1. The Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans
Chapter 11
The Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans

2. Chapter Outline Approaches to Understanding Modern Human Origins
The Earliest Discoveries of Modern Humans
Something New and Different: The “Little People”
Technology and Art in the Upper Paleolithic
Summary of Upper Paleolithic Culture

3. Focus Question
How could we determine when and where modern people first appeared?

4. Homo sapiens
All contemporary populations are placed within H. sapiens.

5. Homo sapiens
Most paleoanthropologists agree that several fossil forms, dating back as far as 100,000 ya, should also be included in the same fully modern group as us.

6. Questions About the Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans
When (approximately) did modern humans first appear?
Where did the transition take place?
What was the pace of evolutionary change? How quickly did the transition occur?
How did the dispersal of modern humans to other areas of the Old World (outside their area of origin) take place?

7. Models of Human Origins
Regional Continuity: Multiregional Evolution
Replacement
Complete
Partial

8. Regional Continuity Model: Multiregional Evolution
Associated with paleoanthropologist Milford Wolpoff of the University of Michigan.
Populations, connected by gene flow, in Europe, Asia, and Africa continued evolutionary development from archaic H. sapiens to anatomically modern humans.

9. Complete Replacement Model: Recent African Evolution
Developed by British paleoanthropologists Christopher Stringer and Peter Andrews.
Proposes anatomically modern populations arose in Africa in the last 200,000 years.
They migrated from Africa, completely replacing premodern populations in Europe and Asia.
Does not account for the transition from premodern forms to H. sapiens anywhere except Africa.

10. Partial Replacement Model
Various perspectives suggest that modern humans originated in Africa and then, when their population increased, expanded out of Africa into other areas of the Old World.
This model claims that interbreeding occurred between emigrating Africans and resident premodern populations.

11. Class Activity: Evaluating the Models
Discuss three types of evidence
Morphology in time and space
Genetics
Archaeological
What patterns do you think would support each of the three models just profiled?
In this activity, ask the class to think of the kind of data they would expect that would support the various models.

12. Time Line of Modern Homo Sapiens Discoveries: What do the Data Say?

13. Early Homo sapiens Discoveries From Africa and the Near East
Dates
Site
Hominind
Evolutionary Significance
195,000 ya
Omo Ethiopia
H. sapiens
Oldest modern human; two crania found, one
more modern looking than the other
154, ,000 ya
Herto
Ethiopia
idaltu
Well-preserved cranium; best-preserved early modern human found anywhere

14. Early Homo sapiens Discoveries From Africa and the Near East
Dates
Site
Hominin
Evolutionary Significance
115,000 ya
Skhul Israel
H. sapiens
sapiens
Minimum of 10 individuals; earliest modern humans known outside of Africa
110,000 ya
Qafzeh
Israel
Large sample; modern, but some individuals fairly robust; early date

15. Herto Cranium Herto cranium from Ethiopia, dated 160,000–154,000 ya.
Adult
Mosaic of modern and premodern traits
Very large, and extremely long cranial vault
1450 cm3
Large, arching browridge and projecting occipital protuberance
H. sapiens idaltu, “idaltu” is Afar language meaning “elder”

16. Specimens From Israel Skhül 5. (a) 130,000-100,000 ya Qafzeh 6 (b)
The vault height, forehead, and lack of prognathism are modern traits.
Contemporary with Neandertals in Region

17. Key Early Modern Homo sapiens from Europe and Asia
Dates
Site
Hominin
Evolutionary Significance
40,000 ya
Tianyuan Cave China
H. sapiens
sapiens
Partial skull and a few postcranial bones; oldest modern human find from China
40,000-45,000 ya
Niah Cve
Borneo, Indonesia
Partial skull recently redated more accurately; oldest modern human find from Asia

18. Key Early Modern Homo sapiens from Europe and Asia
Dates
Site
Hominin
Evolutionary Significance
30,000 ya
Cro-Magnon
France
H. sapiens
sapiens
Most famous early modern human find; earliest evidence of modern humans in France
24,500 ya
Abrigo do Lagar Velho
Portugal
Child’s skeleton; possible hybrid of Neandertal and modern human, it is controversial

19. Geography of Modern Humans in East Asia and Australia

20. Australia
50,000 ya modern humans inhabited Sahul, area including New Guinea and Australia
Lake Mungo, SE Australia (60,000?) 30, ,000 ya
Kow Swamp 14,000-9,000 ya fossils with archaic features, including receding foreheads, heavy supraorbital tori, and thick bones

21. Geography of Modern Humans in Europe

22. Mladec and Dolní Crania
The Mladec (a) and Dolní Věstonice (b) crania from the Czech Republic, is a good example of early modern Homo sapiens in central Europe.
Along with Oase in Romania, the evidence for early modern H. sapiens appears first in central Europe, then later in western Europe.

23. Cro-Magnon I Cro-Magnon I (France).
In this specimen, modern traits are quite clear.
(a) Lateral view, (b) Frontal view

24. Neandertal/H. sapiens Admixture
Abrigo do Lagar Velho
“hybrid” child
Recent Genetic comparisons of Neandertal DNA and contemporary humans
Populations outside of Africa typically have more Neandertal DNA

25. Class Activity-Comparing Skulls
Homo Sapiens
Neandertals
The next few slides could contain images of Neandertal skulls paired with the ones profiled in Chapter 11. The goal could be to get students to identify those traits that are criteria for identification as H. sapiens. Not only would this reinforce taxonomic distinctions, but would also illustrate the continuous nature of morphological variation and that lines between species, especially fossil ones are blurry.

26. Location of the Flores Site, Indonesia

27. Cultural Periods of the European Upper Paleolithic

28. World of the Upper Paleolithic
Variable and sometimes resource rich environment

29. Upper Paleolithic Archaeological Sites
Larger populations aggregations
More labor intensive architecture

30. Technological Innovations
More efficient use of stone
Bone, ivory and antler become more widely used raw materials
Spear throwers

31. Innovations in Symbols
More investment in grave offerings
Variable social status reflected in grave offerings

32. Innovations in Symbols
Over-designed artifacts
Figurines

33. Innovations in Symbols
Cave images

34. Precedents in Africa Apollo 11 Blombos Cave Pinnacle Point
28,000-26,000 ya
Blombos Cave
73,000 ya
Pinnacle Point
165,000 ya

36. Upper Paleolithic Activity
Compare and contrast Upper Paleolithic technology to previous tool traditions (Oldowan, Achulean, Mousterian)
What are some of the potential reasons for these differences?

37. Why It Matters
Question:
Are we all originally Africans?

38. Why It Matters
Answer:
Yes, all the early hominids evolved first in Africa and migrated to other parts of the world only after several million years of evolutionary history confined solely to Africa.
In every meaningful evolutionary and biocultural aspect, we are all Africans.
The next time you seriously consider the meaning of race, think about your African roots.

39. Quick Quiz

40. 1. Which of the following is NOT one of the hypotheses explaining the origins and dispersal of anatomically modern humans?
the partial replacement model
the regional continuity model
the regional replacement model
the complete replacement model

41. Answer: c
The regional replacement model is NOT one of the hypotheses explaining the origins and dispersal of anatomically modern humans.

42. 2. Scientists are fairly clear on when anatomically modern Homo sapiens first appeared.
True
False

43. Answer: False
Scientists are not fairly clear on when anatomically modern Homo sapiens first appeared.

44. 3. The _________________ holds that anatomically modern populations arose in Africa within the last 200,000 years, migrated out and replaced populations in Europe and Asia. They did not interbreed because they were a separate species.

45. Answer: Complete Replacement Model
3. The Complete Replacement Model holds that anatomically modern populations arose in Africa within the last 200,000 years, migrated out and replaced populations in Europe and Asia. They did not interbreed because they were a separate species.

46. 4. The model also known as "Recent African Evolution" is based on the origin of modern humans
in Africa and their interbreeding with local African populations.
in Africa and their replacement of local populations in Europe and Asia.
in China and their relatively recent evolution in Africa.
simultaneously in Africa and China.

47. Answer: b
The model also known as "Recent African Evolution" is based on the origin of modern humans in Africa and their replacement of local populations in Europe and Asia.