Hominin Tool Traditions & *Homo erectus*

• The lectures cover hominin tool traditions and Homo erectus.
• Lectures took place March 5 & 7, 2025.

Evolution of Homo species

• Pliocene epoch lasted from 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago and consisted of Hominin evolution.
• It consisted of cooler and drier conditions.
• Pleistocene epoch went from 2.6 million years ago to 11,000 years ago.
• Variable climate with cycles of warm/wet (interglacial) and cold/dry (glacial) periods.
• New connections and separations occurred, along with new cultural adaptations.
• Homo habilis and H. rudolfensis are Homo species that existed at this time.

Early Stone Age Techno-Complexes

• Lomekwian tools date back to 3.3 million years ago and found at Lomekwi 3, Kenya.
• Lomekwian tools are percussion tools and include cores and flakes.
• Oldowan tools appeared 2.6-1.7 million years ago in East Africa, with percussion tools, cores, and flakes.
• Oldowan tools show use wear from wood, root/tuber, and seeds.

Identifying Early Tool Technologies

• Fractured stones are not always cultural and ID features that are human-made.
• Tool identification includes the presence of purpose-made tools, flake scars, and tool cut marks, and deliberate broken bones.

Interpreting Past Hominin Behavior

• Ethnographic studies involve "archaeologically" observing modern human behavior and experimental archaeology and Use Wear studies.
• Experimental archaeology entails replicating and using tools and studying wear patterns on ancient tools.

Taphonomy

• Bone assemblages consist of large carnivore dens (hominins as prey) and accidental accumulations.
• Re-evaluating sites suggests hominins produced , but these were not classic "homebases".

The Olduvai Site (Olduvai Gorge)

• It contains the oldest H. habilis 'encampments,' dating ~1.8 to 1.6 mya.
• Layers of smashed animal bone, stone tools, and basalt cobbles are there.
• The Olduvai site has a roughly 4m circle of basalt cobbles.
• Cobbles, stone artifacts, and bone are found around the circle, and bones that are not fully butchered are present.
• Possible functions include a foundation windbreak shelter, processing site, or stockpile of throwing stones within a defendable place.

Cultural behavior in Humans

• Humans rely on culture, especially material culture, to survive.
• Humans rely on sharing and passing culture from one generation to the next, and consist of interrelated processes.
• This is shared and learned by a group of individuals, and interaction spreads culture, making it a social process not an individual/innate one.
• This is generally adaptive and ever-changing and integrative.

Homo erectus

• Homo erectus colonized varied geographies outside of Africa after 2 million years ago.
• It was the first hominin to leave Africa and shows considerable variation in skeletal morphologies
• H. ergaster is the Homo erectus species that was specific to Africa and H. erectus inhabited Europe/East Asia.
• Fossil evidence of Homo erectus have also been found in Asia and recent finds in Georgia.

Homo erectus Traits

• Homo erectus had a mean cranial capacity of 900cc (ranging from 700-1200cc), a lighter and thinner jaw, and less prognathic face.
• Homo erectus has post-cranial adaptations to fully live on the ground.
• "Turkana Boy" is an adolescent male skeleton dating to 1.6mya from Nariokotome, west of Lake Turkana.
• Turkana Boy provides evidence for a prolonged developmental period and a female pelvis was found in Ethiopia dating to 1.3mya.
• These point to large brained infants.

Discoveries of H. erectus fossils

• In Asia, the "Java Man" was found in 1891 with fossils dating ~1.6 - 1mya and Ngandong site fossils are dated 117kyaa to 40kya.
• "Peking Man" was found in the ,1920s, China and consists of cranial, post cranial elements dating ~800k to 130kya.
• H. erectus fossils have been found in Northern Africa since the 1950s.
• H. erectus fossils from 1.78mya in the Lake Turkana region, Kenya, consisted of numerous, mostly complete individuals.
• In Europe, discoveries of H. erectus fossils were made in Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia from 1.76mya-1.86 mya.

Lower Paleolithic Culture

• Pleistocene Epoch went from 2.6mya to 100kya, and Lomekwian tools were present 3.3mya; Oldowan tools 2.6mya.
• Oldowan tool production is associated with H. erectus after 1.8mya.

Acheulian Tool Tradition

• It appeared ~1.6mya to 1mya, with the oldest tools ~1.6 mya found in Africa.
• Innovation included bifacial flaking, experiments, and use wear that indicate animal butchery and the use of handaxes, picks, cleavers, scrapers, and burins.
• There were early and cruder versions and the refined Acheulian tools.

Homo erectus Culture

• Homo erectus culture included diet where they either hunted or scavenged.
• They exhibited group co-ordination and had a tendency to drive game into bogs to kill it.
• It is likely they hunted smaller game, and included plant foods.
• Homo erectus used and controlled fire for cooking.
• Living in colder climates implies use of fire and clothing, as evidenced by Zhoukoudian Cave, China (~500 000 ya) with burnt bone and ash.
• At Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel (~800, 000 ya), there was burnt bone, seeds, and wood, and clusters of artifacts suggesting hearths.
• Homo erectus lived in campsites that were located close to resources.
• These included caves and open air sites with varied activity areas and specialized sites away from camp, E.g., butchering sites and tool workshops.
• At Terra Amata, near Nice, France (~400kya), the earliest known hominin shelter was found.
• Homo erectus exhibited ritualistic behavior with red ochre use at Paleolithic sites representing blood or life, important in ancient and current cultures.
• The "Pit of bones" at Atapuerca, Spain may provide evidence of burial rituals?

Language

• Homo erectus may have had the capability for rudimentary language.
• Java endocasts put language use at ~1.6-1.3mya.
• The anatomy of H. erectus throat may have restricted speech capabilities.

Evolution of Homo erectus

• Evolution of Homo erectus shows increase in cranial capacity and brain.
• There was a decrease in the face, teeth, and jaws associated with cooking food.
• Sexual dimorphism decreased, and possibly had marriage-like unions/family units.
• Cultural innovations included clothes and used fire which allowed H. erectus to move to new environments!