1. THE HOMINIDS
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

2. Australopithecus afarensis
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

3. Australopithecus afarensis
 3.9 – 2.9 Ma
 Climate changing. Antarctic ice cap
advance 5 Ma
 Distribution: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
 Cranial capacity: 380 – 450 cm3
 Height: 1.07m
 Bipedal (footprints 3.6 Ma old) /climber
 U-shaped dental arcade but reduced
canines
 Arboreal / terrestrial herbivore
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

4. Australopithecus africanus
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

5. Australopithecus africanus
 3 – 2.25 Ma
 Cooling of climate reduced rainfall
 Further advance of Antarctic ice
 Appearance of Arctic ice 2.4Ma
 Development of scrubland and
savannah
 Forest cover retreats
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

6. Australopithecus africanus
 Distribution: Southern and Eastern Africa
 Cranial capacity: 500 cm3
(Chimp = 400cm3
)
 Bipedal
 20 – 35 kg
 Rounder skull
 Parabolic dental arcade
 Longevity: 40 years maximum
 Scavenger of bone marrow/brain cases
 Used simple tools
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

7. Australopithecus (Paranthropus)
robustus
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

8. Australopithecus (Paranthropus)
robustus
 2 – 1 Ma
 Cooling of climate reduced rainfall
 Development of scrubland and savannah
Forest retreats
 Distribution: S. Africa
 Diet: Roots and tough fibrous vegetable
matter
 Cranial capacity: 500 cm3
(Chimp = 400cm3
)
 Bipedal
 40 –70 kg Sexual dimorphism
(males twice as bulky as females)
 Large cheek teeth
 Heavy muscular skull
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

9. Homo habilis - the handy man
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

10. Homo habilis
 2.6 -1.4 Ma
 E. Africa
 Scavenging significant part of the
diet
 Cranial capacity: 600 – 800 cm3
 Height: 1.20 – 1.35m
 Simple fashioned tools – choppers
(Oldowan culture)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

11. Homo erectus – the upright man
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

12. Homo erectus
 1.8 to 0.5 Ma
 0.9 Ma beginning of the Pleistocene
ice age
 Oscillations between cold and warm
periods
 Spread out of Africa (∼1.6Ma)
throughout the old world
 Scavenging to hunting
 Use of a home base
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

13. Homo erectus
 Cranial capacity: 850 – 1100 cm3
(H. sapiens = 1350 cm3
)
 Use of fire
 Height 1.55 to 1.8m
 Extended childhood
 1st molar at 4.6 years old (H. sapiens =
5.9y)
 Greater longevity → 52 years
 Speech? (Brain says: yes; spine says: no)
 Improved tools: Hand axes
(Acheulian culture)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

14. Homo neanderthalensis
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

15. Homo neanderthalensis
 250 000 to 28 000 years ago
 Europe, Middle East, into Central Asia
 Evolved from H. erectus populations
perhaps via H. heidelbergensis, then
became extinct
 Adapted to the ice-age conditions of
temperate zone
 Large nose may have warmed cold air
 The enigma of its extinction is not
explained
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

16. Homo neanderthalensis
 Cranial capacity: 1400 cm3
(H. sapiens = 1350 cm3
)
 Brow ridge, long low skull
 Height: 1.67m
 Stocky build
 Improved sophisticated tools
(Mousterian culture)
 Sometimes buried their dead
 Made simple jewellery
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

17. Homo sapiens
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

18. Homo sapiens
 From 150 000 years ago to present
 Originating in Southern Africa then went
worldwide
 Reached Europe about 50 000 years ago
 Cooling of the climate during the last
glacial period from about 50 000a led to
their predominance over other species
(e.g. H. neanderthalensis)
 Omnivore
 Alters environment
 Domestication of species, farming
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

19. Homo sapiens
 Cranial capacity: 1350 cm3
(range 1000 to 2000 cm3
)
 20% of the body’s energy consumption
for 5% of body mass
 Speech
 Art
 Extensive tool kit including new materials
(bone, ivory, antler)
 Symbolic thought
 1st molar tooth 5.9 years old
 Longevity 66 years
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS