Chapter 1.1: Human Origins in Africa
I.
Scientists Search for Human Origins
 Prehistory- means before written record/ invention of writing
A. Scientists Discover Clues
 Archaeologists- scientists who study early peoples by excavating and
studying the traces of early settlements
 Artifacts: remains, such as tools, jewelry, and other human-made objects
 Anthropologists study culture…cultural behavior, customs, family life, and
social relationships
 Paleontologists- study fossils of early life, preserved in rock
B. Mary Leakey Finds Footprints
 Mid-1970’s: archaeologist, Mary Leakey, led a scientific expedition to
Laetoli in Tanzania
 Prehistoric footsteps made by australopithecines that walked upright
 Hominids= humans and human-like creatures
C. Johanson Discovers “Lucy”
 Donald Johanson- Ethiopia- 1974 found a mostly complete skeleton of an
adult female hominid
 “Lucy” was named after a Beatles song, and lived around 3.5 million years
ago
D. Hominids in Motion
 Australopithecines…walking upright
 Opposable thumbs
II.
Progress During the Old Stone Age
 Invention of tools, mastery over fire, and the development of language
 Paleolithic Age- Old Stone Age- 2.5 million to 8000BC
 New Stone Age/Neolithic- began about 8000BC to 3000BC
o Polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals
 Last Ice Age ended around 10,000 years ago
A. Homo Habilis: The First Toolmaker?
 2.5 million years ago- Homo habilis “man of skill” in Olduvai Gorge in
northern Tanzania- found by Louis and Mary Leakey in 1960
 Tools made from lava rock…obsidian
B. Homo Erectus Is More Intelligent
 1.6 million years ago: Homo erectus “upright man”
 Homo erectus believed to be more intelligent and developed technologyways of applying knowledge, tools, and inventions to meet their needs
 Homo erectus is believed to be the first to use FIRE
 First hominids to migrate from Africa
 Beginnings of spoken language
III.
The Dawn of Modern Humans
 Homo sapiens- species name for modern humans
 Homo sapiens- “wise men” with larger brains
 Neanderthals competed with Cro-Magnons (ancestor of modern humans)
A. Neanderthals’ Way of Life
 Neander Valley in Germany in 1856
 Lived between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago
 Neanderthals had religious beliefs and rituals- burials
 Neanderthals vanished around 30,000 years ago…still a mystery
B. Cro-Magnons Emerge
 Skeletal remains of Cro-Magnons are identical to modern humans
 Evidence that they planned their hunts, spoken language, maybe edged out
the Neanderthals
C. Recent Findings Add New Knowledge
 1996: Neanderthal bone flute…musical expression
 Technological advances would help launch a revolution in the way people
lived.
Name: _______________________
Date: ____________ Period: ______
Chapter 1.1 Reading Quiz
1. Who was Mary Leakey? (time period, location, key
achievements)
20th Century, British archaeologist who made many
discoveries in East Africa of Australopithecines.
2. Identify at least 2 characteristics of the Paleolithic
Age and 2 characteristics of the Neolithic Age
Paleolithic—stone tools, hunting-gathering, small bands
Neolithic- polished stone tools, pottery, grow crops, raise
animals
3. Compare and Contrast Neanderthals and CroMagnons (a minimum of 2 similarities and 2
differences)
Similarities: both hominids, both lived around the same
time, both lived in Europe, both had some sort of religion
Differences: Neanderthals had smaller brains then CroMagnons, Cro-Magnons are considered ancestors of
modern humans, Neanderthals are not, Neanderthals
were also found in Southwest Asia, Cro-Magnons have
only been found in Europe