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.
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
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 600,000530,000 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.
NEANDERTALS
La Chapelle
(France)
skull and
reconstruction
Neandertals: Premodern Humans of the
Late Pleistocene
• Neandertals are typically placed by researchers into a
separate species: Homo neanderthalensis.
• Brain Size: Larger than H. sapiens today (1520 cm3
compared to 1300-1400 cm3 (perhaps adapted to
cold climate).
• Cranium: Large, long, low, and bulging at the sides.
• Structure: Robust, barrel-chested, and powerfully
muscled with shorter limbs than modern H. sapiens.
Upper Paleolithic
• A cultural period usually associated with
modern humans, but also found with some
Neandertals, and distinguished by
technological innovation in various stone tool
industries.
• Best known from western Europe, similar
industries are also known from central and
eastern Europe and Africa.