Hominin Fossils
What is a hominin?
• Habitually bipedal (upright, 2-legged locomotion)
primate
• Larger (relative to body size) and complex brain
than apes
• Unique dentition (small canines, no diastema,
and thick tooth enamel)
Bipedalism vs. Knuckle-walking
Figure 8.4: A Comparison of Human and Chimpanzee
Pelvises
Human Dentition
Small canines
No diastema
Thick tooth enamel
A Comparison of the Skull and Dentition (Upper Jaw) of
Humans and Chimpanzees
Australopithecus afarensis
[Fossil Cast: reconstruction, based on several individuals
– over 300 individuals found in East Africa]
“Lucy” fossil [AL 288-1], on right, found in 1974 in Ethiopia
40% of skeleton found
Humerofemoral Index
Length of humerus/Length of femur x
100 =
Lucy = 84.6
Humans = 71.8
Chimpanzees = 100
4 – 3 million years ago
East Africa
430 cm3
“Lucy”
• Hip bone bowl-shaped
• Femur angled more like a
human
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
Australopithecus afarensis
(430 cm3)
2.0 MYA
1.0 MYA
Present
Laetoli Footprints
Footprints fossilized in volcanic ash
date to 3.6 million years ago from
East Africa [found in 1976]
Footprints show the big toe in line
with the other toes – characteristic
of bipedality
Australopithecus africanus
[Fossil Cast: STS 5 – found in 1947 in South Africa/2.6 million years old]
3 – 2 million years ago
South Africa
485 cm3
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
2.0 MYA
Australopithecus afarensis
(430 cm3)
Australopithecus africanus
(485 cm3)
1.0 MYA
Present
Homo habilis
[Fossil Cast: KNM-ER 1813 – found in 1973 in East Africa]
2.5 – 1.5 million years ago
East Africa
510 cm3
Artifacts Associated with Homo habilis and
Homo rudolphensis
• Oldowan stone tools crude stone tools made from water-worn
creek pebbles made of volcanic rock
cores and flakes
2 million years old
East Africa
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
2.0 MYA
Homo habilis
Australopithecus afarensis
(430 cm3)
Australopithecus africanus
(485 cm3)
1.0 MYA
(510 cm3)
Present
Homo erectus
[Fossil Cast: KNM-WT 1500 “Turkana Boy” – found in 1984 in East Africa]
1.6 million years ago
East Africa
880 cm3/
909 cm3
Homo erectus- “Turkana Boy”
5’5”/6’ as an adult
Estimated to be 9 – 12 years old
Homo erectus
[Fossil Cast: Weidenreich Reconstruction from 40 individuals
found in the 1930’s in China]
1.8 million years ago – 300,000 years ago:
Africa
Europe
China
Indonesia
970 cm3
(range 750 – 1250)
Homo erectus Sites
Artifacts Associated with Homo erectus
• Acheulean stone tools (hand axes)
• Also – evidence of fire hearths at some cave sites
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
2.0 MYA
1.0 MYA
Homo erectus (970 cm3)
Homo habilis
Australopithecus afarensis
(430 cm3)
Australopithecus africanus
(485 cm3)
(510 cm3)
Present
Archaic Homo sapiens
[Fossil Cast: Broken Hill 1 – found in 1921 in Southern Africa]
500,000 – 130,000 years ago:
Europe
Asia
Africa
1200 cm3
Archaic Homo sapiens Sites
Archaeological Remains Associated with Archaic
Homo sapiens
• Remains of 21 oval branch and brush huts with
simple fire hearths at the site of Terra Amata on the
southern French coast (400,000 years ago)
• 32 skeletons buried in a cave chamber at a site in
Atapuerca, Spain (300,000 years ago)
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
2.0 MYA
1.0 MYA
Present
Homo erectus (970 cm3)
Archaic Homo
sapiens
Homo habilis
Australopithecus afarensis
(430 cm3)
Australopithecus africanus
(485 cm3)
(510 cm3)
(1200 cm3)
Homo neanderthalensis
[Fossil Cast: La Ferrassie 1 – found in 1909 in France/70,000 years old]
230,000 – 28,000 years ago:
Europe
SW Asia
1450 cm3
Neanderthal hyoid bone
Artifacts Associated with Neanderthals
• Mousterian stone tools
hand axes
stone awls for making leather clothing
• antler hammers for final stages of shaping stone tools
• Cave sites with hearths containing charred animal bones
• Several sites with evidence of intentional burial of the
dead (skeletons flexed and stained with hematite)
Neanderthal Sites
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
2.0 MYA
1.0 MYA
Present
Homo erectus (970 cm3)
Archaic Homo
sapiens
Homo habilis
Australopithecus afarensis
(510 cm3)
(1200 cm3)
(430 cm3)
Australopithecus africanus
(485 cm3)
Homo
neanderthalensis
(1450 cm3)
Homo sapiens
[Fossil Cast: Cro-Magnon 1 – found in 1868 in France/30,000 years old]
160,000 years ago- present:
Africa – 160,000 years ago
Near East – 90,000 years ago
Asia – 80,000 years ago
Australia – 50,000 years ago
Europe – 40,000 years ago
Americas – 20,000 years ago
1350 cm3
(range 1100 – 1800)
Artifacts Associated with earliest Homo sapiens
• Stone blade tools
• Bone and antler implements
• Artwork
Hominin Fossils
4.0 MYA
3.0 MYA
2.0 MYA
1.0 MYA
Present
Homo erectus (970 cm3)
Archaic Homo
sapiens
Homo habilis
Australopithecus afarensis
(510 cm3)
(1200 cm3)
(430 cm3)
Homo sapiens
Australopithecus africanus
(1350 cm3)
(485 cm3)
Homo
neanderthalensis
(1450 cm3)
Trends of Hominin Evolution
1. Increase in brain size through time
2. Increase in body size through time
3. Increasing sophistication in making stone
tools
4. Decrease in tooth size
5. Decrease in skeletal robusticity
What is this??
Homo floresiensis (the “Hobbit”)
[Fossil Cast: LB1 – found in 2003 in Liung Bua Cave on the island of Flores,
Indonesia]
95,000 – 13,000 years ago
Flores, Indonesia
400 cm3
Homo floresiensis Site
Stone Tools Found With Homo Floresiensis
These are indistinguishable from
stone tools found with Homo sapiens
fossils.
Resources for Hominin Evolution:
• The National Museum of Natural History – part of the Smithsonian
Institution
http://humanorigins.si.edu/index2.html
The NMNH will open a new 15,000 sq. foot exhibition hall devoted
to human origins on March 17, 2010 [funded by a gift from
chemical engineer and philanthropist, David H. Koch]
• The American Museum of Natural History
www.amnh.org/humanorigins/
• Talk Origins website http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
From the National Museum of Natural History website:
http://humanorigins.si.edu/index2.html