Premodern humans

Oct. 16, 2008

Introduction

• Who and what were the Neandertals?

• What does it mean to be human?

• When in our evolutionary past can we say that our predecessors were obviously human?

Shanidar 1

When, Where, and What

• The Pleistocene– Early (or Lower) 1.8 - 0.78 Mya– Middle - 0.78 - 0.125– Late (or Upper) - 0.125 - 0.01

• Glaciations – climatic intervals when continental ice sheets cover much of northern continents. Glaciations are associated with colder temperatures in northern latitudes and more arid (or dry) conditions in the southern latitudes (most notably Africa). See Milankovich cycles (Precession, Obliquity, Eccentricity)

• 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 the southern latitudes the climate becomes wetter (or moister).

Dispersal of Middle Pleistocene hominins

• Widely distributed across Africa, Europe and Asia

• Europe become more densely populated

• Middle Pleistocene hominins replace Homo erectus?

Middle Pleistocene Hominins: Terminology

• Earlier representatives of the premoderns retain several H. erectus features, such as, large face, low forehead, projected brows and the cranial vault is still thick

• However, more modern features include brain size increase, rounded braincase, vertical nose, less angled occipital

• “archaic Homo sapiens”• Homo antecessor; Homo heidelbergensis; Homo

helmei

Premodern humans of the Middle Pleistocene

• Africa – Bodo, Ethiopia; 600 Ka; cutmarks

- Broken Hill (Kabwe), Zambia; 400 Ka; mixed features

- other sites Florisbad & Elandsfontein, South Africa• Europe – Gran Dolina, Spain; Boxgrove &

Swanscombe, UK; Atapuerca (Sima de los huesos); Arago, France; Steinheim & Mauer, Germany; Petralona, Greece

• Asia – Dali & Jinniushan, China

Hominins from the Middle Pleistocene

• Bodo from Ethiopia

Broken Hill skull from Zambia

Hominins from the Middle Pleistocene

• Arago XXI from France

Atapuerca 5 from Spain

Dali skull from China

Review of Middle Pleistocene Evolution

• African and European fossils more similar to one another than to Asian fossils

• Mixed features

• Regional populations

Middle Pleistocene Culture

• Acheulian continues• Levallois technique

developed• Increase in cognitive

abilities?• Temporary structures• Hunting & scavenging • Schoningen (Germany)

wooden spears• Fire?, most likely

Neanderthals: Premodern humans of the Upper Pleistocene

• Homo sapiens neanderthalensis or Homo neanderthalensis• ~130-28 Ka• Evolutionary origins, >500 Ka• Upper Paleolithic – Cultural period associated with modern

human (but also found with some Neandertals• Chatelperronian – Pertaining to an Upper Paleolithic industry

found in France and Spain, containing blade technology and associated with Neandertals.

• Child burial in Portugal displaying Neanderthal and modern human features

Neandertals: Premodern humans of the Upper Pleistocene

• Neandertal features – large, double arching brow ridges, low forehead, large cranial capacity, occipital bun, projecting midface, lack of chin

• Western Europe – Gibraltar, La Ferrassie & La Chapelle, France; Spy, Belgium.

• Central Europe – Krapina & Vindija, Croatia• Western Asia

– Tabun Cave, Kebara Cave, Amud Cave, Israel– Shanidar, Iraq

• Central Asia – Teshik-Tash, Uzbekistan

Culture of Neandertals

• Technology – Mousterian or Mode 3 of the Middle Paleolithic

• Subsistence – hunting or scavenging?• Symbolic behavior – body ornaments• Fire• Burials – some individuals recovered in a flexed

position• Cannibalism or rituals associated with burials• Care for the elderly

Genetic Evidence

• By extracting mtDNA from Neanderthal bones, the results show that they are genetically more different from contemporary modern human populations than modern human populations are from each other, about 3x as much

• Neandertals and humans shared a last common ancestor between 690-550 Ka

Trends in Human Evolution: Understanding premodern humans

• Diverse group of hominins

• Considerable variation

• Transitional species between Homo erectus and modern humans

• Separate species or perhaps paleo-demes

Remains from Spain

Neanderthals and Modern humans

Teshik-Tash, Uzbekistan