Objective: IWBAT

• broadly describe the progression of hominids during the prehistorical period

Welcome to Prehistory

Raymond Dart discovered

The “Taung Baby” in 1924

The Taung baby lived from before 3 million years ago to approximately 2 million years ago, and was a contemporary of early human species-- perhaps competing with early humans.

“Lucy” was discovered in

1974 in Hadar,

Ethiopia by Donald

Johanson

Lucy lived from approximately 4 to 2.7 million years ago.

Hominid footprints from 3.6 million years ago, Laetoli, Tanzania, in 1978.

Homo Habilis—HandymanFirst human species

Homo erectus lived from approximately 2 million to around 400,000 years ago.

"Neanderthal Man"--was a robust human species occupying Europe and western Asia from approximately 135,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Above center is a skull of "Cro-Magnon man" from Les Eysie, France, approximately 28,000 years old (Homo sapiens sapiens moved into Europe around 35,000 years ago at the latest). The distinctive features of our species can be seen in the skull at far right, also an example of Cro-Magnon man, contrasted with a typical Neanderthal skull to its immediate left. The H. sapiens sapiens skull is smaller and more compact and the face is much less elongated than the Neanderthal; the modern human skull has a higher forehead, less prominent brow-ridges and smaller teeth.

Homo sapiens sapiens sites present overwhelming evidence of pervasive cultural practices. The multiple burial from central Europe on the left is 26,000 years old.

“Mammoth Cave”

Site where the Ice Man—Otzi--was

discovered in September 1991.

Voices from the Past

Recovery

The Iceman

Lifesize reproduction by the National Geographic