Homo Cultural Evolution Summary
H. habilis
reconstruction
H. habilis
Cultural evolution of H. habilis (handy man)
included:
 Hunting – they ate meat
 Simple stone tools – Oldowan tool culture
 Used hands for clubbing, throwing,
butchering game, preparing skins, digging
 Cooperative behaviour
 May have had shelters
 Primitive speech development.
H. erectus
H. erectus had a larger brain then H. habilis.
Cultural evolution of H. erectus included:
 More advanced speech, making teaching and
cooperative behaviour easier
 Controlling fire and using it for cooking
 Acheulian tools, e.g. hand axes
H. erectus
reconstruction
 Cooperative hunting and use of fire to drive
animals over cliffs or into swamps
 Eating meat regularly
 Built shelters
 Moved across Africa, Europe, Asia.
H. neanderthalensis
reconstruction
H. neanderthalensis
Cultural evolution of H. neanderthalensis
included:
 Wore clothes
 Lived in caves or built shelters from hides
 Used fire to heat homes
 Used fine stone tools – Mousterian tool
culture
 Buried dead, often with tools and flowers
 Cannibalism
 May have believed in the supernatural
 Strong social bonds, looked after sick and
elderly.
H. sapiens
Cultural evolution of H. sapiens included:
 Very skilled hunters, followed migratory animals
 Sophisticated tools – Upper Paleolithic
 Lived in caves or made shelters
 Art – engraved and painted
 Buried dead with ornaments, tools, flowers
 By 10 000 years ago the weather became mild and farming
began.
KNM ER 1813
H. erectus
H. neanderthalensis
H. sapiens
Homo Cultural Evolution Summary
H. habilis
reconstruction
H. habilis
Cultural evolution of H. habilis (handy man)
included:
 Hunting – they ate m________
 Simple stone tools – O________ tool culture
 Used h________ for clubbing, throwing,
butchering game, preparing skins, digging
 Cooperative b____________
 May have had s____________
 Primitive s____________ development.
H. erectus
H. erectus had a larger b____________ then H.
habilis. Cultural evolution of H. erectus included:
 More advanced s________, making teaching
and cooperative b________________ easier
 Controlling f_______ and using it for cooking
 A________________ tools, e.g. hand axes
H. erectus
reconstruction
 Cooperative h____________ and use of fire
to drive animals over cliffs or into swamps
 Eating m____________ regularly
 Built s____________
 Moved across Africa, Europe, Asia.
H. neanderthalensis
reconstruction
H. neanderthalensis
Cultural evolution of H. neanderthalensis
included:
 Wore c____________
 Lived in c____ or built shelters from hides
 Used fire to heat h________
 Used fine stone tools –
M________________ tool culture
 Buried d___, often with tools and flowers
 C____________
 May have believed in the s________
 Strong social b________, looked after
sick and e________.
H. sapiens
Cultural evolution of H. sapiens included:
 Very skilled h________, followed migratory animals
 Sophisticated tools – Upper P____________
 Lived in c________ or made s________
 Art – engraved and p________
 Buried dead with o____________, tools, flowers
 By 10 000 years ago the weather became mild and f________
began.
KNM ER 1813
H. erectus
H. neanderthalensis
H. sapiens