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Evolution

Austalopithecus
- Austalopithecus earliest hominids originated and confined in Africa. First discovered in 1924 by Raymond Dart at Taung.

- Two Variants

1. Robustus: Australopithecine rubustus

2. Gracile - Australopithecine africanus

Gracile from later evolved into homo.

Geologist time : Plio-pliestrocene

Australopithecine appeared around 4MYA.

M. Leaky discovered hominid fossil in (olduvai George)


Physical Characterstics
Cranial capacity 400-530 cc.

1. Facial part is larger than cranial part with marked prognathism.

2. Saggital crest is well developed, It is prominent in robustus.

3. Zygomatic arch (cheek bone) well developed prominent in robustus.

4. Brow ridge (supra orbital ridge) poorly developed than ape but larger than man.

5. Forehead is receding.

6. Foramen magnum downward indicating erect posture.

7. Expanded cerebral cortex especially parietal and associated areas.

8. They had some from of symbolic communication

9. Incresed cerebellum indicating bipedalism.

Dentition

1. Dental areade parabolic and without simian gap like man.

2. Small incisors and canines with slight progection

3. Premolars - large and bicuspid

4. 4Molars - Wearing pattern of molar crown is similar to modern man and is downwards.
Post Cranial Feature - Show bipedalism supported by following features.
1. Broad illium in pelvic girdle.

2. Presence of lumbar curve in the backbone.

3. Femur with large torsion angle and presence of linea aspera on it for muscle attachment.

4. Knees were straights.

5. feet with well developed arch.

6. Ankle bone well developed ,used to bear weight of body.

Cultural status

According to raymond dart they had osteo-kerato-dontic coluture.I.e .bone tooth-body culture.they used
choopers,cleavers,scrappers, flakes etc.

Phylogenetic status

Scholar agree that thare was single line of australopithecine in africa which evolved into 2 or 3 branches. Only branch [gracile]
survived and gave rise to homo.

Johanson gave two branch theory in 1979,and was accepted untill 1985 till the discovery of A aethiopithecus which
replaced it by 3 branch theory of Alan walker.

Extint h.sapiens

a.boisei H.neanderthal

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A.robustus homo erectus

Homo habilis

A. Atricanus
3-branch theory [alan walker,1985]

Thus australopithecus is earliest fossil man which gave rise to modern man through homohabilis,h.erectus , H.neanderthalensis.
Though they resemble modern man but they differ from it so placed in seperate genus australopithecine.
Homo habilis

-fossil discovered from olduvai gorge[Tanzania]

-date assigned 2-1.6 myA. Geological period - pliocene & pliestocene

-resarded as intermediate between australopithecine and homo sasiens.

-Most famous specimen of homo habilis lineage is ER-1470 in 1972 by Richard lake turkang[kenya]

Physical features

-cranial capacity 500-6500cc,greater than Australopithecine and approached to homo erectus.

-developed frontal lobe which is seat of mental abilities, not found in australopithecine, but present in us.
-mandible less massive, foremen magnum downwaedly.

-dental areade more parabolic.

-teeth smaller, thinner enamel[indieating meat eating]

-sexual dimorphism I.e meals were much larger than femals.

-longer arms ,shorter legs,indicating imperfect bipedal locomotion,more dextrous hands with longer thumb.

CULTURE

-they made first stone tools like oldowan pebble choppers,rounded pebbles.

-animal bones and stone tools indicate hunting.

Phylogenetic status

homo habilis is intermediate between australopithecus and homoerectus.

Recent views is that homo hibilis was east african version of australopithecus.

Homo erectus

The first undisputed genus homo was present in africa, europe and asia from 1.6-0.2 myA.they had advanced features over
australopithecines and primitive features over modern man. They had developed and diversified culture. They were perhaps
direct anceostor to modern man.
Distribution

Chinese fossil-zhoukoudian near beijing

Indian fossile-narmada river valley from hathnora.

Europe-georgia

Africa-koobifora[kenya]

Oldvai gorge and laeotoli[tanzania]

Ternifine[algeria]
Advanced featires

Cranium

1. height of cranium more than width

2. Zygomatic arch similar to man

3. Saggital crest reduced or absent.

4. Parietal lobe well developed.

5. Chin absent.

Dentition

6. dental aracade parabolic

7. dental morphology like man, no diastema

8. Present of tourodontism[exatended pulp cavity]


Primitive features[with respect to man] cranial capacity =900cc

-recending forehead .

-prominenst supraorbital ridge like a bar or bone across nasal routs.

-angular occipital regian

-bone of cranium thicker than man

-larger mandible making face prognathus

-1st molar is largest in erectus while 3rd premolar is larger in man.

-there were several passanger for nerves and blood vessels present in jaw of erectus.

Socio-culture status

-they belonged to chellean and acheullian culture of lower paleolithic ages characterized by choppers,hammers in initial
phases.hand axe and cleavers refined in later phases. Also refined flankes appeared.

-they hunted big game animals like elephant [as large number elephant deposit found].big game required group activity. They
were nomadic people lived in small group.

-they first used fire,cooked food and warmed themselves.

-language and communication practice of tool making,hunting,group activites, fire etc acted as selective forces to those with
developed occipital lobe,frontal lobe etc. Singnifying development of language as a mean of communication.

-cannisalism-fractured hominid sone in china with enlarged foramen magnum suggested cannibalism.

-later population n h.ereetus lived in eaven.

Phylogentic status

-bernard and other palaeontologist divided erectus into homo ergaster and homo erectus.

-homo ergaster arose earlier in africa and later migrated out of africa.

-homo etectus descendants of ergaster,migrated to asia.

-according to bernard homo ergaster gave rise to modern man.


Neanderthal man

Nearderthal man exited between 1.2 lakh-300000year ago in europe,near east and central asia.they were fore runner to modern
man,thay belonged to mausterian culture.two forms classical type and progressive type in neandthal had existed.

Distribution

Classical type neanderthal[germany] spy belgium la mousteir la chapelle aux]france

Progressive type

Mt.carmel israel

Shanider-iraq

Physical features

Cranial part

1. cranial capacity of progressive-14000cc lower than classical-1600cc

2. Skull high vaulted in progressive and low vaulted in classical.

-forehead less receding in progressive than classical.

-occipitael region less projecting in progressive

-supraorbital ridge seperated in middle in progressive but it is continuous in classical.

-orbit more rounded in progressive,but less rounded[or rectangular]

In classical.

-scull less rough in progressive than classical.

-no prognathism in progressive-chin absent.

-brain advanced in progressive but primitive in classical type.

Post cranial part

Post cranial feature more or less in both.

-well developed teres muscle

-radius had strong curvature

-fingers were comparative shorter some differences-

-progressive were longer and had complete erect posture,classical were shorter and had imperfect erect posture.

-femur had well developed linea aspera in progressive but less developed in classical.

Cultural feature

Nearnderthal belonged to mausterial culture of middle paleolithic age,culture included clothing,ritualistie burials,family
cemetery and bear cult.

Phylogenetic status

Phylogenetic status of neanderthal debatable.three intertation between nearderthal and homo sapiens exist’’,as shown in
phylogenetic tree,
1. uniliner evolution

2. Seperate lineage

3. Pre-neanderthal.

-seperate linear believes that nearnderthal branched out from homo erectus into seperate species but got extinct.

-pre-neanderthal theory believer that a preneanderthal evolved from homo erectus in between the evolution process of homo
sapience from homoerectus.preneanderthal evolved into homo sapience neanderthalensis,got extict.
Rhodesian man

Fossil related to rhodesian man were found at beoken hill in northern rhodesia,africa. Fossil assigned date 2 lakh years ago.

Physical feature

-brain case was of human shape but was primitive.

-brain case was long and narrow.

-skull low vaulted.

-skull shows human like expansion of pariental region.

-cranial capacity-1280-1400cc.

-foramen magnum anteriorly placed,occupied central position indicating perfect balance of skull on vertebral column erect
posuture.

-laege supraorbital ridge

-forhead receding

-dental arcade parabolic like modern man

-canines were reduced to level of other teeth

-no tourodontism

-sacrum,pelvis,legbones were like human with no ape like feature.they were however larger and very robust with massive jionts.

Cultural status

They used bone and stone implements.these implements shows similarity to those used by modern bushman of africa.

Taxomic status

Woodward on the basis of position of foramen magnum considers it to be human and assigned homo rhodesiensis.pycraft
believe that rhodesia had no erect posture as indicated by pelvis and assigned it cyphanthropus rhodesiensis.

However hooton saw sufficient likeness between neanderthal and rhodesian man and regarded it as a variant of former.

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