Mysteries of Mankind (Film) Lectures Notes

9/24/2009
Archaeology and human evolution Sites: Olduvai Gorge, Hadar, Laetoli, Lake Turkana, Boxgrade, Kabara Cave Archaeology Methods/Techniques o Excavation o Artifact collection -> analysis -> interpretation Stone tools tool wear analysis, tooth wear analysis -> what kind of food was eaten o Dating o Reconstructing paleoenvironment o Bioarchaeology and evidence of humans 1929 Australopithecine o Confirmed in 1930s when Dr. Broom found evidence Olduvai Gorge Grand Canyon of archaeology o Found tools o Wanted to discover who made them o Oldest human found in 1959 o Found australopithecine Apelike but human characteristics Died on edge of lake Skull was fossilized o Could be dated by radio-dating (argon in ash) Primatological studies o Early human behavior o Genetics Primate DNA -> common ancestry (99% identical) Leakey sent Jane Goodall to study and understand chimp behavior -> how ancestors behaved Hadar (Ethiopia) o Dr. Donald Johansen o Discovered 3 m.y.a hominid (at the time, oldest ever found) o 40% skeleton o Lucy 3.5-4 feet fall Teeth erupted/worn = adult Hip socket = 55 lbs. Skull -> small brain (1/4 modern size) Upright walker Mixture of ape and human characteristics but HOMINID

First Family 13 individuals May have died together o New species: Australopithecus Afarensis o Plaster cast of skulls, pieced together to make complete replica Laetoli Footprints o Volcano eruptions, rained, hominids walked across, sun hardened them, became preserved o Found by Dr. Mary Leaky o 3.2-3.5 m.y.a. o Big toe in line with other toes o Arch in foot o Upright o Heel strike Teeth gives clues to what they ate o Marks on teeth Scratches = soft foods Pitting/robust = nuts, other hard foods Robust eaters became extinct Tool users (Lake Turkana, Africa) o Found in lake shores/river beds o Homo habilis were first tool users o Richard Leaky digging past 20 years, has found over 15,000 remains organizing genius of modern archaeology o Homo erectus 1.5 m.y.a. o Found 12 year old boy skeleton Lived in Lake Margin, many animals around o To present skeptics (of evolution) with full skeleton is strong evidence, forces people to get off the fence with evolution issue o First hominid to hunt o Other animals regarded them as threats Tools by Homo erectus o First evidence of culture o Became more refined and sophisticated over time o Learning how they made the tools were a window into the behavior of ancestors o Used tools to get bone marrow o Cut marks on bone shows which animals were eaten, which were favorites, when they became successful hunters o Kay Beringsmeyer Shows that marks can be put on bones, wants scientists to be more careful Homo Erectus first mammals to leave Africa

o Meat was part of diet o Intelligent and curious o Well-equipped to branch out Boxgrove species after erectus o Archaic Homo sapiens o Animal bones, teeth, bones with cut marks but no human remains o Debotage waste flakes Neanderthals short-lived side-branch on family tree o Not brutes o cave people Kabara Cave (Israel) Neanderthal excavation o Over thousands of years, Neanderthals continuously occupied caves o Fireplaces found o Cant excavate -> preserve for future archaeology with better technology o First people to bury dead Links us to them o Non-settled o Group travel in search of food o Stronger than modern humans o Communication o Survived through Ice Age o May or may not have evolved into modern humans Modern humans o First to create fine art o Cave paintings o All over globe o Where are they from? Genetic DNA -> African origin Track ancestor to one female from Africa (African Eve)