4 million to 1 million BCE Southern and Eastern Africa Australopithecines Walking Upright What Mary Leakey and Donald Johanson found were Australopithecines a humanlike being what walked upright ID: 238137
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "AUSTRALOPITHICINES" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
AUSTRALOPITHICINES
4 million to 1 million BCESouthern and Eastern AfricaSlide2
Australopithecines - Walking Upright
What Mary Leakey and Donald Johanson found were Australopithecines, a humanlike being what walked upright.
What are the benefits of walking upright?
Travel longer distances more easily
Carry food and children
Uses about half the energy of four-limbed movement
Could see above the grass to see predators.
Australopithecine also had an opposable thumb. What are the benefits of this?
Carry objects and make tools. (Although
Australopithecine did NOT have tools!)Slide3
HOMO HABILIS
2.5 million BCE to 1.5 million BCEEast AfricaSlide4
Before Australopithecine vanished, a new hominid appeared,
Homo habilis. Homo habilis
dates to 2.5 million years ago.
Louis and Mary Leakey discovered a hominid fossil at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. They found tools made of lava rock with this fossil which were used to cut meat and crack open bones.Slide5
EARLY TOOLSSlide6
HOMO ERECTUS
1.6 million BCE to 30,000 BCE“upright man”Found in Africa, Asia, and EuropeSlide7
HOMO ERECTUS AND TECHNOLOGY
About 1.6 million years ago, before
Homo
habilis
died out, another species appeared in East Africa.
Homo erectus
, or “upright man.”
Evidence = Turkana Boy = most complete skeleton
Homo erectus
was different physically and behaviorally
.
They were more intelligent
They used this intelligence to develop technology – ways of applying knowledge, tools, and inventions to meet their needs.
Became skillful hunters and invented more tools for digging, scraping, and cutting.Slide8
ERECTUS TOOLS
HABILIS TOOLSSlide9
MORE ON ERECTUS
Homo erectus was the first hominid to use fireWhat are the benefits of fire?
Warmth
Cook food
Protection – frighten away animals
Hunting – drive animal into the place you want them to go
Place to socialize (around campfire)
They were the first hominids to move out of Africa
(India, China, Southeast Asia, Europe.)Slide10Slide11
HOW ARE ERECTUS AND LUCY DIFFERENT
Physically, Homo erectus had bigger brains, shorter and thinner arms, had longer legs, a more human-like
pelvis
Turkana Boy was 5’3 only 8 years old (grows fast like an ape)
FYI…
Homo erectus
became less hairy. The ability to sweat allows for hunting during the day
Need more food for larger brainSlide12
HOMO SAPIENS= US
Many people believe Homo erectus developed into
Homo sapiens
, or “wise men.”
Scholars argue about when
homo sapiens
first appeared but the general consensus in that they first appeared in East Africa around 200,000 years ago.
Homo sapiens
resembled
Homo erectus
but had much larger brains.
Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon are early groups of H
omo sapiens
.
Slide13
NEANDERTHALS- PHYSICAL
DNA tests prove that Neanderthals are not ancestors of modern humans.
Lived 200,000 to 30,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were powerfully built with heavy slanted brows, well-developed muscles, and thick bones. They had low, sloping foreheads, chinless, forward jutting jaw, large front teeth, and heavy brow ridges.
Pelvis is not as wide as modern human – could not run long distances because had to support big frameSlide14
NEANDERTHALS- CULTURAL
Evidence shows that Neanderthals tried to explain their world.
They developed religious beliefs and performed rituals. About 60,000 years ago, perhaps they had a funeral for a man in
Shanidar
Cave
, located in northeastern Iraq. During the funeral, family members covered his body with flowers.
Bone flutes found at other locations.Slide15
Survived harsh winters by living in caves or temporary shelters made of bones and animal skin
Made stone blades, scrapers, and other tools to cut up and skin their prey.Had clothingSlide16
MORE ON NEANDERTHALS
Had fireBased upon discovered weapons they hunted close to animals – high risk of injury
Never learned to fish (no evidence of)
Vanished mysteriously 30,000 years ago, when modern humans appear.Slide17
MODERN HUMANS (CRO-MAGNONS)
Appeared 40,000 years ago.Made new tools like bone needles to sew clothing made of animal hides, axes, spears.
Planned hunts, studied animals’ habits, and stalked their prey.
Made jewelry from bone, ivory, and shell
Superior hunting strategies allowed them to survive more easily
.
Developed weapons that could be thrown over longer distances. (much safer)
Produced cave paintingsSlide18
Knife
Bone Harpoon
Lunar Calendar?
Bone Needle
Spear ThrowerSlide19
What makes
humans special? Language and Technology
With
language, modern humans can communicate their ideas. Therefore, technological change happened very quickly. Before modern humans, tools hadn’t changed much in a million years. The rate of technological change by modern humans was very fast. These new technologies allowed people to adapt to a changing world.Slide20