Hominid Evolution
When? Where?
Evolution
Timeline
Trends
Bipedalism
 African
genesis
Savannas?
Environmental
 factors
variability?
favoring bipedalism
 modifications for bipedalism
 costs of bipedalism
Hominid Trends (cont.)
Expansion
of Brain
 early
hominids = small brains
 factors contributing to expansion
Other
Trends
 reduction
of face / teeth / jaws
 wider female pelvis
 longer infant dependency
 division of labor
Australopithecines
Fossil
Finds
 plentiful
sites (Africa)
 indicate bipedalism
Australopithecines (cont.)
Adaptations
of Australopithecines
 dentition
 habitation
 sexual
dimorphism
 brain size increasing
 habitual bipedalism
 use of tools
Homo habilis
Introduction
 appeared
2.5 mya
 stone tools
traits
 larger
brain size
 elaboration of culture
 elaboration of tools
 dentition
Homo habilis (cont.)
Cultural
Characteristics of Homo
habilis
 Oldowan
pebble tools
unifacial
& bifacial
percussion flaking
 increased
consumption of meat
exploited
 mobile
wide range of animals
populations
Homo erectus
 Introduction

widely distributed species
 Early

Discoveries
“Java Man”
 Eugene
Dubois – 1891
 Thought to have Asian origin

Other finds
 1950’s

– Africa
Indicated earliest presence was African continent
Homo erectus (cont.)
Physical
Traits of Homo erectus
 increasing
 thick
brain size
skull
 face reducing
 molars reduced
Homo erectus (cont.)
Acheulian
Tool Tradition
 St.
Acheul, France - first discovery
 comparison to Oldowan tools
more
 tools
elaborate
for butchering
Homo erectus (cont.)
Control
of Fire
 Zhoukoudian
 Uses
Cave, China
of fire
Campsites
 near
water sites
 caves and open areas
 base camps? specialized camps?
 Terra Amata - near Nice, France
Transition from Homo
erectus
areas
of agreement
areas of disagreement
fossils with mixed traits
 Africa
fossils
/ Europe / Asia
< 200,000 years old
 definitely
Homo sapiens
Two Origin Theories
Single-origin
 modern
theory (hatrack)
humans evolved in one
place
 spread rapidly to other areas
 superseded Neanderthals
 DNA evidence
 “Eve” hypothesis
Out-of-Africa
Two Origin Theories (cont.)
Multiregional
theory (candelabra)
 modern
humans evolved in various
parts of the Old World
evolved
from widely dispersed H.
erectus populations
resulted in wide varieties of humans
we observe today
Two Origin Theories (cont.)
Multiregional
 Neanderthals
theory (cont.)
were
“transitional” form