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Unit 1 Foundations Human Origins Theories on prehistory and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light. Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist OBJECTIVES Differentiate between myths and history regarding human origins. Identify human culture. Start thinking in a global perspective. Begin working with the habits of mind. Essential Questions How do paleoanthropologists interpret the past? What images of humankind are represented in the creation stories? What did Charles Darwin’s contribute to the field of paleoanthropology? Creation Myths Myths = interpretive stories of the past. Cannot be verified historically. Deep moral message. Enuma Elish – 2,000 BCE - Akkad in Mesopotamia All oral tales passed down through until generations Rigveda – 1,000 BCEfinally - India written down The Book of Genesis – 1,400 – 1,600 BCE – Mesopotamia Lets take a look at some creation “myths”! Enuma Elish - Mesopotamia Tiamat and Kingu revolt against the other Mesopotamian dieties. Mesopotamian dieties call upon Marduk for help. Marduk dismembers Tiamat and Kingu. Victorious gods made humans out of the blood of the defeated. Rigveda – Hindu Emphasizes the mystical qualities of life and of human origins. Humans are part of nature. All humans are not equal. Caste system. The giant man, Purusha was dismembered by god. Indra and Agni came from his mouth. The Book of Genesis – Jewish/Christian God created heaven and earth from nothing. Then god made light, darkness, water, dry land, plants, birds, fish, sun, moon, and stars. Humans are the final crowning achievement of god’s creativity. Humans are special and were created in god’s image. Humans rule over all other creatures. Edda – Norse Creation Originally there was •Buri’s grandson Odina killed chasm with fire on one Ymir side and ice on the other •From Ymir's dead body, Where fire and Odin created theice world. combined mist formed Ymir's bloodthe was the sea; giant named Ymirhis and a hisa flesh, the earth; cow to feed him skull, the sky; his bones, the mountains; The cow fed byetc licking salty sons ice blocks until one •Bor’s create man and day, a from man named Buri woman driftwood appeared. found on the beach Evolutionary Explanations the mid 18th century an intellectual movement had begun. Scientific method called for direct observation. By Darwin and Wallace Darwin and Wallace (2) Established the theory of biological evolution of species stating that similar species were in fact related to each other, not separate creations. Darwin Goes Solo! 1859 – On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. The better adapted to survival an organism was, the greater chance it had of surviving and passing that trait on to offspring. Known as natural selection or survival of the fittest. …problems… It rejected the authority of religious texts. No Teleology ~ Natural selection states that organisms survive because they are more “fit,” not because they are more special….do our lives have purpose? FOSSILS Fossils Rock!! * Appearing in the order in which they were unearthed!! Early Humans Existence of humans and “human-like” creatures (HOMONIDS) traced to over 4 million years ago. Radiocarbon dating is used to date once living things DNA used to track changes over time Neanderthal {200,000 BCE} The Missing Link – 1856 CE – Thomas Huxley. Could make a variety of tools. Survived in challenging environments. Maintained family bonds. Lived in groups. First to have ritual burials. Further studies=not THE missing link… Homo Erectus {1,600,000 BCE} The Worldwide Wanderer The most widespread of all hominids (Africa, Europe, Asia,..etc) Java Man – 1891 CE – E. DuBois. Used fire for light and cooking. Beijing Man – Chinese discovery Brain size keeps getting smaller Australopithecus Africanus {4 M – 1 M BCE} 1924 – medical student finds fossils in South Africa. 1959 – Louis Leakey Olduvai Gorge – Australopithecus boisei – Zinj -1.7 M. First hominid to walk upright. Studies now involve paleoanthropology, the study of the tools, species and plants included in the locale Homo Habilis {2.5 M – 1.5 M} Louis and Mary Leakey – “Handy Man” Lived side by side with Zinj. Hunter and scavenger. Features: opposable thumbs, upright, and bipedal. First to make stone tools. Brain capacity = 700 g Australopithecus Afarensis {3.2 M – 3.5 M} Discovered by Johanson in 1974 Hadar, Ethiopia “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 3’9” and 60 lbs. Human-like hands. No evidence of tools. Curved arms. Brain capacity = 400 g The latest… Sahelanthropus tchadensis 2001 - Toumai Discovered Moves in Chad date of earliest hominid to 6-7 million years ago! Java Man Zinj Homo Habilis Neanderthal Lucy Modern Man has only been around about 200,000 yrs The Debate over African Origins Multi-regionalists Both –vs- Out of Africa sides agree that racial differences are simply adaptations to climate and are superficial Global Migration Reasons for migration don’t change… Push? Pull? The Genetic Record Differences and similarities in DNA proteins suggest similar ancestry. EXAMPLE: Modern humans are 97% the same as chimpanzees We had a common ancestor until about 6 million yrs ago Tends to support the “Out of Africa” theory …the search continues…. What happened to all of the other hominids? Defeated others via aggression, warfare, and plain murder. There was probably mating among species which created the new human. Homo sapiens sapiens filled the ecological niche and displaced the other hominids homo sapiens sapiens Modern humans who originated in Eastern Africa Came into contact with Neanderthals & Homo Erectus; were the only ones left after awhile homo sapiens sapiens Burst of creativity 100,000 years ago Homo sapiens sapiens = developed symbolic expression, had spiritual beliefs (burial ceremonies), and creative artwork. HUMANS CREATE CULTURE By the time Homo sapiens had evolved, cultural creativity trumped biology as the default method for coping with nature. Humans began to want to control nature rather than to just survive within nature. The seven creative behaviors of Homo sapiens sapiens Persistence Migration Base camps Improved tools / technology Art Language Domestication of plants and animals Key Stages in Human Development Changes in the Toolkit Presents clearest evidence of human development Homo habilis began cultural adaptations by developing simple tools 2.5 M – 150,000 BCE handheld axe. 250,000 BCE – side scrapers and backed knives – standardized size 40,000 BCE– narrow blades of stone, and blades made from ivory, bone, and antler. Not All Tools are Created Equal Not always created for food or labor. EXAMPLE: bone flute was made for musical entertainment – high aesthetic value. Stone Ages, Etc. – 2.5 million to 12,000 B.C. (Old Stone Age) Paleolithic Mesolithic – 12,000 to 8,000 B.C. (Middle Stone Age) – 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. (New Stone Age) Bronze – circa 4,000 B.C. to 1,500 B.C. Iron Age – circa 1,500 to 550 B.C Neolithic Language! No physical evidence for language development Language began as soon as brain was large enough? Brain had to be reorganized for language? Language promoted development of concepts and reflective thought Cave Art and Portable Art Evidence of creativity, group process, and sharing of information. Paintings of humans, cave stenciling, limestone engravings, rock paintings, Venus figures are most common. Why was cave art placed so deeply into the recesses of the cave? Increased Population and New Settlements Early groups competed with one another for food and resources Hunter-gatherer tribes averaged five hundred, divided into bands Each band needed 77 square miles of unfertile land or 7-8 square miles of fertile land Movement to small settlements took advantage of water resources From Hunter-gatherer to Farmer Neolithic Revolution! Began settling for longer periods of time. Began experimenting with seeds and planting cereal crops Domesticated dogs and sheep. Pressure of population expansion. 8,000 BCE almost all humans hunted and gathered. 2,000 years ago almost all farmed. Why the shift to agriculture? The Last Ice Age ended Large game animals died out Meat spoiled quickly In warm weather Food became scarce People relied on more plant foods for survival Grow their own and live in permanent settlements to protect their crops! Domesticate their own animals! The Development of Agriculture Effects Farming settlements grew into villages Villages practiced division of labor, enabling some workers to specialize in useful crafts and develop new technology Productivity People acquired rose more goods Life made relatively “easier” Demand for goods led to an increase idea of private in trade property The Growth of Cities… That leads us into chapter two!! Primary legacy of early hominids: migration, tools, grouping, language, art, farming, and the desire to control their environment.