Pioneers of Modern Humanity

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Pioneers of Modern Humanity
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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
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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.
By 100,000 Years Ago ...
ARCHAIC Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
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.
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Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Mainly confined to SW Europe
1400cc skull capacity (vs. 1300cc for mod humans)
Very robust skeleton
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Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Middle Paleolithic (Middle Old Stone Age)
Mousterian Culture
Flake tool technology
Levallois flakes
Earlier cultures had core tool lithic
technologies, Mousterian is characterized by
flake tools.
First hominid known to have buried the dead.
consciousness
aesthetics.
religion
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Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
What happened to Neandertal?
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Homo sapiens sapiens
By 40,000 Years Ago.
.had grown into a wide variety of local
habitats throughout the Old World by cultural
adaptation.
Upper Paleolithic Sequence in Southwestern France
and Northern Spain
Lascaux
Magdalenian 15,000-10,000BC
Altamira
Solutrian 18,000-15,000BC
Pech Merle
Solutrian Laurel-leaf Points
Gravettian 22,000-18,000BC
Venus figurines
Aurignacian 28,500-22,000BC
Burins
Chatelperronian 38,000-28,500BC
Backed blades
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Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)
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...
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Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)
Altamira - northern Spain
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.
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Upper Paleolithic Art (ca. 12, 000 BP)
Pech Merle - Spotted Horses (entoptic phenomena?)
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Summary of Early Fossil Evidence
This 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
----------------------------------
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Post Pleistocene Adaptations
Exam 1 Scores A 8 B 10 C 6 D 1 F 0 O - 2
Mesolithic and Archaic - After last glaciation in
Europe and New World.
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Neolithic
The Neolithic Revolution
domestication of plants and animals
occurred independently in several hearths
Sedentary, population increase, specialization
in division of labor
Jericho Jarmo - early villages
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Early Civilization
Developed in various places at different times.
generally in area of earliest domestication.
Sumerian Civilization - Early Phases (Developed
in the Fertile Crecent region.)
Sumerian Early Dynasty 3200-2800 BCE
Sumerian Protoliterate 3500-3200 BCE
Sumerian Ubaid Phase 3800-3500 BCE