louis and mary leakey at olduvai gorge - knox collegecourses.knox.edu/anso101/08theleakeys.pdf ·...

Since 1930Since 1930’’ssOldowan Oldowan ToolsToolsNo human fossilsNo human fossils

Louis and Mary Leakeyat Olduvai Gorge

Louis and Mary Leakeyat Olduvai Gorge

OH 5 “Zinj”Australopithecus boisei

OH 5 “Zinj”Australopithecus boisei

MaryMary LeakeyLeakey, 1959, 1959OlduvaiOlduvai Gorge, TanzaniaGorge, TanzaniaAge: 1.8 million yearsAge: 1.8 million years

Significance: The longSignificance: The long--awaited awaited hominid to go with thehominid to go with theOlduvaiOlduvai tools, this hypertools, this hyper--robust specimen surprised robust specimen surprised everyone. It was dubbed everyone. It was dubbed ““ZinjanthropusZinjanthropus”” from the from the Swahili name for East Africa, Swahili name for East Africa, and nicknamed and nicknamed ““Nutcracker.Nutcracker.””

Homo habilisHomo habilisLouisLouis Leakey, 1961Leakey, 1961OlduvaiOlduvai: Many specimens: Many specimens1.8 1.8 myamyaSmall molarsSmall molars600 cc600 cc

OH 13

OH 24

Orthodox View, 1960’sOrthodox View, 1960’sNix toNix to habilishabilisTwoTwo aussiesaussies;; africanusafricanus our ancestorour ancestor

Richard LeakeyRichard Leakey

Investigations at LakeInvestigations at LakeTurkanaTurkana, Kenya, Kenya

KNM-ER 1470: Homo habilis (or rudolphensis)KNM-ER 1470: Homo habilis (or rudolphensis)

RichardRichard LeakeyLeakey, 1972, 1972LakeLake TurkanaTurkana, Kenya, KenyaAge: 1.8 million yearsAge: 1.8 million yearsCranial capacity: 775 ccCranial capacity: 775 ccSignificance: LargeSignificance: Large--brained and initially dated at 3m years, 1470 brained and initially dated at 3m years, 1470

suggested an ancient suggested an ancient HomoHomo lineage. Even afterlineage. Even after redatedredated at under 2m at under 2m years, it remains the largestyears, it remains the largest--brained human before brained human before erectuserectus. It may be . It may be

sufficiently different from the smallsufficiently different from the small habilishabilis specimens (compare KNMspecimens (compare KNM--ER ER 1813) to rate its own species, 1813) to rate its own species, H.H. rudolphensisrudolphensis..

1470: So Old, So Brainy!1470: So Old, So Brainy!

OH24: 1.8m600 cc

1470: 2.9m?775 cc

Origins: What New Discoveries

Reveal About the Emergence of Our

Species and its Possible Future

Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin (1977)

Origins: What New Discoveries

Reveal About the Emergence of Our

Species and its Possible Future

Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin (1977)

Richard Leakey’s Phylogeny in Origins (1977)Richard Leakey’s Phylogeny in Origins (1977)

?

5 million years

4 million years

3 million years

2 million years

1 million yearsA. robustus

A. africanus

Homo sp.

H. erectus

H. sapiens

1470

“First Family”Laetoli Footprints

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