AN01a_Ch01-The Peopling of the World: Human Origins

Timeline: Prehistory - ~2500 BCE

FQ: How did we become Human (Homo Sapien)?

Main Idea: Archaeological and anthropological investigations throughout the 20th C. have contributed to
the creation of a prehistoric scenario in which modern man is the product of a multi-millennial evolutionary
process. The fossil record has surrendered physical evidence of major stages in the development of
modern man.
However, there are other elds that provide a story of Mans origins that does not exclusively rely
on the evidence gathered by archaeologists, anthropologists, and others. For thousands of years, myths
have been passed from generation to generation that explain How and Why humans exist as well as the
divine that drives creation.

I. Vocabulary
A. Theory: An accepted assumption (supposition) for the purposes of explaining a phenomena.
The assumption is based on data that indicates that the supposition may be fact. The
assumption falls short of being a fact (or Law) because the data can be incomplete, inconclusive,
or contradictory to existing facts or suppositions.

B. Hominid: This term was used in the past to describe the early humans called Hominins today.
When the classication system changed to include apes in the human lineage (Hominidae), the
term Hominid came to include apes and humans. Today, when talking about the human lineage
and its ancestors, we use the term Hominin. Older publications that use the term Hominid are
usually referring to the human lineage only. They all have the common attribute of bipedalism.
(Archaeological Inst. of America)

C. Hominin: Early human or pre-human beings: a member of the sub-family Hominidae usually
identied by bipedal adaptations. They are represented today by one species, Homo sapien.
Past Hominins include Australopithecines, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. (Archaeological Inst.
of America)

D. Bipedal: Stands and travels on two feet.

E. Natural Selection: The process by which individual organisms with favorable traits are more
likely to survive and reproduce than those with unfavorable traits. Natural selection works on the
whole individual, but only the heritable component of a trait will be passed on to the offspring, with
the result that favorable, heritable traits become more common in the next generation.

F. Anthropology: The study of human beings and their ancestors. Physical characteristics,
culture, environmental interaction & social relations as well.
1

G. Archaeology: The study of material remains (as fossil relics, artifacts, and monuments) from
past plant/ animal life as well as human life and activities.
1


H. Leakey Family: Famous family of archaeologists and anthropologists (20th C.- East Africa).
Credited with fossil discoveries adding to our knowledge Man's evolutionary development.

I. Myth: Before dening the term "mythology" one needs to dene the meaning of the word
"myth". The word itself comes from the Greek "mythos" which originally meant "speech" or
"discourse" but which later came to mean "fable" or "legend". In this document the word "myth"
http://www.merriam-webster.com Oct. 2011
1
will be dened as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature,
which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society.
2

II. Theory of Human Evolution
Humans, like other creatures in nature, evolved from simpler into more complex organisms over
geologic time. Those creatures best suited (adapted) to the environment were favored via Natural
Selection.

III. Physical Evidence (From the Fossil Record & Excavation sites)
A. Evolutionary Bond between Modern Man & Modern Apes.
1. Use of Technology
2. Social + Physical Similarities
3. Genetic Composition.
B. Major Evolutionary Stages
1. Australopithecus afarensis (3.6 mil. BP , 'Lucy')
3
2. Homo Habilis (2.5 mil. BP, Skillful Man)
3. Homo Erectus (1.6 mill. BP, Erect Man)
4
4. HomoNeanderthalensis ( ~400k BP to ~40k BP, Neanderthal Man)
5
5. Homo Sapien (~200k BP, Thinking Man)
6
C. Signicant Anatomical Changes in Evolutionary Stages

'Links' in Human
Evolutionary Chain
Anatomical Change Possible Behavioral Impact
Australopithecus Hips are oriented and formed differently.
Bipedal (not fully erect), Tree living
abandoned for increased time on ground.
Homo Habilis
Increased Brain Cavity, hands distinguishable
from feet.
Expanded capacity to adapt to the
environment. Hands are 'free' to manipulate
objects and create tools.
Homo Erectus
Increased Brain Cavity, taller stature, bone
alignment in hips/ spine/ legs.
Expanded capacity to adapt to the
environment and apply technology to
improve its adaptability. Fully erect stance.
Homo
Neanderthalensis
Increased Brain Cavity, Shorter Stature,
Thicker Bones, Appearance of Vocal Cord
cavity.
Expanded capacity to adapt to the
environment. Understanding of abstract
concepts like an 'afterlife'. High protein diets,
very strong, and rudimentary oral language.
Homo Sapien
No, or minimal, appreciable increase in brain
cavity, May actually have witnessed a
decrease in brain size. Taller Stature, thinner
and longer bones, Complete development of
Vocal Chord cavity.
Expanded capacity to adapt to the
environment. Understanding of abstract
concepts increases significantly. Reduced
muscle mass and fully developed oral
language.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mythology.html
2
Parenthetical dates appearing here indicates approximate time of appearance in the fossil record.
3
Tamed re and rst to leave the African continent.
4
Lived during the Ice Age. Archaeological sites show evidence of ritual burials. Often called Neanderthal referring to the Neander
5
valley where the rst fossils were found. Though the textbook (copyright 1997) refers to the hominid as "Homo Sapien" , the science
community has dropped the 'Sapien' sufx and substituted "Neanderthalensis". This, in light of evidence indicating it didnt contribute
to human evolution. African fossils are lacking and mtDNA analysis suggest no genetic lineage to modern humans.
Modern Man, often called Cro-Magnon in reference to the nearby town where the rst fossils were rst found, may have come in
6
contact & competed with Homo Neanderthalensis. More recent (than that in your textbook) research grants the Homo Sapien
designation to modern man. The Homo Sapien-Sapien designation is no longer accepted.

D. What happened to these Pre-Humans? (These remain theories only)
1. Lost out to a better adapted competitor
a. Environmental Pressures: The Ice Age (Glacial Period) lasted from ~50,000
BP to ~18,000 BP. Theadvancing ice sheets (glaciers) alter the Earth's
7
landscape and reect the cooling of the planet's atmosphere. Animal life is
abundant but plant life in the higher latitudes is vastly diminished. Surely,
hominids that have inhabited the higher latitudes, since Homo Erectus ventured
out of the African continent, would be expending great energy to survive in these
conditions. This and previous periods of glaciation may have contributed to the
demise of earlier hominids via natural selection.
b. Technology: The development of tools like the Atlatl may have given Homo
Sapien an advantage over HomoNeanderthalensis in the 'game' of survival.
2. Hybridization: Interbreeding among hominids.
3. Evolved into a higher form via genetic mutation. A new species arises.

IV. Creation Myths
A. Pagan
1. Mesopotamian (Epic of Gilgamesh, Sumer)
2. Ancient Egypt (Atum the Creator)
3. Greek and Roman (Zeus imposes order on chaos./ Curas creation of Man from clay.)
8
B. Judaeo-Christian-Islamic
1. Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden.
2. Noahs oods

Materials/Sources: Refer to the course calendar for additional assignments and pertinent due dates.
! Article: Siberian Fossils were Neanderthals Eastern Cousins
! PBS: NOVA
! Exploration, a podcast hosted by Dr. Michio Kaku and accessed on Stitcher Smart Radio. Interview of Dr.s Ettelman and
Calvin on the topic of the Human Brain, accessed Oct. 2011. Interview of Dr. Spencer Wells on the origins of the human
species, accessed 22 April 2012.
! Archaeological Institute of America (website)
! Additional reading on subject of Pre-humans <http://www.stanford.edu/~harryg/protected/chp18.htm>
! Article: All Non-Africans Part Neanderthal, Genetics Conrm
! Assorted myths from Hebrew, Hindu, and Native American cultures.
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/nerc130k.html
7
Every myth, Greek or otherwise, that has ever been told or written, varies in the telling. The basic themes are repeated in many of
8
them, but details, even story lines will differ considerably, from village to village, eon to eon. When one understands that the myths
have been told for many centuries before being written down, which rst occurred about 800 BCE, one can relish the differences in
the tellings and enjoy the Greek's brilliant and artful imagination throughout the ages. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/
greek_creation_myths.html