-
Australopithecus
-Some human-like, but mainly ape-like features
-Lived between 1 and 4.2 million years ago
-Inhabted mainly in Africa -
Period: to
Early Hominids
-
Physical Features
-Brain capacity was 375-500 cc
-Height of male = 4 feet
-Height of female = 3 feet
-Tooth enamel worn (because they were major fruit eaters)
-Walked upright
-Long arms relative to legs -
Diet
-Main part was fruit
-Limited meat eating -
Technology
-Possibly made stone tools
-None found with their remains -
Homo Habilis
-1.4 to 2.3 million years ago
-"Man of skill"
-"Handyman"
-Remained in Africa -
Physical Characteristics
-Brain capacity about 750 cc
-Relatively large skulls
-Tooth enamel worn, also because of fruits
-Some with small skulls and human-like teeth
-Skull indicates right/left sides of brain (indication of pre-condition of language development
-Male height: 3 to 5 feet
-Female height: barely over 4 feet
Ape-like proportions, all walked upright -
Diet
-Mostly fruit was eaten
-Some opportunistic meat eating
-Fossils found associated with prey animals (antelopes)
-5 of 13 bones had carnivorous markinds in them
-No eveolutionary change was found in teeth or fingernails -
Technology
-Tools found were shown to have in butchering, cutting wood, and cutting soft vegitation
-Tools found were typically 1-4 iinches
-Included choppers and scrapers -
Homo Erectus
-Between 1.9 million and 27,000 years ago
-Southern and Northern Africa
Possibly moved into Asia about 1.2 million years ago
-Later ranged from the Caucasus to Indonesia and northern China
-First to live in tropical, temperate, hot and dry, cool and dry, and cold -
Physical Characteristics
-Brain capacity about 850-1200 cc
-face stuck out
-Ridges on eyebrows and on top of skull
-Protruding nose, not flat
-Tooth enamel heavily scratched and pitted
-Male height: 5.2 feet
-Female height: 5.9 feet
-Reduced arm length and narrower hips (increased efficiency of leg muscles
-Needing higher quality food due to narrower hips
-Difficulty pronouncing vowels -
Diet
-Omnivorous (meat playing larger part of diet than other earlly hominids)
-No evidence that they were hunters
-Germany- 6 foot wooden spears found, along with stone tools and bones (scratches found on them from horses, found about 500,000 years ago) -
Technology
- first to use fire
- used language
- tear drop shape hand axe
-
Neanderthal
- Lived 35,000 to 130,000 years ago
- Disapeared mysteriosly ( Ice age, interbreeding, disease, and lack of the creativespark)
-
Physical Characteristics
- slanted brows
- thick muscles and bones
- short limbs and bodies to retain heat in cold
- male average 5 and 1/2 feet; 185 lbs.
- used teeth as a 3rd hand
- larger brain volume than modern humans
-
Other facts
- wore animal skins for warmth/adapted to the climate
- built shelters, used tools and fire
- believed in an afterlife : buried dead and cared for the sick
- population never exceeded 15,000
- cannibalized one another
- cold climate required 5000 calorie diet
-
Homo Sapiens/Cro-Magnon
- Similar to modern humans
- Found 150,000 years ago
- Spread to Europe/Asia
-
Other facts
- superior hunting techniques; organized big game hunts
- advanced language gave them an advantage against the neanderthals
- cave painting " Hall of Bulls " in Lascaux Cave
- able to adapt to various environments