africa

6. Regions of Likely Hominid Occupation
Dark areas are major glaciers. Arrows indicate likely migration routes.

7. Middle Pleistocene Hominids: Terminology
Major morphological changes relative to Homo erectus:
increase in brain size
more globular cranial vault
more vertical nose
reduction in the angulation of the occipit

8. Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Africa
Site
Dates (y.a.)
Human Remains
Africa
Bodo
(Ethiopia)
Middle Pleistocene (600,000?)
Incomplete skull, part of braincase.
Broken Hill
(Kabwe)
(Zambia)
Late Middle Pleistocene;
(130,000 or older)
Nearly complete cranium, cranial fragments, postcranial bones

9. Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Europe
Site
Dates (y.a.)
Human Remains
Arago (Tautavel)
(France)
400,000– 300,000;
date uncertain
Face; parietal perhaps from same person; cranial fragments; up to 23 individuals
Atapuerca
Sima de los
Huesos, northern Spain)
320,000– 190,000,
probably 300,000
Minimum of 32 individuals, including nearly complete crania

10. Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Europe
Site
Dates (y.a.)
Human Remains
Steinheim
(Germany)
Mindel-Riss Interglacial—
300,000–250,000; date uncertain
Nearly complete skull, lacking mandible
Swanscombe
(England)
300,000–250,000;
date uncertain
Occipital and parietals

11. Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Asia
Site
Dates (y.a.)
Human Remains
China
Dali
Late Middle Pleistocene
(230,000–180,000)
Nearly complete skull
Jinniushan
(200,000)
Partial skeleton, including a cranium

12. Review of Middle Pleistocene Evolution (400,000-125,000 y.a.)
Like the erects/sapiens mix in Africa and China, fossils from Europe exhibit traits from both species.
Fossils from each continent differ, but the physical differences are not extraordinary.
There is a definite increase in brain size and a change in the shape of the skull.

14. Middle Pleistocene Tools
African and European archaics invented the Levallois technique for tool making.
Acheulian tools are associated with hand axes.
Different tool traditions coexist in some areas.

15. The Levallois Technique

16. Time Line for Neandertal Fossil Discoveries

17. Key Neandertal Fossil Discoveries
Site
Dates (y.a.)
Human Remains
Vindija
(Croatia)
42,000–28,000
35 specimens; almost entirely cranial fragments
La Chapelle
(France)
50,000
Nearly complete adult male skeleton
Shanidar
(Iraq)
70,000–60,000
9 individuals (partial skeletons)

18. Key Neandertal Fossil Discoveries
Site
Dates (y.a.)
Human Remains
Tabun
(Israel)
110,000
date uncertain
2 (perhaps 3) individuals, including almost complete skeleton of adult female
Krapina
(Croatia)
125,000– 120,000
Up to 40 individuals, but very fragmentary

19. Settlements
People of the Mousterian culture lived in open sites, caves, and rock shelters.
Windbreaks of poles and skin were placed at the cave opening for protection against severe weather.
Fire was used for cooking, warmth, light, and keeping predators at bay.

20. Subsistence
Remains of animal bones demonstrate that Neandertals were successful hunters.
They used close-proximity spears for hunting (spear thrower and bow and arrow weren’t invented until the Upper Paleolithic).
Patterns of trauma in Neandertal remains match those of contemporary rodeo performers, indicating close proximity to prey.

21. Mousterian Tools

22. Symbolic Behavior
Prevailing consensus has been that Neandertals were capable of articulate speech
Even if Neandertals did speak, they did not have the same language capabilities of modern Homo sapiens.

23. Burials Neanderthals buried their dead.
Their burials included grave goods like animal bones and stone tools.
They placed the bodies of their dead in a flexed position.

24. Three Major Evolutionary Transitions
Transition from early Homo to H. erectus. Geographically limited to Africa and occurred rapidly.
Transition of H. erectus grading into early H. sapiens. Not geographically limited, but occurred slowly and unevenly.
Transition from Archaic H. sapiens to anatomically modern H. sapiens.

25. Phylogeny Showing Evolution of Homo (Very Modest Species Diversity)

26. Phylogeny Showing Multiple Species of Homo (Considerable Diversity)