Chapter 13

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

Late Pleistocene• Culture of Neandertals• Genetic Evidence• Trends in Human Evolution:

Understanding Premodern Humans• Issue: The Evolution of Language

The Pleistocene• The Pleistocene, often called the Ice Age, was

marked by advances and retreats of massive continental glaciations. At least 15 major and 50 minor glacial

advances have been documented in Europe. Hominids were impacted as the climate, flora,

and animal life shifted.• Middle Pleistocene (780,000– 25,000 y.a.)• Upper Pleistocene (125,000–10,000 y.a.)

Interglacials• Climatic intervals when continental ice

sheets are retreating, eventually becoming much reduced in size.

• Interglacials in northern latitudes are associated with warmer temperatures, while in southern latitudes the climate becomes wetter.

Glaciations • Climatic intervals when continental ice

sheets cover much of the northern continents.

• Glaciations are associated with colder temperatures in northern latitudes and more arid conditions in southern latitudes, most notably in Africa.

Changing Pleistocene Environments in Africa

Changing Pleistocene Environments in Eurasia

Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H. heidelbergensis) Fossils from Africa

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

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 ofsecond individual,

miscellaneous postcranial bones

Homo heidelbergensis skull from Zambia

• The Kabwe (Broken Hill) Homo heidelbergensis skull from Zambia.

• Note the very heavy supraorbital torus.

Earliest Evidence of Homo Heidelbergensis in Africa

• Bodo cranium, the earliest evidence of Homo heidelbergensis in Africa.

Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H. heidelbergensis) Fossils from Europe

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Arago(Tautavel,

France)

400,000–300,000; date

uncertain

Face; parietal perhaps from same person; many cranial

fragments; up to 23 individuals represented

Atapuerca(Sima de los

Huesos,northern Spain)

320,000–190,000, probably 300,000

Minimum of 28 individuals, including some

nearly complete crania

Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H. heidelbergensis) Fossils from Europe

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Steinheim (Germany)

300,000–250,000;

date uncertain

Nearly complete skull, lacking mandible

Swanscombe(England)

300,000–250,000; date

uncertain

Occipital and parietals

Steinheim Cranium• Steinheim cranium, a

representative of H. heidelbergensis from Germany.

Fossil Discoveries of Middle Pleistocene Premodern Hominids.

Fossil Discoveries of Middle Pleistocene Premodern Hominids.

Key Middle Pleistocene Premodern Human (H. heidelbergensis) Fossils from Asia

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Dali(China)

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

Nearly complete skull, lacking mandible. Nearly

complete skull

Jinniushan(China)

Late Middle Pleistocene(200,000)

Partial skeleton, including a cranium

Crania from China• (a) Dali skull and (b)

Jinniushan skull, both from China.

• These two crania are considered by some to be Asian representatives of Homo heidelbergensis.

Time line ofMiddle Pleistocene hominids.

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

Culture of Neandertals• Neandertals, who lived in the cultural

period known as the Middle Paleolithic, are almost always associated with the Mousterian industry.

• In the early part of the last glacial period, Mousterian culture extended across Europe and North Africa into the former Soviet Union, Israel, Iran, and as far east as Uzbekistan and perhaps even China.

Culture of Neandertals • Neandertals improved on previous prepared-

core techniques by inventing a new variation. They trimmed a flint nodule around the edges

to form a disk-shaped core. Each time they struck the edge, they

produced a flake, continuing this way until the core became too small and was discarded.

They then trimmed the flakes into various forms, such as scrapers, points, and knives.

Morphology and Variation in Neandertal Crania

Krapina

• (a) Lateral view showing characteristic Neandertal traits.

• (b) Three quarters view.

Fossil Discoveries of Neandertals

Mousterian Tools

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.

Excavation of the Tabun Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel

Shanidar 1• Among the individuals

buried at Shanidar cave is the skeleton of a one-armed, partially blind, crippled man.

• He could not have hunted or gathered food on his own.

• Some believe his survival is proof of Neandertal compassion and humanity

Subsistence• Remains of animal bones demonstrate that

Neandertals were successful hunters.• 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.

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.

Question• The prevailing consensus among

researches is that Neandertal:a) was capable of articulate speech.b) probably used grunting sounds to

communicate.c) did not have the anatomical

features required for speech.d) was unable to speak.

Answer: a • The prevailing consensus among

researches is that Neandertal was capable of articulate speech.

Question• Regarding deliberate burials:

a) Neandertals laid the deceased on their back.

b) Neandertals included stone tools.c) Neandertals included a shroud.d) it is seen in Africa before Europe.

Answer: b • Regarding deliberate burials Neandertals

included stone tools.

Key Neandertal Fossil Discoveries

Site Dates (y.a.) Human Remains

Vindija(Croatia)

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

La Chapelle(France) 50,000 Nearly complete male skeleton

Shanidar(Iraq)

70,000–60,000 9 partial skeletons

Tabun(Israel)

110,000 date uncertain

2 or 3 individuals, almost complete female skeleton

Krapina(Croatia)

125,000–120,000

Up to 40 individuals, fragmentary

Cultural Contrasts: Neandertals and Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

ToolTechnology Numerous flake tools;

few, however, apparently for highly specialized functions; use of bone, antler, or ivory very rare; relatively few tools with more than one or two parts

Many more varieties of stone tools; many apparently for specialized functions; frequent use of bone, antler, and ivory; many more tools comprised of two or more component parts

Cultural Contrasts: Neandertals and Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Hunting Efficiency

and Weapons

No long-distance hunting weapons; close-proximity weapons used

(more likelihood of injury)

Use of spear-thrower and bow and arrow; wider range of social contacts, permitting more organized hunting

parties

Stone Material Transport

Stone materials transported only short distances

Stone tool raw materials transported over longer

distances, implies wider social networks and trade

Cultural Contrasts: Neandertals and Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Art Artwork uncommon; small; mostly of a

personal nature; some items misinterpreted as

“art”; others may be intrusive from overlying

Upper Paleolithic contexts; cave art absent

Artwork much more common, including

transportable objects as well as elaborate cave art; well executed,using a variety of materials and techniques;

stylistic sophistication

Cultural Contrasts: Neandertals and Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

Neandertals Upper Paleolithic Modern Humans

BurialDeliberate burial at

several sites; graves unelaborated; graves

frequently lack artifacts

Burials much more complex, frequently

including both tools and remains of animals

Phylogeny of genus Homo

Phylogeny of genus Homo

Three Major Evolutionary Transitions1. 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.