Chapter 10, Human Species

Israel near Tabun cave at Mt. Carmel; skeleton with most complete pelvil; first "hyoid" bone found (base of tongue); imp. for reconstructing speech capabilities

Kebara cave

Southwest France, Western Europe; important discover in 1908, shallow grave with flexed burial

La Chapele-aux-saints

France; cave; evidence of neandertal cannibalism

Moula-guercy cave

DNA from several, including original Neander Valley Fossil

Neandertal DNA (mtDNA)

Atapuerca, Spain, near Gran Dolina; site called this; most of the Middle leistocene hominids remains found in world

Sima de los Huesos

Premodern humans of the middle pleistocene:

1) africa 2) europe 3) asia

Neandertals deliberately buried their dead, many placed in flexed position; body bent with arms and legs drawn up to chest

Burials

Mix of earlier and later char.; chinese paleoanthropologists suggest some features 1) shared with homo erectus fossils from Zhoukoudian) 2) found in modern homo sapiens in this place; this is a controversial view that a separate homo erectus lineage led to modern chinese

China

Characteristics of premodern humans:

Earliest premoderns; some homo erectus char. and modern features; larger brain, rounded brain case, maximum breath higher - not wider at base, trend toward brain expansion

Crotia (near kaprina); another recent site (like st. cesaire, 42,000-28,000); less robust than "classic"; and among most recent neandertals found, smaller browridge and slight chin development, link with modern homo sapiens

Vindija cave (central europe)

premodern fossils found at several sites in south and east ____

africa

Premoderns were recently considered an early, primitive, transitional "homo sapein" and called this; many paleoanthropologists consider these a seaprate species; the named replaced by name "homo heidelbergensis" in europe and asia

archaic homo sapiens

Neandertal artwork no common; only small, personal items

art

Behavior may explain what happened to neandertals; including "symbolic" behavior; homo sapiens may have had significant advantage; expanded ability to symbolize, comm., organize social activities

behavior differences

one of the earliest homo heidelbergensis in africa; evidence of butchering

bodo

This is larger than today's humans; cold weather adaptation

brain

increased use; middle pleistocene populations continued to live here and open-air sites; indications that this increased

caves

Teshik-Tash site; Uzbekistan; evidence that neandertal range extended eastward into central asia

central asia

An upper paleolithic stone industry found in France and Spain; associated with neandertal; neandertal borrowed and modiefed techniques and tools from anatomically modern humans; neandertal usualy associated with middle paleolithic

chatelperronian (w. europe)

This is large, long, low, and bulging at sides; browridges arched; face projects

cranium and face

Certain trends over time; include brain expansion, less angled back of skull (occipital), diverse group over 3 continents, disagreement on how to classify

differences

Middle pleistocene hominids dispersed throughout Oldworld, often in areas where h. erectus had lived; europe for the first time became more permanently and desnely occupied

dispersal of middle pleistocene hominids

More middle pleistocene fossils found in _____ than other regions

europe

Neandertals did not disappear suddenly; they coexisted with moderns for up to 15,000 years; cultural differences may help explain replacement by anatomically modern upper paleolithic peoples

evolutionary dead-end

New research with advances in molecular biology; extract, amplify, and sequence ancientDNA

genetic evidence

Ice sheets covered much of the norther continents; northern areas of europe and asia become uninhabitable

glaciations

Northern spain at atapuerca (850,000 b.c.) fossils are not homo erectus but another species, according to spanish researchers, or might be early "homo heidelbergensis"

gran dolina

Neandertal graves - not elaborate; frequently lacked artifacts, burials not as complex as later anatomically modern h. sapiens

grave goods

Premoderns generally succeeded ____, except coexisted for long periods in asia

homo erectus

This is transitional, probably ancestor to both modern humans and neandertals

homo hedelbergensis

Premodern fossils from african and europe, from about 850,000 to 200,000 y.a; placed within this

homo heidelbergensis

Premodern fossils in africa, and europe more similar to each; traits from both h. erectus and h. sapiens, usually referred to as this:

homo heidelbergensis

There are some strong cases of this; especially the recent find at Schoningen in Germany

hunting (doubts/new case for hunting)

Ice sheets retreating and becoming smaller; certain migration routes reopened

interglacial

One of the best known premodern fossils; complete cranium; mixture of older and recent traits; robust browridge but larger (modern) brain case

kabwe

Croatia (central europe -- 130,000-110,000); earliest site with "classic" neandertal (similar to western europe); oneo f earliest intentional burials found

kaprina (central europe)

Other homo heidelbergensis sites in europe:

like african counterparts show some homo erectus traits and more derived traits

Famous paleontologist studied the La Chapelle skeleton; unusually robust; described find as brutish and bent-kneed and not ful bipedal

macellin boule

neandertal ssociated with cultural period kown as "middle paleolithic" and stone industry called "mousterian" industry

middle paleolithic

this was most often used - extracted and amplified:

mitochondrial DNA

widespread; europe, north arica, as far east as central asia and other areas

mousterian

W. europe (france and spain), Central Europe (including croatia), w. europe (including israel and iraq and sw asia), central asia (including uzbekistan)

neandertal discoveries

Difficult to place: 1) classified as "homo sapiens" or homo sapiens neandertalensis or 2) a separate species homo neandertalensis

neandertals

Nuclear Dna: confirms early divergence; neandertal was separate for long time

nuclear DNA

Most premodern hominids lived in the Middle ____ (780,000-25,000 y.a); some later premodern, especially the neandertals lived well into the upper pleistocene (125,000-10,000 y.a.)

pleistocene

Robust, barrel-chested, powerful muslces; shorter limbs; adaptation to living in cold climate

postcranial

Some isolated regional populations died out, others continued; 1) in africa, h. heidelbergensis evolved into modern homo sapiens 2) in europe, h. heidelbergensis evolved into neandertal 1

regional populations

Neandertal seem more different from contemporary h. sapiens (based on dna); seemed isolated from other hominins; a lineage separated from modern h. sapiens ancestors

results of DNA comparison (mtDNA)

Germany (400,000 years ago); 3 preserved wooden spears; large (6 ft.), finely mad eand expertly balanced; throwing spears for large animals; numerous horse bones found; spears indicates advanceed hunting

schnoningen

In iraq; deliberate burials; severely injured person survived, helped by others

shanidar

Evidence of temporary shelters at several sites, includin Terra Amata site

shelters

Some indications of early neandertal-like pattern (like arching eyebrows, projecting midface); homo hedelbergensis or a very early neandertal ancestor; morphology

sima de los huesos morphology

African premoderns are similar to ____ species (usually called homo heidelbergensis), and similar to premoderns in europe

single

Prevaling consensus has been that neandertals were capable of articulate speech

speech and symbolic behavior

Neandertals were successful hunters; used close-proximity spears; no long distance weapons, dangerous - many injuries; numerous fractures, head and neck injuries

subsistence (hunting)

Mt. Carmel in Israel (120,000-110,000 y.a.); less robust than european classic; contemporary with modern homo sapiens nearby

tabun cave

Neandertals improved on Levallois technique; new techniques to produce more flakes from same core; used many flake tools (bone, ivory, antler tools very rare)

technology

Southern france, nice; detailed middle pleistocene reconstruction of a shelter; evidence of short-term seasonal visits

terra amata

This technique for stone tool making was used in africa and europe; requires several steps to conrol flake size and shape

the levallois technique

This is often called the Ice age; glacial advances and retreats, hominids impacted (beginning rhymes with ice...)

the pleistocene

Most neander fossils found in europe; in europe more "robust" than other areas;

"classic" neandertals of europe

Immediate predecessors are referred to as ____ _____

"premodern humans"

hominids following homo erectus; before anatomically modern human; includes "homo heidelbergensis" and others such as Neandertal

"premodern humans"

Transitional hominids in Europe continue into upper pleistocene; evolution of premoderns takes unique direction; appearance and expansion of neandertals

transitional europe

Transitional forms go back to Middle plesitocene; not until upper plesitocene that neandertals become fully recognizable

transitional to full forms

Following discussion concerned especially with populations during the last glaciation; although some are earlier

uper pleistocene