ANT100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Sedentism, Cave Painting, Pleistocene
November 26, 2015
Topic 5: Origin and Spread of Modern Humans
- Anatomically modern Homo sapiens originated in a single population in east or south Afrtica, around
160-200 kYA
- Leave Africa by 90 KYA, spread around the world
- Earliest modern Homo sapiens are not immediately associated with the full range of modern
behabiour
- They are still
- Interaction of modern humans with Neanderthals?
o Not completely clear, but genetic studies indicate not much interbreeding
o In many areas, modern humans probably displaced Neanderthals and other pre- Homo
sapiens rapidly
▪ Old cave sites: modern homo sapiens anatomy mixed with old anatomy
o Last Neanderthals went extinct around 35 KYA, within about 5 KYA spread of modern
humans of Europe
▪ Warm periods go south, cold periods go back to Europe
o Interaction? Interbreeding? Conflict? Competition?
▪ What is clear: we displaced themhave modern DNA
- Once Homo sapiens has been around for millennia and most aspects of modern behavior have
developed:
o Upper Paleolithic Era
▪ Begins around 50 KYA in Africa, 40 KYA in Southwest Asia and Europe
▪ Clearly associated with modern humans
Major Trends in the Upper Paleolithic
1) Increasingly specialized stone tool technology
o Emphasis on Blade Technology
o Blades are finely crafted, parallel-sided flakes, average 10cm long
o Require elaborate preparation of the core
o Why Blades?
▪ Conserve raw material (get more working edge from a given amount of raw
material)
▪ Produce more versatile tools
▪ Regularity in tools allows hafts (handles) to be re-used
o Blades and other tools often retouched by pressure flaking
o Blades are used to make a variety of tools (ex// backed blade –Knife--, endscraper, burin,
weapon points
2) More complex organic industry
o Bone projectile points—barbed etc.
o Bone needles—tailored clothing
o After 20 KYA—spear-throwers (atatls)
3) More frequent composite tools
o Hafting
4) More complex settlement patterns
o Each region saw a specialized pattern based on:
▪ Access to fresh water
▪ Game resources (Esp. water crossings for game, fish spawning streams, game
jumps)
▪ Sunlight—south facing caves
o Home bases were occupied for long periods, plus temporar special purpose camps
throughout territory
o This differs from earlier hominins who moved more often and whose sites did not differ
from one another as much
o These factors would have led to increasing sedentism (living for extended periods in a single
location)
5) More complex dwellings
o Evidence for dwellings becomes more common
o Tents, sod houses, large, complex bone structures
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Document Summary
Topic 5: origin and spread of modern humans. Anatomically modern homo sapiens originated in a single population in east or south afrtica, around. Leave africa by 90 kya, spread around the world. Earliest modern homo sapiens are not immediately associated with the full range of modern. Interaction of modern humans with neanderthals: not completely clear, but genetic studies indicate not much interbreeding. Competition: what is clear: we displaced them have modern dna. Once homo sapiens has been around for millennia and most aspects of modern behavior have developed: upper paleolithic era, begins around 50 kya in africa, 40 kya in southwest asia and europe, clearly associated with modern humans. Migration occurred at the end of the pleistocene (ice age) when sea levels were lower. Migration occurred across beringia=eastern siberia, northwestern north america, and exposed continental shelf that connected the two areas.
