The History of Our Tribe Hominini Textbook Part IV Pleistocene Epoch Chapter 31 Homo antecessor

31 . Homo antecessor Homo antecessor ( human I predecessor or pioneer ) Figure Incomplete Homo antecessor Gran , Spain . Homo antecessor by is in the public domain . SITES Gran Dolina and Sima del , Spain PEOPLE , Juan Luis , and de Castro 184 INTRODUCTION Until the recent discovery of fossils dating to over in the Mountains of Spain , the earliest known fossil material from the area was no more than 800 kya . The 800 kya material was assigned the taxonomic designation of Homo , or Pioneer Man , as the first to have ranged into Western Europe . PHYLOGENY Since its discovery , researchers have speculated that Homo was descended from a more derived form of erg that may have crossed the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa during a period of ered sea levels . Now that the geological clock has been pushed back 300 kya , it is thought that they may have traveled through the Levant ( the Eastern Mediterranean region ) What is not known is whether the evolutionary event took place in Europe or North Africa . As far as descendant species , Homo is one contender for the ancestor of Homo that in turn is thought to have given rise to and modern humans . DISCOVERY AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE The species was discovered by , gran Luis , and de Castro . The first site to yield fossil material was the Gran Dolina site ( see Figure ) in the mountain range in Spain . Dated to 900 kya , the site has yielded both and material . Eighty from six individuals were recovered . It is of interest that much of the fossil material is immature and exhibits cut marks that may indicate that they were victims of cannibalism . The earliest site is Sima del ( Pit of the Elephant ) Dated to , only a handful of fossils have been recovered from the site . In addition to other sites in Spain , tools and footprints have been found in , England and , Italy ( also known as Homo , some consider it more closely related to ) Figure Grim Dolina site . Gran Dolina 2012 Sierra do Am by Mata is licensed under . PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The 800 kya material was more derived than earlier erectus forms , possessing a larger brain ( and a more modern skull and face . They had low foreheads and possessed an occipital bun 31 . Homo antecessor 185

Figure Home antecessor by Taylor . a bun or chignon is the hairstyle wherein one winds long hair into a doughnut shape on the top or back of the head ) as did ( see features in Figure ) It has been suggested that the purpose of that posterior protrusion is to balance the weight of the anterior portion of the skull and face . Based upon cranial anatomy , they are thought to have been capable of detecting the same range of sounds as modern humans and were possibly . They were almost as tall as modern humans at ( with males weighing ( 90 ) 186 The History of Our Tribe

Figure Homo antecessor moves to Spain by Taylor . Long , flat , low Receding Circular orbits forehead bun torus Large nasal cavity fossa Large gap behind third Little or no chin ( mental molar . eminence ) Figure cranial characteristics . Neanderthal cranial by Jason Potter is licensed under . Review of Derived Characteristics Increased . 31 . Homo antecessor 187

Tall like Boy . 188 The History of Our Tribe