Figure 2.1: The increase in brain size from Singe Anthropoide to a Homo Sapiens
4 MYA Australopithecines appear., walk upright on what is called its hind legs. First human ancestors to live on the savannah
Their brains are no larger than a chimpanzee’s with a volume around 400 – 500 cm3, >3 MYA Lucy, famous specimen of Australopithecus afarensis, lives near what is now Hadar, Ethiopia 2.7 MYA Paranthropus, lives in woods and grasslands, has massive jaws for chewing on roots and vegetation. Becomes extinct 1.2 MYA 2.5 MYA Some hominids made tools by chipping stones to form a cutting edge, this starts Oldowan tradition of tool making, which last a million years. There were four or more species of hominid living in Africa. Sahelanthropus Tchaedenisis, Australopithecus Afarensis, Ausralopithecus Afarensis and Homo Habilis are some of those that lived.
Some hominids develop meat-rich diets as scavengers, the extra energy may have started the evolution of larger brains. Homo habilis appears. Its face protrudes less than earlier hominids, but still retains many ape features. Has a brain volume of around 600 cm3. 2 MYA Evidence of Homo ergaster, lived in Africa.
Brain volume of up to 850 cm3 1.8 – 1.5 MYA Homo erectus is found in Asia. First true hunter-gatherer ancestor, and also first to have migrated out of Africa in large numbers. Hand axes were used. Also, hominids had spread out of Africa and into much of Asia and Europe. These hominids included the ancestors of Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) in Europe and Homo erectus in Asia.
It attains a brain size of around 1000 cm3 1.6 MYA Possible first sporadic use of fire suggested by discoloured sediments in Koobi Fora, Kenya. More convincing evidence of charred wood and stone tools is found in Israel and dated to 780,000 years ago 600,000 YA Homo Heidelbergensis lives in Africa and Europe. Similar brain capacity to modern humans 500,000 YA Earliest evidence of purpose-built shelters – wooden huts – are known from sites near Chichibu, Japan 400,000-325,000 YA Early humans begin to hunt with spears, Oldest surviving early human footprints are left by three people who scrambled down the slopes of a volcano in Italy 280,000 -230,000 YA First complex stone blades and grinding stones Neanderthals appear and are found across Europe, from Britain in the west to Iran in the east, until they become extinct with the advent of modern humans 28,000 years ago 195,000-110,000 YA Our own species Homo sapiens appears on the scene – and shortly after begins to migrate across Asia and Europe. Oldest modern human remains are two skulls found in Ethiopia that date to this period. Humans possibly capable of speech. 100,000-year-old shell jewellery suggests that that people develop complex speech and symbolism First evidence of long-distance trade Earliest beads – made from ostrich eggshells – and jewellery Average human brain volume is 1350 cm3
12,000- 3,500YA Modern people reach the Americas Stone Age ends and Bronze Age begins. Humans begin to smelt and work copper and tin, and use them in place of stone implements Earliest known writing The Sumerians of Mesopotamia develop the world’s first civilisation The volume of a developed homo sapiens brain is 1400cm3.
Figure 2.2: The change and development of the Hominid Skull.
Figure 2.3: The process of divergence within the Hominin/ Hominid species. Top left is started from a single cell, extremely microscopic, bottom right, the evolution of Homo sapiens.