Early Hominins

1
Early Hominins

• Part 3

2
The new genus Homo

• What does genus mean?
• Significance of using a new genus name for Homo
• Homo habilis
• East Africa and southern Africa
• H habilis as early as 2.3 mya to about 1.5 mya
• Lived at same time as A boisei and possibly at
  same time as H erectus
• Homo rudolfensis
• About the same time as H habilis
• Some paleoanthropologists lump with H habilis

3
Comparison between Australopithecines and new
species of Homo

• Physical differences
• Larger brainsH habilis had cranial capacity of
  630-640 (Compare to the robust australopithecines
  with cranial capacities of 490-530cc)
• Smaller molars and premolarswhat might this
  mean?
• Physical similarities
• Skeleton from head down similar to
  Australopithecines with strong hands and
  relatively long arms suggesting they were still
  comfortable in trees and were able to brachiate
• May have been sexually dimorphic like
  Australopithecineswhat does this mean?

4
Comparison between Australopithecines and new
species of Homo

• Cultural differences
• Stone tools
• Were they actually made by H. habilis? What
  other species might have produced these tools?
• Brain capacity larger in H habilis
• Oldest stone tools from E. Africa and date at
  about 2.5 mya
• Gona, Ethiopia
• Percussion flaking
• Flakes
• Cobble tolls
• Core tools

5
Olduvai Gorge tools

• Stone artifacts include
• Core tools
• Choppers-sharp edged core tools
• Scrapers
• Flakes
• Unifacial versus bifacial tools
• Bed I at Olduvai Gorge had Oldowan tool
  assemblage
• See text p. 184

6
Oldowan basalt choppers and chert flakes
7
Homo habilis Handy-man and, of course, woman
the tool maker

• Olduvai chopper-chopping tools see
  http//www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/olduvai/index
  2.html for photo
• http//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImage
  s/Images/olduvai_ast_2001032_lrg.jpg

8
For what were early stone tools used?

• Processing food from about 2 mya
• Cutting meat?
• Smashing bones to get at marrow?
• Cutting branches?
• Removing animals hides?
• Experimental archaeology and Lawrence Keeley
  suggest cutting meat and wood
• Probably also used wood and bone tools
• Early stone tools not used as weapons

9
For what were early stone tools used?

• Mostly scavenging rather than hunting between 2
  and 1.7 mya
• Cut marks overlie teeth marks left by predatory
  animals
• But some evidence of cut marks that indicate some
  hunting
• Olduvai Bed I and lower Bed II
• Mobile settlement pattern using Olduvai during
  dry season
• Used a wide variety of animals as shown by bones
  from antelopes, wild pigs, elephants, giraffes
• Were there home bases at Olduvai?
• Mary Leakey said arrangement of stones suggests
  yes
• Later research shows carnivores used site which
  makes for a dangerous home basewhy live with the
  leopards?
• Potts suggests sites may be stone and stone tool
  caches

10
Did H habilis have culture?

• Patterned behaviour shown by stone tools and
  sites suggest learned social behaviourculture
• Culture is
• Learned and shared through interaction with
  othersit is a social process
• Adaptive
• Adaptation of the group to a specific environment
  cultural ecology
• But anthropologists differ on how much culture is
  driven directly by environmental adaptation
• Changeablenew behaviours arise and may or may
  not replace the old ones? Why are some kept and
  others discarded?Is adaptation to the
  environment the only or best explanation for
  culture change?

11
Overview of Early Hominins

• Locomotion
• BipedalHow do we know this?
• Diet
• Australopithecines?
• Gracile forms and robust forms similarities and
  differences?
• Homo habilis
• Social organization
• Why would these animals live and work together?
• Roles of males and females?Can we assume males
  got food and females stayed home with the
  kids?Why might the is a model that is
  comfortable to think
• Culture
• Why is culture significant? What fundamental
  differences does culture make to adaptation and
  natural selection?