PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGYCHAPTER 13 PROFESSOR SOLIS

Pre-Modern Humans Pre-Modern Humans

Refers to those hominids that are behaviorally and physiologically like Homo sapiens –

Still significant differences Still can refer to them as

“human” but distinguish them from “modern humans” – “Pre – Modern Humans”

Pre-Modern Humans include Neanderthals and other Homo species

Pre-Modern Humans Pre-Modern Humans and the Ice Age Most pre-modern humans lived during the Middle Pleistocene

(780,000 to 125,000 kya) Some, like Neanderthal, lived into the Late Pleistocene (125,000

to 20,000 kya) The Pleistocene is called the Ice Age because of dramatic drops in

temperature, major advances in continental glaciers, ice accumulation and increase in snow fall. During the Pleistocene there were interglacial periods – warmer

periods During the Ice Age the glaciations were mostly confined to Europe,

Asia, N. America, and Antarctica – the northern latitudes

Pre-Modern Humans Homo heidelbergensis

Dating from 850,000 to 200,000

Named after a fossil found in Germany in 1907

This is believed to be a transitional species between Homo erectus and modern humans and probably an ancestor to Neanderthals as well

Has been found in Africa, Europe, and possibly Asia (though some argue these specimens are variants of Homo erectus)

Middle Pleistocene Evolution Pre-Modern finds from Africa and

Europe resemble each other more than they do hominids from Asia –

The African and European finds are referred to as Homo heidelbergensis.

It is hypothesized that in Africa, H. heidelbergensis evolved into H. sapiens; in Europe H. Heidelbergensis may have evolved into Neanderthals, and in Asia – there is no consensus- all pre-modern forms might have met with extinction or continued to evolve into modern humans, or where they replaced by an African population?

Middle Pleistocene Tool Technology

New Tool Technology Levallois Technique Co-existed with Acheulian

technology Less hand axes and more

worked flakes Continued living in caves

and open air sites, but possible increase use of caves

Controlled use of fire Evidence of temporary

structures Exploitation of various

resources Advanced hunting

technology – spears found in 1995 in Schoningen, Germany

Middle Pleistocene Tool Technology Eight wooden javelins found at

Schoningen 400,000 to 380,000 Measure 6 ft long Finely crafted – spruce, well

balanced Found with remains of horses

Neanderthals/Neandertals Neandertals were originally

found over a century ago Originally thought to be the

ancestor of Homo sapiens Some anthropologists still

classify them as a “sub species” to humans

Other scientists disagree – see Neandertals as a separate species Homo neanderthalensis

Lived from about 750,000 to 20,000 +/- during the last major glaciation

Most specimens have been found in Europe – we have some from western Asia

•Early evidence of cannibalism•9 individuals found in Spain•Scientists have discovered the gene for red hair and fair skin

Neandertal Characteristics Neandertals had a large brain – larger than H. sapiens

today Average brain size for humans is 1300 to 1400 cm3

Neandertal brain size was around 1520 cm3

Neandertal sites

La Chapelle-aux-Saints -1908 – burial of a 40 year old Neandertal male – purposely buried – grave goods in association (tools and offerings) buried in a flexed position

This individual suffered from osteoarthritis of the spine

Very large brain 1620cm3 Moula-Guercy Cave – clear

evidence of cannibalism. Tool cut marks on possibly 6+ individuals, cut marks to extract marrow and the brain. Other animal bones in association processed in the same way (evidence of hammer on anvil tools)

Neanderthal Sites St. Cesaire and Vindija sites:

33,000 to 32,000 ya. Have anatomically modern

humans living in close proximity

Borrowed tool technology from modern humans

New technology: Chatelperronian Upper Paleolithic tool industry found in

France and Spain – mostly blade tools.

Neanderthal Sites Israel

Tabun – Excavated in the 1930’s Female skeleton Dated by thermoluminescence (TL)

120,000-110,000 ya Contemporaries with H. sapiens

found in nearby caves

Neanderthal Sites

Kebara Cave Partial skeleton, dated to 60,000 ya Complete Neanderthal thorax and

pelvis and a hyoid bone – first ever found

Reconstruction of language capabilities among Neanderthals

Tool Technology

Mousterian Tools– associated with Neandertals and some modern H. sapien groups – more flake like tools

Shows up during the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian culture spread across

Europe, N. Africa, former Soviet Union, Israel, Iran, Uzbekistan and possibly China

Specialized tools for skinning and preparing meat, hunting, and wood working.

Neandertals subject to head and neck trauma – similar to modern rodeo performers (trampling by ungulates)

Hunting in close contact

Speech and Symbolic Behavior

When did full human language emerge?

Debated by scientists for decades Did Neandertals have the capacity

for speech? Some believe that speech played a

role in H. sapiens dominating and eradicating Neandertals?

A new find indicates that Neandertals and humans share the same version of a gene, FOXP2, which contributes to advanced language. The finding suggests that Neandertals might have talked like modern humans.

Illustration courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs

Lingering Questions

mtDNA extracted from Neandertal specimens indicate that they are genetically different from modern H. sapien populations

Suggested divergence with modern H. sapien ancestors around 690,000 to 550,000 ya.

See DNA patterns that are different from modern humans

Though considered a separate species, some argue that they were not a completely separate biological species and had the capacity to interbreed with modern humans

Was this likely- given high degree of geographic isolation?

Lingering Questions… 2010 Sequencing of European

Neanderthal Genome Conclusion: that some

interbreeding with H. sapiens did occur (80,000-50,000 ya)

Conclusion

Middle Pleistocene (780,000 to 125,000) Period of great transition in

human evolution Transitional hominids that are

closer in relationship to modern humans than earlier forms – Pre-Modern Humans Homo heidelbergensis Neandertals

Neandertals exist well into the Late Pleistocene (20,000 ya)

Most scientists consider Neandertals a side branch of human evolution