Chapter 12

Premodern Humans

Chapter Outline

When, Where, and What Premodern Humans of the Middle

Pleistocene A Review of Middle Pleistocene

Evolution Middle Pleistocene Culture

Chapter Outline

Neandertals: Premodern Humans of the Upper Pleistocene

Culture of Neandertals Genetic Evidence Trends in Human Evolution:

Understanding Premodern Humans

The Pleistocene

There were at least 15 major and 50 minor glacial advances in Europe.

Hominids living in Europe and northern Asia were most affected by climatic oscillations.

As ice sheets expanded, the northern areas of Europe and Asia became uninhabitable.

As the climate warmed, migration routes such as the one from Central into Western Europe would have reopened.

Changing Pleistocene Environments in Africa

Regions of Likely HominidOccupation

Dark areas are major glaciers. Arrows indicate likely migration routes.

Middle Pleistocene Hominids: Terminology

Major morphological changes relative to Homo erectus:– increase in brain size– more globular cranial vault– more vertical nose– reduction in the angulation of the occipit

Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Africa

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Africa

Bodo(Ethiopia)

Middle Pleistocene (600,000?)

Incomplete skull, part of braincase.

Broken Hill(Kabwe)(Zambia)

Late Middle Pleistocene;(130,000 or older)

Nearly complete cranium, cranial fragments, postcranial bones

Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Europe

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Arago (Tautavel)(France)

400,000–300,000;date uncertain

Face; parietal perhaps from same person; cranial fragments; up to 23 individuals

AtapuercaSima de losHuesos, northern Spain)

320,000–190,000,probably 300,000

Minimum of 32 individuals, including nearly complete crania

Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Europe

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Steinheim(Germany)

Mindel-Riss Interglacial—300,000–250,000; date uncertain

Nearly complete skull, lacking mandible

Swanscombe(England)

Mindel-Riss Interglacial—300,000–250,000;date uncertain

Occipital and parietals

Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human Fossils from Asia

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

China

Dali Late Middle Pleistocene(230,000–180,000)

Nearly complete skull

Jinniushan Late Middle Pleistocene(200,000)

Partial skeleton, including a cranium

Review of Middle Pleistocene Evolution (400,000-125,000 y.a.)

Like the erects/sapiens mix in Africa and China, fossils from Europe exhibit traits from both species.

Fossils from each continent differ, but the physical differences are not extraordinary.

There is a definite increase in brain size and a change in the shape of the skull.

Middle Pleistocene Tools

African and European archaics invented the Levallois technique for tool making.

Acheulian tools are associated with hand axes.

Different tool traditions coexist in some areas.

The Levallois Technique

Time Line for Neandertal Fossil Discoveries

Key Neandertal Fossil Discoveries

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Vindija(Croatia)

42,000–28,000 35 specimens; almost entirely cranial fragments

La Chapelle(France)

50,000 Nearly complete adult male skeleton

Shanidar(Iraq)

70,000–60,000 9 individuals (partial skeletons)

Key Neandertal Fossil Discoveries

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Tabun(Israel)

110,000date uncertain

2 (perhaps 3) individuals, including almost complete skeleton of adult female

Krapina(Croatia)

125,000–120,000

Up to 40 individuals, but very fragmentary

Settlements

People of the Mousterian culture lived in open sites, caves, and rock shelters.

Windbreaks of poles and skin were placed at the cave opening for protection against severe weather.

Fire was used for cooking, warmth, light, and keeping predators at bay.

Subsistence

Remains of animal bones demonstrate that Neandertals were successful hunters.

They used close-proximity spears for hunting (spear thrower and bow and arrow weren’t invented until the Upper Paleolithic).

Patterns of trauma in Neandertal remains match those of contemporary rodeo performers, indicating close proximity to prey.

Mousterian Tools

Symbolic Behavior

Prevailing consensus has been that Neandertals were capable of articulate speech

Even if Neandertals did speak, they did not have the same language capabilities of modern Homo sapiens.

Burials

Neanderthals buried their dead. Their burials included grave goods like

animal bones and stone tools. They placed the bodies of their dead in

a flexed position.

Three Major Evolutionary Transitions

1. Transition from early Homo to H. erectus. Geographically limited to Africa and occurred rapidly.

2. Transition of H. erectus grading into early H. sapiens. Not geographically limited, but occurred slowly and unevenly.

3. Transition from Archaic H. sapiens to anatomically modern H. sapiens.

Phylogeny Showing Evolution of Homo (Very Modest Species Diversity)

Phylogeny Showing Multiple Species of Homo (Considerable Diversity)