Archaic Archaic Homo sapiensHomo sapiens

Homo antecessorHomo antecessor

Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis

Archaic Archaic HomoHomo

For many years, scientists placed any problematic For many years, scientists placed any problematic specimens displaying mixtures of "erectus-like" and specimens displaying mixtures of "erectus-like" and "modern" traits into a confusing category: "modern" traits into a confusing category: "Archaic" "Archaic" Homo sapiensHomo sapiens (basically meaning any (basically meaning any Homo sapiens Homo sapiens that didn't look quite modern). that didn't look quite modern).

Recently, it has been proposed to separate these Recently, it has been proposed to separate these individuals into distinct species. For this purpose, the individuals into distinct species. For this purpose, the names names Homo antecessor &Homo antecessor & Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis have been assigned.have been assigned.

Homo antecessorHomo antecessor The species The species Homo antecessorHomo antecessor is another very controversial is another very controversial

species designation. The species was designated by J.L. species designation. The species was designated by J.L. Arsuaga et al. to the remains of several individuals found at Arsuaga et al. to the remains of several individuals found at the the GranGran DolinaDolina site, Spain. site, Spain.

The discovery was significant because the remains have been The discovery was significant because the remains have been securely dated at over 780 kyr. This makes the material the securely dated at over 780 kyr. This makes the material the earliest known European specimens. earliest known European specimens.

The find breathed new life into the argument for the validity of The find breathed new life into the argument for the validity of H. heidelbergensisH. heidelbergensis, as well as creating a whole new species: , as well as creating a whole new species: H. antecessorH. antecessor..

Homo antecessor Homo antecessor traitstraits Has a marked double-arched browridge (like later Neanderthals Has a marked double-arched browridge (like later Neanderthals

and Chinese erectus). and Chinese erectus).

An approximate brain size of 1000-1300 cc. An approximate brain size of 1000-1300 cc.

Reduced mandibular thickness when compared to Reduced mandibular thickness when compared to ergasterergaster or or early early erectuserectus. .

Has small postcanines that resemble those of the habilines Has small postcanines that resemble those of the habilines ((habilishabilis and and rudolfensisrudolfensis), but they are still within the ), but they are still within the ergasterergaster//erectuserectus range. range.

Shovel-shaped maxillary incisors (ancestral condition). Shovel-shaped maxillary incisors (ancestral condition).

Found in Europe ca. 800,000 B.P.Found in Europe ca. 800,000 B.P.

Gran Dolina Site, SpainGran Dolina Site, Spain The most complete specimen The most complete specimen

is Hominid 3, which is also the is Hominid 3, which is also the type specimen for type specimen for antecessorantecessor. .

This is unusual because This is unusual because Hominid 3 is a 10-year old, Hominid 3 is a 10-year old, and therefore has not fully and therefore has not fully developed its skeletal developed its skeletal characteristics. characteristics.

The specimen was chosen The specimen was chosen because it highlighted all the because it highlighted all the features that the researchers features that the researchers were attempting to describe as were attempting to describe as typic of the species. typic of the species.

However, these features are all However, these features are all variable (even within the small variable (even within the small sample from Gran Dolina sample from Gran Dolina itself. itself.

“Gran Dolina Boy”

Reconstruction of “Gran Dolina Reconstruction of “Gran Dolina Boy”Boy”

Illustration by Mauricio Antón

Gran Dolina site, SpainGran Dolina site, Spain

AMNH

Site of Gran Site of Gran Dolina, Dolina, SpainSpain

Flake tools from Gran DolinaFlake tools from Gran Dolina

AMNH

Tools found with the Gran Dolina fossils include simple cutting flakes. Cut marks left by tools on human bones indicate the bodies were defleshed after death (Mauricio Antón/Madrid Scientific Films), possible evidence, the excavators say, of cannibalism (Javier Trueba/Madrid Scientific Films).

Illustration by Mauricio Antón

Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis is the species name now given to a range of is the species name now given to a range of

specimens from about 400,000 years ago to the appearance of specimens from about 400,000 years ago to the appearance of anatomically modern anatomically modern Homo sapiensHomo sapiens (the species to which we belong). (the species to which we belong).

The species name was originally proposed for the fossil mandible The species name was originally proposed for the fossil mandible discovered at Mauer, a town near Heidelberg, Germany. It is a nearly discovered at Mauer, a town near Heidelberg, Germany. It is a nearly complete early human mandible that is very robustly built, but lacks a complete early human mandible that is very robustly built, but lacks a chin. chin.

Additional finds of early humans with morphological attributes of both Additional finds of early humans with morphological attributes of both modern humans and modern humans and Homo erectusHomo erectus have shown that the transition from have shown that the transition from early and middle Pleistocene forms and the morphology of modern early and middle Pleistocene forms and the morphology of modern humankind was not a neat transition that could be easily explained.humankind was not a neat transition that could be easily explained.

Species:Species: Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis

Age:Age: Middle PleistoceneMiddle Pleistocene

Date of Date of Discovery:Discovery:

October 21, 1907October 21, 1907

Location:Location: Mauer, GermanyMauer, Germany

Discovered Discovered by:by:

An anonymous An anonymous workmanworkman

This mandible was found by a workman in the Rösch sandpit just north of the village of Mauer near Heidelberg, Germany, in 1907. The workman showed the find to the anatomist O. Schoentensack, who provided the initial description of the specimen. The mandible is complete with only the premolars and first two molars on the left side missing. The molars were recovered separately, although the premolars were lost.

Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis The mandible itself is large, and robustly built like that seen in Homo erectus, with

broad ascending rami. The corpus of the mandible is deep and thicker than a modern human's. The lack of a projecting chin is another morphological difference from modern humans.

Schoentensack proposed the species name Homo heidelbergensis for the Mauer specimen. This assignment has been problematic over the years. The robust morphology of the jaw shows affinities to Homo erectus populations from the same time period, yet the tooth morphology is decidedly more "modern" in appearance.

Most researchers agree that the Mauer mandible is not Homo erectus. For a long time many scientists placed the mandible a rather confusing taxon: "Archaic" Homo sapiens. Recently, members of this taxon have been separated at the species level and given a separate species name: Homo heidelbergensis.

Unfortunately, there is no way to absolutely date the Mauer specimen; that is, determine exactly how old the specimen is. However, faunal correlation (comparing the animal fossils found at this site with other sites for which dates have been determined) has placed the find within the Middle Pleistocene, perhaps 500,000 years old.

Kabwe SkullKabwe Skull• Once thought to be less than 40,000 years old, the Kabwe skull (also

known as the Broken Hill skull) was used at one time to validate the supposed "primitiveness" of African peoples, demonstrating that while Europeans had evolved to the "level" of Cro-Magnon, African populations still looked essentially like Homo erectus.

• This assumption was shown to be flawed on many accounts, most crucially in that the date for this site based on the associated animal fossils found is at least 125,000 years old, and is probably significantly older.

• Some researchers have proposed that Kabwe may be a member of the African population from which all modern humans descended, although this cannot be definitively proven.

Species:Species: Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis

Age:Age: 125,000 to 300,000 years125,000 to 300,000 years

Date of Date of DiscoveryDiscovery

::June 17, 1921June 17, 1921

Location:Location: Kabwe, ZambiaKabwe, Zambia

DiscovereDiscovered by:d by:

Tom ZwiglaarTom Zwiglaar

•The braincase profile is low and slopes back from a large supraorbital torus reminiscent of earlier H. erectus specimens.

•There is also the remnant of a sagittal keel and an occipital torus at the back of the skull, also recalling H. erectus. However, the face is more modern in appearance (less prognathic, flatter) and the brain size of about 1300 cc. is larger than seen in H. erectus.

•Thus, this cranium preserves many traits that are reminiscent of earlier H. erectus and hints of more modern traits known later in H. sapiens.

• The cranium shows evidence of disease and wounds that occurred in the lifetime of this individual.

• Ten of the upper teeth have cavities, and dental abscesses of the upper jaw are clearly visible in the upper photograph (above the right incisor/canine) and the middle photograph (above the first molar).

• Additionally, a partially healed wound is visible above and anterior of the hole for the ear.

• This wound measured roughly a quarter-inch across, and was made by either a piercing instrument or the tooth of a carnivore. Exactly which is unclear

Kabwe skull

Arago 21   Skull

•Found by Henri and Marie- Antoinette de Lumley in the late 1960's/ early 1970's in Tautavel, France•Dated to between 200,000 - 400,000 years

http://www.msu.edu/~heslipst/contents/ANP440/heidelbergensis.htm

Bodo   Partial Cranium Bodo   Partial Cranium

•Discovered by Asfaw, Whitehead, and Wood in 1976 in the Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia•Dated to 600,000 years

http://www.msu.edu/~heslipst/contents/ANP440/heidelbergensis.htm

Petralona   Cranium

•Found by local villagers in Petralona, Greece in 1960•Dated to between 150,000 - 200,000 years

http://www.msu.edu/~heslipst/contents/ANP440/heidelbergensis.htm

Sima de los Huesos- “Pit of Bones”Sima de los Huesos- “Pit of Bones”•In a cave beneath the Atapuerca hillside, and not far from Gran Dolina, lies one of the most remarkable sites in all of paleoanthropology: the location known as Sima de los Huesos, or the Pit of the Bones. •The bottom of the pit is crammed with bones from such animals as cave bears, lions, foxes and wolves, as well as the hominid species Homo heidelbergensis. •Dates to around 400,000 years ago.AMNH

““Pit of Bones”Pit of Bones”

Ursus spelaeus “Cave Bear”

AMNH

Sima humans- Sima humans- Homo heidelbergensisHomo heidelbergensis

•They were reasonably tall—males averaged about five feet, seven inches. •And like their close relatives the Neanderthals, they were robustly built. •Several of the individuals suffered from disease or injury.

Illustration by Mauricio Antón

•Heavy wear on the front teeth of some of the Sima hominids suggests that they held objects such as skins in their mouths while working on them with stone tools. •In this hypothetical scenario, a Sima man scrapes a hide with a stone implement.

Illustration by Mauricio Antón

How did the bones of the Sima How did the bones of the Sima hominids end up in the cave? hominids end up in the cave?

There are no indications that the hominids ever lived in the There are no indications that the hominids ever lived in the cave—for example, there is no evidence that they used fire or cave—for example, there is no evidence that they used fire or made tools there. made tools there.

Remains from around 30 individuals have been found, many Remains from around 30 individuals have been found, many of them teenagers and young adults. of them teenagers and young adults.

If the Sima hominids had fallen in accidentally, we would If the Sima hominids had fallen in accidentally, we would expect to see a wider range of ages represented. expect to see a wider range of ages represented.

These bodies may have been intentionally thrown into the pit These bodies may have been intentionally thrown into the pit by other hominids—but we do not know why.by other hominids—but we do not know why.

Disposing of the dead?Disposing of the dead?

•The scientists who discovered the Sima fossils have speculated instead that the hominids disposed of these bodies by carrying them over to the cave—perhaps as shown in the imaginative illustration above—and then throwing them in. •There is no evidence, however, that this practice was part of a tradition of planned burial. •The Neanderthals were the first hominids known to engage in such behavior, beginning under 100,000 years ago.

Illustration by Mauricio Antón