The Origin of Humans

 

·        History is the study if change over time

·        Historians try to answer two important questions through their research; why did change take place and what effects did this change have on those who experienced it

·        Artifacts are human-made objects such as tools, pottery and ruined buildings

·        Speculation and interpretation are two tools used by historians to fill in the gaps of time

·        Blending fact and opinion makes history controversial and dynamic

·        To create a complete picture of a particular time period, historians must gather information related to political, economic, social and geographical or environmental developments

·         Political developments concern the operation and decisions of government

·        Economic developments include the ways people survived or earned a living

·        Social developments relate to people’s homes and to their culture (art, architecture and music)

·        Geographical developments include the ways the environment changed or affected human actions

·        Archaeologists are specialists who study early humans and civilization

·        Fossils are the recognizable remains or impressions left by a plant or animal

·        Anthropologists are scientists who study the origin, development, distribution, social habits and culture of humans

·        Paleontologists examine fossil remains of plants and animal life to understand past geological periods

·        In 1974 Donald Johanson found a fossilized skeleton in Ethiopia

·        It was the most complete skeleton ever found (Australopithecus afarensis)

·        This skull was the key to unlocking the secrets to hominids (human-like creatures)

·        The discovery of fossil bones has helped the study of human origins immensely

·        The most important discoveries have usually been located in hot, dry regions (deserts) or in cold, dry areas (arctic)

·        The oldest human fossil remains have been found in Africa

·        Human culture has developed in three main stages:

  1. when humans lived in the open
  2. when humans learned to use fire, which provided warmth and light
  3. when humans learned to farm and to live in villages

·        the theory of evolution suggests that the great variety of plant and animal life on earth developed gradually through natural processes

·        Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on the idea that species changed or adapted overtime in response to the environment

·        Evolution traces human development through several stages from the first humanlike beings to modern humans

·        Hominids began to appear over four million years ago

·        Hominids are different from apes because of bipedalism (walking on two feet) and their large brain size

·        Walking on two feet left the hands free to perform many different tasks (carrying the young, making tools and weapons)

The Australopithecines

·        Maeve Leakey discovered some of the oldest representatives of the australopithecines in 1995

·        She located pieces of a 4.1 million year old hominid (Australopithecus anamnesis)

·        The discover was in Kenya

·        The hominid had very pronounced apelike teeth, and may have been the ancestor of the Australopithecus afarensis

·        Donald Johanson discovered a set of fossilized bones of a female hominid approximately 3.18 million years old

·        She was named “Lucy” after the Beatles song “Lucy in the sky with Diamonds”

·        This species (Lucy’s) remained unchanged for 900 000 years

·        The afarensis  had a jutting jaw, heavy brow, flaring cheeks and strong muscles

·        The brain was about one-third the size of modern humans (500 cm3)

·        They had long powerful forearms, curved fingers and toes, upward tilting shoulders and were completely bipedal

·        Males were larger and heavier than females

·        They travelled in groups of  25-30 members and were mostly likely preyed on, having only rocks to use as weapons

The Stone Age

·        Known as the stone age because most of the artifacts found from this time are made of stone

·        Humans who lived in this time are usually classified as the genus Homo

·        The Stone Age is divided into three stages:

1.      Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) 2 million BC – 10 000 BCE

2.      Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) 10 000 BCE – 8000 BCE

3.      Neolithic (New Stone Age) 8000 BCE – 5000 BCE

 

Homo habilis

·        Known as the “handy man”

·        Flourished in Africa about 2.5 million years ago

·        The first hominids to develop and use stone tools, which proves increased ability (brain power) with a brain about 725 cm3

·        Had humanlike teeth

Homo erectus

·        First appeared about 2 million years ago

·        The species name, erectus, refers to their ability to walk upright like moderns

·        Only a few dozen skulls have been found in Africa, Java and China

·        The skull had a low vaulted braincase that was long and broad; massive eyebrow ridges, high bony crests in the neckline

·        The brain ranged from 850 cm3 to 1400 cm3

·        “Java Man” was found in 1892 and is approximately 700 000 years old

·        these early humans most likely survived by hunting wild animals and gathering plants for food

·        as their skills increased (brain power) they made tools of stone, bone and wood

·        they were the first species to use fire and to migrate into Europe and Asia (from Africa)

Homo sapiens

·        sapiens means “man who thinks”, appropriate title for the species that formulated the spoken language and developed sophisticated tools

·        there are two types of Homo sapiens; the Neanderthals (Homo sapiens neanderthalis) and the Homo sapiens sapiens who are commonly known as Cro-Magnon

Neanderthals

·        first appeared in Europe about 230 000 years ago; they disappeared about 30 000 years ago

·        during the classical Neanderthal period (130 000 years ago) they were considered to be formidable hunters and gathers

·        they hunted rhinoceroses, elk, bison and mammoths

·        they gathered edible plants, shellfish and small reptiles

·        their faces were accentuated by broad noses and thick eyebrow ridges over their eyes

·        they had low foreheads and lacked strong chins; the skull sloped back low over the brain; faces jutted forward beneath the eyes (cheekbones angles to the side; their limbs were short and their bodies stocky

·        Neanderthals faced a hard and dangerous life

·        The oldest skeleton was 45 but most did not survive their 30’s

Homo sapiens sapiens

·        About 400 000 years ago modern humans had the skills to make clothing, better shelters and efficient hearths

·        Cro-Magnon people were about as tall as modern northwestern Europeans (men 180 cm and women 160 cm)

·        Facial and cranial feature included high foreheads, curving noses, large jaws and small teeth

·        Eventually moved into Asia and 30 000 years ago entered the Americas and Australia

Charts for Reference

Human Evolution: A Developmental Timeline page12-13

Figure 1 – 9 (page 18) Comparing Homo erectus skulls with that of modern humans

Figure 1 – 12 (page 20) Skeletal find Locations