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ANT 3514- Introduction to Biological Anthropology
Modern Humans
Lab 11, Week of 11/17/03
The focus of this lab concerns the latest archaic Homo sapiens and anatomically modern humans.
Students will answer questions concerning archaic Homo sapiens (including the Neanderthals),
the origins of our species with regards to various interpretations of Multi-regional Evolution vs.
Out of Africa.
Station 1: Multi-regional vs. Out of Africa
(in class) Regional continuity, also known as Multi-regionalism, argues that modern humans
evolved independently in different geographic locations. Rapid replacement, also known as Out
of Africa, maintains that modern humans evolved more recently, in Africa, and spread out
replacing all other hominid species. An intermediate of these two models is called the partial
replacement model. Sketch these three models from the chart provided. Be sure to include
location, date, and the species involved in each theory.
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Multi-regionalism
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Out of Africa
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Partial Replacement Model
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Station 2: Homo heidelbergensis and AMH
Archaic forms of Homo sapiens, often referred to as Homo heidelbergensis, first appear
between 800,000-500,000 years ago. This covers a diverse group of hominids, as
indicated by the fossil evidence, which show features between Homo erectus and modern
humans. There is no clear dividing line between late H. erectus and archaic H. sapiens,
and many fossils between 500,000 and 200,000 years ago are difficult to classify as one
or the other, however, it is clear that modern humans are direct descendents of these
individuals.
At this station you will find:


Homo heidelbergensis (Steinheim)
2 early modern human crania: Zhoukoudian (Asia) & Cro-Magnon (Europe)
(in class) Compare and describe the following cranial features of these specimens.
Homo heidelbergensis
Zhoukoudian
Cro-Magnon
Forehead
(sloping/ rounded)
Cranial vault
(rounded/ square)
cranial breadth
(broad/ narrow)
Eye orbits
(shape and height)
Robusticity
(1-3 1= least, 3 =most)
(at home) Using your answers in the table, are the observed differences more supportive of the
Multi-regional or Replacement model described in Station 1? How so?
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Station 3: Early Modern Homo sapiens and Modern Homo sapiens
At this station you will find:
 Skhul specimen (Israel, 115,000 years old)
 A Neanderthal cranium
 A modern human skull
List 3 features of the Skhul specimen that confirm that this individual belongs to H. sapiens?
What features might be viewed as more ancestral in the Skhul specimen?
Station 4: Femoral characteristics of Neanderthals and modern humans
At this station you will find:
 the femur of a Neanderthal (Spy)
 an early AMH femur (Skhul)
 a contemporary human femur (Jimmy Hoffa)
Complete the following table comparing femoral characteristics between these specimens.
Neanderthal
AMH
Hoffa
Femoral Robusticity
(1-3: 1=least 3= most)
Head Diameter
(1-3: 1= narrow 3 =
broad)
(at home) What accounts for the femoral differences between Neanderthal, Skhul, and
Hoffa?
(at home) Who do you think was taller? Why?
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Station 5: Trends in modern Homo sapiens
At this station you will find three modern human skulls from our collection. Fill in the table
below by comparing the various cranial features of the skulls provided.
1
2
3
Orbits
(round/oval/rectangular)
Vault
(round/ oval/ tall/ short)
Zygomatics
(flared/ receding)
Nasal Aperature
(broad/ narrow)
Midface
(narrow/broad,
long/short)
Discuss what might account for the observed intra-specific variation?
Homework: Use the readings from your packet to answer the following questions. Please use
complete sentences. If additional space is needed, continue your answer on the back of the page.
Requiem for a Heavyweight
If Neanderthals were biologically better adapted to the cold than any of their counterparts, why
were they replaced by Cro-Magnons from tropical Africa?
The Human Family Tree: 10 Adams and 18 Eves
What is the estimated time at which early humans began to radiate according to genetic data?
From what continent did these early populations originate? Does this correspond with multiregionalism or replacement?
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What are the differences between the phylogenetic tree created by Wallace and the tree created by
Underhill and Oefner? What two populations are considered nearest to the root of the
mitochondrial tree?
Reading the Bones of La Florida
Describe the diet of Native Americans in Florida before and after contact with Europeans.
Describe two consequences of a stressful environment that can be seen skeletally.
Terms of Estrangement
What is the bushel-basket scheme of race? Is it a biological reality? Why or why not?
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