Paleoanthropology
Introduction
Species
Pre-Australopiths
>
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Orrorin tugenensis
Ardipithecus ramidus
Australopiths
>
Australopithecus anamensis
Australopithecus afarensis
Kenyanthropus platyops
Australopithecus garhi
Paranthropus aethiopicus
Paranthropus boisei
Paranthropus robustus
Australopithecus africanus
Australopithecus sediba
Homo
>
Homo habilis
Homo rudolfensis
Homo ergaster
Homo erectus
Early archaic Homo sapiens
Homo heidelbergensis
Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
Homo sapiens sapiens
Well-known Fossils
Lucy
Selam
Laetoli Footprints
Mrs Ples
Sts 14
Taung child
MH1 and MH2
Nariokotome boy
Fossil Sites
Europe
South Africa
East and Central Africa
Near East and Middle East
Eurasia and Asia
Indonesia and Australia
Eurasian and Asian Fossil Sites
Dmanisi
Location:
Fossils: Early
Homo erectus
Age: 1.7 mya to ~ 250,000 years ago
Specimens:
Excavators:
Tools: None found in association with the hominids.
History:
Environment:
General:
Dali
Location: China
Fossils:
Age: 120 000 to 600 000 years ago (Middle Pleistocene)
Specimens:
Excavators:
Tools:
History:
Environment:
General:
Hexian
Location: China
Fossils:
Age: 1.8 mya to ~ 250,000 years ago
Specimens:
Excavators:
Tools:
History:
Environment:
General:
Lantian
Location:
Fossils:
Homo erectus
Age: 1.8 mya to ~ 250,000 years ago
Specimens:
Excavators:
Tools:
History:
Environment:
General:
Zhoukoudian
Location: China
Fossils:
Homo erectus
,
Homo sapiens sapiens
Age: 1.8 mya to ~ 250,000 ya (780,000 ya), 18 000 to 10 000 ya
Specimens:
Excavators:
Tools:
History: Fossils and artifacts of "Peking Man" have been collected from this site since the 1920's.
Environment:
General:
Site:
Largest collection of H. erectus material
14 skullcaps
>100 isolated teeth
Scattering of postcranial elements
Remains of at least 40 male and female adults and children
Provide good picture of Chinese H. erectus
The remains found indicate high infant and young adult mortality
Typical H. erectus features
•
Large
browridge
•
Nuchal torus
•
Thick skull bones
•
Sagittal keel
•
Protruding face
•
B
roader near base
Only casts remain – originals lost during WWII