Pioneers of Modern Humanity

By 100,000 Years Ago ...

ARCHAIC Homo sapiens

Found throughout the “Old World”

Physically similar, culturally distinct

“Growing into” local environments

A “critical mass” of neurons attained

Discovered by Johann Fuhlrott in 1856 in a small cave at Feldhofer in the Neander Valley in Germany. The find consisted of a skullcap, thigh bones, part of a pelvis, some ribs, and some arm and shoulder bones. The lowerleft arm had been broken in life, and as a result the bones of the left arm were smaller than those of the right.

There were actually two earlier Neandertal finds. A partial cranium of a 2.5 year old child found in 1829 in Belgium was not recognized until 1936. An adult cranium found on Gibraltar in 1848 gathered dust in a museum until it was recognized as a Neandertal in 1864.

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

By 100,000 Years Ago ...

ARCHAIC Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

1400cc skull capacity (vs. 1300cc for mod humans)

Mainly confined to SW Europe

Very robust skeleton

Comparison of top view of Chimpanzee, Homo erectus, and Neandertal skulls.

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

First hominid known to have buried the dead.

Earlier cultures had core tool lithic technologies, Mousterian is characterized by flake tools.

Flake tool technology…

Mousterian Culture

Levallois flakes

consciousness…

aesthetics….

religion

Middle Paleolithic (Middle Old Stone Age)

Homo sapiens neanderthalensisWhat happened to Neandertal?

Homo sapiens sapiens

….had “grown into” a wide variety of local habitats throughout theOld World by cultural adaptation.

Upper Paleolithic Sequence in Southwestern France and Northern Spain

Magdalenian 15,000-10,000BC

Chatelperronian 38,000-28,500BC

Aurignacian 28,500-22,000BC

Gravettian 22,000-18,000BC

Solutrian 18,000-15,000BC

By 40,000 Years Ago….

Altamira

Lascaux

Solutrian Laurel-leaf Points“Venus” figurines

Burins

Backed blades

Pech Merle

Lascaux - southwestern France

In this panel of Back-to Back Bison, reserves around the limbs in the background, distortion of shapes, choice of surface, symmetrical composition, are all used to create a three dimensional effect...

Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)

Altamira - northern Spain

Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)

In this representation of a horse, red is ocher, black charcoal. Undulations in cave wall and ceiling were incorporated in the composition of the paintings.

Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)

Pech Merle - Spotted Horses (entoptic phenomena?)

Summary of Early Fossil EvidenceThis chart shows rough sequence of fossil hominids.

10,000BP ------------------------------Homo sapiens (full culture, worldwide distribution)

100,000BP ----------------------------Homo sapiens (Neandertal, et al.)

1mBP ----------------------------------Homo erectus (Radiation thru Old World)

2mBP ----------------------------------Homo habilis (Earliest Culture?)

3mBP ----------------------------------Australopithecus var. (Fully bipedal)

4mBP ----------------------------------Ardipithecus ramidus (Earliest hominines?)

5mBP ----------------------------------

Post Pleistocene Adaptations

Mesolithic and Archaic - After last glaciation in Europe and New World.

Exam 1 Scores

A – 8

B – 10

C – 6

D – 1

F – 0

O - 2

Neolithic

domestication of plants and animals

The Neolithic Revolution

Sedentary, population increase, specialization in division of labor

Jericho; Jarmo - early villages

occurred independently in several “hearths”

Early Civilization

Developed in various places at different times….

Sumerian Civilization - Early Phases (Developed in the Fertile Crecent region.)

generally in area of earliest domestication.

Sumerian Early Dynasty 3200-2800 BCE

Sumerian Protoliterate 3500-3200 BCE

Sumerian Ubaid Phase 3800-3500 BCE