Download Homo Habilis: Handy Man

Hominids
• Scientists call the prehistoric humans - hominids.
• In this chapter you will learn about FIVE
important groups of hominids.
Check For Understanding
•What do scientists call early
humans?
History Detectives
• What three types of history detectives or
social scientists did we learn about in
Chapter 1?
History Detectives
• What three types of history detectives
or social scientists did we learn about in
Chapter 1?
• Archeologists
• Historians
• Geographers
Paleoanthropologist
• Anthropologists study human development
and culture.
• Paleoanthropologists specialize in studying
the earliest hominids.
• The prefix paleo means ancient.
Check For Understanding
•What does the prefix paleo mean?
•What is a paleoanthropologist?
•What is an anthropologist?
First Discovery of Hominid
• 1974 – Donald Johnson discovered a partial skeleton in
Africa.
• Johnson found a piece of a skull, a jawbone, a rib, and leg
bones.
• After careful analysis, Johnson concluded that the bones
belonged to a female hominid who lived more that 3
MILLION years ago.
• Johnson called her Lucy.
Aus-tra-lo-pi -the-cus
Af-ar-en-sis
• An African anthropologist called the earliest known
group of hominids
aus-tra-lo-pi-the-cus which means southern ape.
• The second part of the name refers to the Afar Triangle –
the part of Africa where Lucy was found.
• Scientists learned about early hominids by studying Lucy.
• After assembling her bones, scientists discovered that
Lucy was short compared to most humans .
Lucy
• Approximately three feet tall
• Had a mix of ape like and human features
• Long arms
• Hands and feet were similar to modern humans
• Large head
• Forehead and jaw stuck out from head
Check For Understanding
• What were some characteristics of Lucy?
Lucy and Her Relatives
• Other remains similar to Lucy were found in
Afar Triangle.
• Scientists guess that Lucy’s lived in Africa
about 3 to 4 million years ago.
How Are Hominids Like Lucy Related to Later
Hominids and Humans Today?
• Anthropologists often disagree about the answer
to this question.
• One reason – there are very few clues available
• Bones as old as Lucy’s are difficult to find
• Scientists do agree that Lucy and her relatives are
the very early forms of humans.
Discoveries About Lucy
• After studying Lucy’s skeleton, scientists discovered that she
was biped.
• The prefix bi means two.
• Biped means she walked on two feet.
• This was an advantage for Lucy and her relatives.
• With their hands free:
• They were able to gather and carry food more easily.
• They were also better able to defend themselves and their
children.
Check For Understanding
• What does the prefix bi mean?
• What does biped mean?
• What were two advantages of Lucy and her
relatives having their hands free?
How Are Early Hominids Different From
Modern Humans?
• Lucy’s brain was one-third the size of ours.
• Scientists have found no tools from Lucy’s
time.
• They also do not believe that these early
hominids were able to talk.
Mini Assessment
Review - 9-6-13
Complete on a separate sheet of paper.
Answer must be in a complete sentence.
• What does the prefix paleo mean?
• What does it mean to be biped?
• How was being biped advantageous to the
Australopithecus Afarensis?
Mini Assessment
Review 9-6-13
Complete on a separate sheet of paper.
Answer must be in a complete sentence.
• How are the Homo Habilis and the
Australopithecus Afarensis similar?
• How are the Homo Habilis and the
Australopithecus Afarensis different?
Homo Habilis: Handy Man
• Homo Habilis is the second group of hominids.
• They were discovered in Africa by Louis and Mary Leakey.
• Handy Man lived approximately 1.5 to 2 million years ago.
• Like Lucy the Homo Habilis had both ape like and human like
features.
• They walked on two feet.
• But they were taller than Lucy.
• Their features were more human like
• Their brains were twice the size of Lucy’s.
Homo Habilis: Handy Man
• Scientists found bones of more than one Homo Habilis
together.
• This suggests that the Handy Man hominids lived in
groups.
• Living with others would have helped them survive.
• They could work together and protect themselves against
animal attacks.
• They could also collect food over larger areas of land.
Handy Man: Toolmaker
• Had a larger brain.
• Were more advanced than the Australopithecus
Afarensis.
• Tools were found with this hominid group.
• Ability to make tools allowed the Handy Man
group to live better and longer than hominids
like Lucy.
Handy Man: Toolmaker
Discussion
• What type of planning did this hominid
group have to engage in, in order to create
the tools they needed?
• How do scientists believe the Handy Man
hominid group used these tools?
Homo Erectus: Upright Man
• This group had been around longer than the Australopithecus
Afarensis and Homo Hablis.
• This hominid group was discovered in 1891 in Java, Asia.
• The Upright Man has been around longer than any other
hominid group.
• Scientists believe they were the first hominid group to migrate
out of Africa.
• They were taller and thinner than earlier hominids.
• The face of the Upright Man was more like modern humans.
Homo Erectus: Upright Man
• Had larger brains than the Handy Man.
• They were also toolmakers who made more complex tools.
• Greatest advantage of this group is that they had the ability to use
fire.
• It is unclear as whether they were hunters.
• Scientists believed that they were nomadic and built shelters where
they traveled.
• Scientists also believed that the Upright Man’s ability to use fire and
build shelter allowed them to live longer and travel further than
earlier hominid groups.
Discussion
• What did scientists infer about the Upright
Man’s ability to use fire?
• How did this ability enhance their lives?
Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis:
Neanderthals
• Discovered in 1856 in Germany.
• Lived after the Upright Man.
• They lived in Africa, the Near East, Europe, and parts of Asia.
• Walked upright
• Were shorter and stockier than modern humans.
• Stronger than other hominid groups.
• Had large brains.
• They used their intelligence to become more skilled toolmakers.
Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis:
Neanderthals
• Scientists believed that this hominid group
were also able to better survive because
they worked together.
• Scientists also inferred:
• That they were they first hominid group to
hunt in an organized group.
• Had a sense of community
Discussion
• What evidence did the scientists use to
support the thought that the Neanderthals
had a sense of community?
Homo Sapiens Sapiens:
Early Modern Humans
• Most scientists believe that this group
originated from Africa.
• They were discovered in 1879.
• They migrated to Europe, Asia, Australia, North
America, and South America.
• They survived because of their ability to create
better tools, shelter, and clothing.
Discussion
• How were the Homo Sapiens Sapiens more
skilled in their tool making abilities than the
Neanderthals?
• How did these tools enhance their lives?
Early Modern Humans: The First Artists
• Recorded their lives through art.
• They also made musical instruments.
• Some images may have been animals they
hunted as well as mythical creatures they
imagined.
Discussion
• Why did the early modern humans create
art?
• How did the early modern humans ability to
express feelings through art contribute to
their development?
Create a time line to show how the early
hominids evolved over time.
• In your timeline show the characteristics of how these hominids evolved and
how they became more advanced over time.
Hominid Group
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Hominid Group
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Hominid Group
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Hominid Group
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Hominid Group
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