Chapter 10
Premodern Humans
What we’re going for today…
• Who were the immediate precursors to
modern Homo sapiens, and how do they
compare with modern humans?
Left: Homo Erectus (1mya)
Center: Australopithicus afarensis (2.5mya)
Right: Homo Neandertalensis (100,000-32,000ya)
Phylogeny of Genus Homo Very Modest Species Diversity
Phylogeny of genus Homo - Considerable
Species Diversity
The Pleistocene
• The Pleistocene, often called the Ice Age,
was marked by advances and retreats of
massive continental glaciations.
– At least 15 major and 50 minor glacial
advances have been documented in Europe.
– Hominins were impacted as the climate,
flora, and animal life shifted.
Middle Pleistocene
• The portion of the Pleistocene epoch
beginning 780,000 ya and ending
125,000 ya.
Late Pleistocene
• The portion of the Pleistocene epoch
beginning 125,000 ya and ending
approximately 10,000 ya.
Glaciations
• Climatic intervals when continental ice
sheets cover much of the northern
continents.
• Glaciations are associated with colder
temperatures in northern latitudes and
more arid conditions in southern
latitudes, most notably in Africa.
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 in southern latitudes the climate
becomes wetter.
Changing Pleistocene Environments in
Africa
Changing Pleistocene Environments in
Eurasia
• Green areas are possible hominid occupation
areas. White areas are glaciers. Arrows
indicate migration routes.
Middle Pleistocene Hominins
• Widely distributed in Africa, Asia and Europe,
replacing earlier hominins in previously
exploited habitats (or coexisting as in
Southeast Asia)
• Exhibit several H. erectus characteristics
– Large face, projected brows, low forehead,
and thick cranial vault
• Increased brain size, rounded braincase,
vertical nose, and reduced occipital
Becoming Human Part III
• Nova
Homo heidelbergensis Skull From
Zambia
• The Kabwe (Broken
Hill) Homo
heidelbergensis skull
from Zambia.
• Note the robust
browridges.
Homo heidelbergensis Bodo Cranium
• The earliest
evidence of Homo
heidelbergensis in
Africa.
Europe
• Gran Dolina (northern Spain) may
represent H. heidelbergensis, possibly
dating to 850,000 ya
• Atapuerca site of Sima de los Huesos
remains of at least 28 individuals date to
600,000-530,000 ya (represent 80% of all
Middle Pleistocene hominin remains in
the world)
Asia
• Dali fossils display H. erectus and H.
sapiens traits, cranial capacity of 1120
cm3
• Jinniushan, northeast China, 200,000 ya
and cranniall capacity appx 1260 cm3
Middle Pleistocene Culture
• The Acheulian technology of H. erectus carried
into the Middle Pleistocene with little change
until near the end of the period, when it
became slightly more sophisticated.
• Some later premodern humans in Africa and
Europe invented the Levallois (next slide) for
controlling flake size and shape.
• This suggests increased cognitive abilities in
later premodern populations.
The Levallois Technique
Middle Pleistocene Culture
• Premodern human populations
continued to live in caves and open-air
sites, but they may have increased their
use of caves.
• Chinese archaeologists insist that many
Middle Pleistocene sites in China contain
evidence of human-controlled fire.
Middle Pleistocene Culture
• Researchers found concentrations of bones,
stones, and artifacts at several sites suggesting
that Middle Pleistocene hominids built
temporary structures.
• There is also evidence that they exploited
different food sources, fruits, vegetables, fish,
seeds, nuts, and bird eggs, each in its own
season.
• They also exploited marine life, a new
innovation in human evolution.
Middle Pleistocene Culture
• Researchers have found little evidence
supporting widely practiced advanced
hunting.
• However, in 1995 wood spears were found at
the Schöningen site in Germany.
– These were most likely used as throwing
spears to hunt large animals.
– The bones of numerous horses were also
recovered at Schöningen.