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Chapter Fourteen
Early Species of the Genus Homo
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The Early Homo Fossil Record
• Between 2.5 and 2.3 million years ago, several new
hominin species emerged, including species placed in
the genera Paranthropus and Homo.
• Members of the genus Homo coexisted with
Paranthropus, until the latter became extinct.
• Many paleoanthropologists have suggested that Homo
originated in Africa around 2.5 million years ago.
• Both Homo and Paranthropus are seen as evolving
from a late species of Australopithecus.
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The Genus Homo
Table 14-1: The genera Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo compared
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Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis
• The early Homo fossils were originally placed into a
single species, Homo habilis.
• Finds occurred at Olduvai Gorge and Koobi Fora.
• If split into two species:
– Homo habilis consists of the smaller individuals
– Homo rudolfensis is composed of the larger
individuals
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Homo erectus and Homo ergaster
• Homo ergaster is a new
species name proposed
for the African
representatives of what
was formerly called
Homo erectus.
• Homo erectus fossils
are the first found
outside Africa, in places
such as Indonesia,
China, and the former
Soviet Union.
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The Anatomy of Homo erectus
• The cranial capacity averages about 1000 cc, which is
within the lower range of variation of H. sapiens.
–
–
–
–
–
Cranial bones are thick
Brow ridges are thick and continuous
Skull is platycephalic, and often exhibits a sagittal keel.
The occipital region is angular
Face is large and broad with large orbits and nasal openings.
• The genus Homo is characterized by a reduction in the
size of dentition through time.
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Homo neanderthalensis
Specimens of Homo
neanderthalenis have been
found in Europe and the
Middle East, dating between
approximately 300,000 to
30,000 years ago.
[Figure 14.20 Comparison of skulls
neandertals and sapiens]
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Neandertal Anatomy
[Table 14-4: Homo neaderthalensis and Homo sapiens compared]
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Early Stone Tools
• The Paleolithic begins with the appearance of stone
tools around 2.6 million B.P.
• The best-known early archaeological assemblages are
those of Olduvai Gorge.
• They are known as Oldowan tools and are most likely
associated with Homo habilis.
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The Culture of Early Homo
• The earliest proposed date for the controlled use of fire is 1
million years ago from a site in Israel.
• The use of fire is thought to have been necessary to move
out of the warmer tropical regions and into cooler regions in
Europe.
• A possible dwelling has been found in southern France that is
approximately 400,000 years old.
• It is likely that the hominins of the Lower Paleolithic were
predominantly scavengers and gatherers.
• Between 1.6 million and 300,000 B.P., the brain dramatically
increased in size.
• A matter of debate is whether or not early members of the
genus Homo were capable of human speech and language.
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The Culture of Neandertals
• The cultural tradition associated most frequently with
the Neandertals is the Mousterian.
• There is growing evidence that at least some
Neandertals practiced cannibalism and buried their
dead.
• Neandertals may have been capable of planning and
symbolic thought.
[Figure 14.32 Mousterian industries]
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