Early Hominid and Homo Evolution: A Deep Dive

Early Hominid Origins and Evolution

Definition of Hominid

• Bipedal: Walking on two feet.
• Non-honing Dentition: While humans have non-honing chewing, primates such as gorillas have a honing complex, in which their very large canines cut food. The upper canines are sharpened against the lower third premolars.

Skeletal Evidence for Bipedalism

Foramen magnum, pelvis, knees, feet: seven steps, position of the foramen magnum, shape of the spine, shape of the pelvis, length of the leg, valgus knee, longitudinal foot arch, opposable big toe.

Behavioral Advantages of Bipedalism

This helps to identify what species they were because not many can be bipedal.

Pre-Australopithecines (7-5 mya)

Example: "Ardi"

They have provided critically important information about the origins and earliest evolution of the Hominidae. They had a number of primitive attributes, and in some respects, they were more ape-like than human-like. They represent the first recognizable ancestors of the lineage leading to humans.

Australopithecines (4-1 mya)

Examples: "Lucy", "Selam AKA Lucy’s Baby", "Taung"

• Lucy: One of the most significant fossils. The 40% complete skeleton of an adult female A. afarensis, found in East Africa.
• Selam AKA Lucy's Baby: Recently, the fossil remains of a 3-year-old child were recovered and nicknamed "Lucy's Baby".
• Taung: Some of the earliest evidence of hominids in South Africa was discovered in a limestone quarry in Taung.

Robust and Gracile Australopithecines

Different morphology, behavior, time periods.

Where Do They Fit into Our Ancestral Line?

They were more human-like than ape-like compared with the pre-Australopithecines.

The Origin and Evolution of Early Homo

Early Homo: What’s Different from Australopithecus?

Extensive paleoanthropological investigations took place in Dmanisi after early stone tools were discovered there in 1984. Between 1991 and 2005, more than 20 hominid remains were found, including skulls and mandibles. One of the more complete crania (D-22822), shown here, was discovered in 1999 and enabled researchers to classify the hominid as Homo erectus. Dmanisi

1st Tools: Who? When? Where? How Used?

Oldowan Culture

It is the archaeological term used to refer to the earliest stone tool industry in prehistory, being used during the Lower Paleolithic period, 2.6 million years ago up until 1.7 million years ago, by hominines. It was followed by the more sophisticated Acheulean industry. "Oldowan" is taken from the site of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, where the first Oldowan tools were discovered by the archaeologist Louis Leakey in the 1930s. However, some contemporary archaeologists and paleoanthropologists prefer to use the term "Mode One" tools to designate Oldowan tools, with "Mode Two" designating Acheulean ones and so forth. Turkana Boy

Out of Africa: Who, When, Where Did They Go?

Excavations revealed evidence for controlled fire use, but not to be warm or to cook. They were part of East Asia, near Beijing. They were smaller than early hominids. Zhoukoudian

Pleistocene and Paleolithic: Climate and Culture

They were a revolutionary way of preparing food, increasing the amount of energy available to early humans. These cultural developments were the harbingers of increasing environmental control and improved adaptive success, which form an ongoing theme of human evolution. Gran Dolina

Homo erectus: When and Where; Physical Traits; Cultural Behavior

Acheulian Culture

Archaeological Evidence for Behavior

Tools, fire, use of meat, etc.

Where Do They Fit into Our Ancestral Line?

The culture associated with H. erectus, including handaxes and other types of stone tools; more refined than the early Oldowan tools. The handaxe is the most dominant tool in the Acheulian complex, characterized by a sharp edge for both cutting and scraping.