Modern Human Attributes

Modern Human Attributes

• Modern human characteristics developed over time in a mosaic pattern.
• Modern humans are described as gracile.

Cranial traits

• Feature a globular braincase.
• Have a vertical forehead.
• Loss of supraorbital torus.
• Exhibit a tall and smooth occipital bone.
• Smaller face, teeth and jaws.
• Feature chins.

Post-cranial traits

• Tall, slender build.
• Consist of thin cortical bone, advantageous for running and cooling.

Behaviour and Culture

• Show artistic flair and produce increasingly complex artistic/technological products.
• Emphasize social learning and cooperation.
• Show increased tool production and complex tools at archaeological sites.
• Examination of specific brain structures reveals developed abilities to process information.

Origins of Modern Humans

• The Assimilation Hypothesis suggests multiregional developments in Africa, followed by global migration in stages.
• Anatomically modern Homo sapiens evolved from archaic populations of Homo sapiens in Africa.
• Various modern populations interacted through gene flow, sharing culture.
• Homo sapiens spread out in waves, eventually encompassing the globe.

Multiregional Developments in Africa

• The earliest modern human fossils were found in Africa.
• At Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, the Irhoud 10 cranium was found, dating to 315,000 years ago.
• In the Kibish formation of the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, fragmented crania and post-cranial elements of 3 individuals date to 233,000 years ago.
• Herto, in the Afar region of eastern Ethiopia, dates to 160,000 to 154,000 years ago
• Features 640 transitional Acheulian to Middle Stone Age flake tools.
• Evidence of hunting and scavenging of hippos.

Klasies River Mouth Cave Discoveries

• The multiregional developments included changes in culture associated with modern Homo sapiens in South Africa.
• Human remains found are approximately 120,000-100,000 years old.
• Discovery of Middle Stone Age flake tools and marine resources.

Blombos Cave Discoveries

• Situated in Cape of Africa.
• Dates to approximately 100,000 years ago.
• The cave contained ochre processing kits and marine shell beads.

Middle Paleolithic to Upper Paleolithic Technologies and Culture.

• In the Middle Stone Age/Middle Palaeolithic, the tool kit relied on were similar.
• Flaked stone tools were commonly used by archaic Homo sapiens groups.
• The Late Stone Age/Upper Paleolithic saw diversification and development in technologies and culture.
• Blade tools, replaceable projectile point heads, composite tools begin to be used.
• Seafaring and navigation developed.
• Art and personal adornment became present.
• The Late Stone Age/Upper Paleolithic tools and culture spread globally as humans migrated.

Expansion into the Middle East and Asia

• Movement from Africa to the Middle East and Asia could have followed 2 paths.

Migration Routes

• The Levant-Sinai Peninsula to the north.
• The Southern Dispersal model involved moving from East Africa to the southern Arabian Peninsula through the Straits of Bab el-Mandeb.
• Multiple waves of movement with gene flow occurred.

Israel Fossils

• Remains have been found in the caves of Mount Carmel: Jawbone ~194,000-177,000 years ago (Misliya Cave).
• Caves of Es-Skhul and Qafzeh: multiple individuals (juvenile through adult) date to ~120,000-90,000 years ago.
• Skeletal traits include: globular crania, gracile features.
• And archaic traits: adult male Skhul V.
• Cultural traits: intentional burial with grave goods.
• Skhul V was found with a boars jaw on chest.
• Qafzeh 11 was a juvenile that displayed a deer antler rack over torso.
• Perforated seashells and the use of ochre were present.

Expansion into Middle East and Asia

• Many fossil-bearing cave sites.
• Fuyan Cave is located in Southern China.
• Liujiang Hominin dates to ~67,000 years ago.
• They consist of Modern humans with archaic traits: tall forehead, with enlarged occipital region

Zhoukoudian caves fossils

• 3 modern human crania: 34,000 to 10,000 years ago
• Globular crania shape, but not as rounded as modern humans.

Expansion South East into Australia

• Expansion occurred during Ice ages of Pleistocene
• Landmasses and land bridges would connect and then separate.
• There was southeast expansion into Sunda (Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo), and Sahul (New Guinea and Australia).
• Boats were needed because water always separated Sahul and Sunda.
• Arrive in Australia ~50,000 years ago (Madjedbebe, Northern Territory).
• 10,000 artifacts have been found.
• Human remains date ~40,000 years ago.
• Lake Mungo is located in New South Wales.
• Lake Mungo 1: female, crushed and covered in ochre, cremated.

Expansion North West into Europe

• Expansion occurred during Ice ages of Pleistocene. Glaciers covered much of Northern Europe and Asia.
• 40,000 years ago marks the beginning of Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age when modern humans moved into Europe.
• Pestera cu Oase (Cave of Bones) is in Romania and dates to 40,000 years ago.
• The fossils present show modern humans that have some Neanderthal traits.
• Oase 1: a mandible was found with a chin and large molars.
• Oase 2: a cranium was found with reduced brow ridges and occipital bun.
• Předmostí is located near Přerov, Czech Republic. It dates to 26,000 years ago.
• Thirty individuals were found with grave goods, including mammoth scapulae.
• Remains of humans with longer lower crania but modern facial height can be found on site.
• Evidence of dog domestication can be found.

Late Stone Age /Upper Paleolithic Cultural Developments

• In Europe: There was art such as paintings and carvings, together with personal adornments.
• There were tools like atlatl, as well as bows and arrows which acted as replaced projectile point heads
• Developments in South and East Asia: Ocean resources became vital to coastal people as they began seafaring and navigation.

Upper Paleolithic developments

• There were lifestyle changes throughout the Old World.
• More focus was put on diverse plant and animal resources.
• Increased sedentism was present.
• More people lived in some areas for longer periods of time.
• Cultural spheres widened through trade.
• Enkapune Ya Muto or Twilight Cave, Kenya is an example and dates to ~45,000 years ago, this site shows evidence some of the oldest ostrich shell bead manufacturing

Upper Paleolithic Europe

• Dolni Vestonice, Czech Republic Dates to ~25,000 years ago with an open air settlement Consists of four tent-like huts Housed ~100 to 125 people
• Shows evidence of a possible ritual structure with a Oven and burned animal figurines including Hollow bones

Upper Paleolithic tool kit

• There was innovation through the blade tool kit.
• People used Indirect percussion to drive blades off prepared core
• Pressure flaking was used to sharpen blade edges
• High quality stone was use to make tools
• People were able to make many tools from smaller quantities of raw materials.
• Features diversity and increased sophistication compared to previous tool-making industries.
• Burins served as graving tools, or tools for making tools. People were able to work with bone, wood and antler.
• Many tools were hafted on bone or wood handles for greater leverage and control.
• Thrusting spears were the standard in the Middle Paleolithic, they were used as close-range weapons
• Atlatls were used in Upper Paleolithic which allowed for increase in range (18 to 27 metres).

Upper Paleolithic Art

• Oldest surviving art from Australia is between 60,000 to 45,000 years ago.
• Best known art from western Europe dates to ~32,000 years ago.
• Art found was both portable such as beads and carvings, and parietal (fixed) through paintings.
• Upper Paleolithic art was sophisticated and may reflect shamanism, or 'hunting magic'.
• Three kinds of art:
• Entrances to inhabited caves.
• "Galleries” off main cave habitation area.
• Sites deep in caves, hard to access.
• Portable art extends over a larger area than cave art and depicts pictures of various different animal species.
• Certain marks found in cave systems are thought by some to be “‘Tally’ marks” which are either "'counts’?" or some form of marking time.
• Venus Figurines have been found between 28,000 - 22,000 years ago. Many believe they are part of a fertility cult?
• They are are diverse in form, facial features, clothing, age, and even the raw material that they are constructed out of.
• They give insight into the demographic profiles of past populations?

Spread of modern human in America

• Possible routes:
• Beringia land bridge.
• Pacific Coast.
• Atlantic Coast.
• Remember that There were multiple migration episodes over millennia.
• Beringia Land bridge: An open steppe, it stretched 1500km across.
• People crossed and lived in Beringia when open
• The route between glaciers in North America opened after 12,000 years ago
• Beringia was ~18,000 years ago and over 1500km across
• Pacific Coast Route: coast was ice free after 16,000 years ago.
• People used boats and followed “Kelp Highway”.
• Rich band of sea life along west coast providing resources for early travelers
• Atlantic route: Proposed by, Dennis Stanford. Consisted of tool manufacture: Pre-Clovis ~Upper Paleolithic Solutrean from Europe. Conducted out of boats, boats traveled among Atlantic ice sheet
• Oldest Sites
• ~14 to 16 kya or earlier
• Monte Verde, Chile (14,500 BP)
• Paisley Caves, Oregon (14,400 BP)
• Meadowcroft, Pennsylvania (14,000 - 19,000 BP)
• White Sands National Park, New Mexico, 60 human footprints ~22,000 years ago
• Earliest sites in the Alaska and Yukon area:
• Blue Fish Caves, Yukon.
• Consisted of two occupation periods.
• 12,000-15,000BP: high quality chert microblade cores, burins, flakes.
• Associated with transition from Pleistocene to Holocene flora and fauna.
• 23,000 to 29,000BP: flaked mammoth bone Split caribou tibia @24,500BP
• First Peoples:
• Palaeo/Early Pre-Contact Period. pre-Clovis peoples.
• E.g. Debra L. Friedkin site, Texas. Large archaeological site (15,000 artifacts). Dates ~15,000 BP. Clovis Complex: ~13k – 12k cal BP. Late Pleistocene cultural group. Tool kit: Clovis points, scrapers, knives, bone tools.
• Hunted remnant megafaunal; used other plant and animal resources.
• Plano Tradition from Holocene epoch during 10,000 – 8,000BP where there was plains bison focused with bison influencing all aspects of culture and society. They consumed bison plus other broad spectrum plant and animal resources Bison drives which demonstrate new hunting technology
• Middle Pre-contact period from 8,000 – 3,000BP showed: ↑ broad spectrum strategy and increased sedentism with increased campsite specialization through improved woodworking tools
• Ex. Forested regions in Eastern North America
• Paleo-Arctic Populations were the First undisputed cultural development of the Arctic. Sites from 10,000 to 7,000ya. Used stone tools including microblades and small bifaces that were present in Alaska, Yukon, and British Columbia
• Arctic Small Tool Tradition: shows First humans in eastern Canadian Arctic and Greenland at Sites from 4,000 to 2800 BP, Tools: microblades, burins, scrapers, bow and arrow. Shows ASST =PreDorset culture in the Eastern Arctic, developed into Dorset in eastern Arctic

Dorset Culture

• Stable, long lived eastern Arctic culture
• Subsistence: seal, caribou, muskox, and fish
• Bone and lithic technology: bone harpoons, stone lamps
• Had sleds but not dogs
• Had the kayak

Thule Culture

• Developed from Norton in Alaska, migrated east (500-100CE)
• Ancestral to the Inuit
• Made use of: Technology: native iron, bone, ivory, stone
• Flotation gear, harpoon heads, and bladder balloons to hunt sea mammals
• Used dogs to pull sleds and crude ceramics and soapstone in different regions