The History of Our Tribe Hominini Textbook Part IV Pleistocene Epoch Chapter 33 Homo heidelbergensis

33 . Homo Homo ( 600 kya ) human I , Germany ) Figure Model of Home head and shoulders . Homo adult male head model Smithsonian Museum of Natural by Tim is licensed under , Europe Spain Sima de los France Germany , England , Italy del ( footprints ) Hungary Greece , 194

Africa Morocco Ethiopia , Beds ) Lake , Beds ) South Africa , Asia China Dali , PEOPLE Otto and many more INTRODUCTION For many years , fossil material from kya from Africa , Asia , and Europe that was more or was included in our own genus and species but was distinguished as Early Archaic Homo sapiens ( There was much debate as to when to draw the line between more forms and more forms . The prevailing view was that material on all three continents was descended from erectus . The various geographic species distinctions for erectus had not yet come into use . Again , this is referred to as the Regional Continuity Model ( for the origin of modern humans . In this scenario , forms on each of the continents slowly evolved into modern humans via gene flow between populations . This is in contrast to the Recent African Origin ( model whereby modern humans evolved in Africa and moved out to eventually replace archaic forms elsewhere , erectus in Asia . The model has gained in popularity due to a combination of the of fossil material and especially DNA methods aimed at evaluating genetic distance between species , in terms of number of years since divergence from a common ancestor . The material from Asia that had previously been assigned to has been relegated to erectus , with very little evidence for an intermediate form bridging the gap between creams and . Fossil material from Europe and Africa that was formerly assigned to is now termed Homo heme ! with some researchers using Homo for some of the African material . It is now well accepted that was ancestral to both humans and ( see Figure that in this scenario , is not considered to be ancestral to ) 33 . Homo 195

sapiens Neanderthal erectus Figure Human phylogeny . Version Stringer by Chris is licensed under DE . PHYLOGENY is thought to have evolved from a more derived form of . Some researchers believe that the material from ( formerly ) Algeria , known by some as Home , is a possible transitional form between the two species . Mandibles from are very similar to the type specimen , the mandible ( see Figure ) from the area of Germany , from which the species name is derived . In addition to the material from North Africa , the oldest material is from the site in Ethiopia , dated to 600 kya . Thus while an African origin is favored , some believe that sis is descended from in Europe . Whether evolved in Europe or Africa , they had to have migrated from one continent to the other . Thus if evolved in Europe from antecessor , a portion of the population migrated to Africa and evolved toward , leaving some regional population of the remaining European stock to evolve into . The other more popular scenario has evolving in Africa from some descendant form of Homo . A portion of the population then emigrated to Europe and evolved into while a portion of the remaining African stock evolved toward . In addition , a new species of is also thought to be descended from . The vans ( see this chapter ) as they have come to be known due to their discovery in the Cave in the Mountains of Russia , are thought to have branched off from the lineage that led to . DNA analyses show that with , as well as the first wave of that left Africa , possibly around 125 kya and subsequently settled and Australia . 196 The History of Our Tribe

I Figure Type specimen Mailer mandible . by Gerbil is licensed . Contrary new DNA evidence suggests that branched off from some common prior to 800 kya and is thus not part of our recent lineage . then divided into the and the lineages , but interbreeding continued between them in areas of geographic overlap . There is good evidence that gave rise to . There are skulls from the sites of , Germany , France and Sima de los , Spain , that appear to be transitional in that they exhibit characteristics seen in , such as similar brow ridge morphology , enlarged facial sinuses , occipital bun , etc . It is rare in paleoanthropology to have such good support for continuity in physical characteristics between ancestor and descendent species . However , the fact that those species lived more recently in time and in developed and populated areas certainly helps , in terms of facilitating discoveries . DISCOVERY AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE The earliest discoveries of are from Germany . The type specimen was discovered in 1907 in , Germany . The oldest site is , Ethiopia ( 600 kya ) There are numerous sites in Europe ( see Figure ) that date from as early as 500 kya and range from Spain through Eastern Europe . The greatest number of individuals came from the Sima de los ( Pit ) see Figure 335 ) site in the Mountains of Spain . Both and sites in that area were discovered when a railway was built . The remains were found in a deep ber inside of a cave , hence the name , Pit of More than 32 individuals have been recovered , and most of them are juveniles . While there has been much speculation , the significance of this find in terms of cultural complexity ( see ENVIRONMENT AND WAY OF LIFE below ) remains elusive . There are a couple of sites in Asia that some researchers believe are also representative of , including Dali , China . Sites in Africa ( also referred to as ) include in North Africa , and in East Africa in and and in South Africa . 33 . Home 197

Figure Home from , Germany . Homo pe by is licensed under . Figure Homo from Sima de los , Spain . Homo by Alvarez is licensed under . PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS In general , was less robust , both cranially and , than the erectus grade and more robust than . There is intraspecific variability in craniofacial morphology , with some specimens being more robust and others more gracile . While this is not surprising , considering the temporal and graphic range for the species , it has led to disagreement as to how to define it . is primarily distinguished from forms by its increased cranial capacity ( that of ) and more modern skull vault . Cerebral expansion , especially of the parietal lobes , led to increased cranial breadth in the superior aspect of the skull vault and thus a more vertically 198 The History of Our Tribe

Figure Homo by Taylor . oriented skull . The occipital region is less angular due to reduced robusticity in the nuchal musculature Some specimens have very pronounced brow ridges ( see Figure ) and some have speculated that those individuals represent males of the species . They share the presence of a canine fossa with . The canine fossa is a depression above the canine on either side of the maxilla . The robusticity of morphology and tooth wear suggests that they were using their mouths and teeth as tools , for example , pulling meat off bones and working hides Surprisingly , the middle ear bones were discovered for one specimen , and it could thus be determined that their hearing was comparable with our own ( Martinez et al . 2004 ) Some are considered to be transitional and exhibited characteristics seen in the . Their midfacial region was ( prognathic with a corresponding large nose and ( puffy due to large frontal and maxillary sinuses Their have a swept back appearance , and the skull vault exhibited an occipital bun . The outer layer of their long bones ( the cortical bone ) was thick , and the interior medullary ( marrow ) cavity was narrow . The species was taller than , with males and females averaging ( 175 ) and ( 157 ) respectively Average weights for males and females were 136 ( 62 ) and 112 ( 51 ) respectively ( Smithsonian Institution 2015 ) 33 . Home 199

Review of Derived Characteristics Increase in brain size complexity of skull architecture , and corresponding vault changes . Loss of angulation in occipital region . Canine fossa . Review of Characteristics Inherited by Midfacial prognathism and large nose . Puffy appearance to face due to large frontal and maxillary sinuses . Swept back . Occipital bun . Thick cortical bone and narrow medullary cavity . Figure 337 Broken Hill Mun , formerly Rhodesian Man ) Broken Hill Skull by Gerbil is licensed under . ENVIRONMENT AND WAY OF LIFE The site was of course , close to the equator and hence warm . moved into Europe during the interglacial period ( kya ) Wikipedia contributors ) 200 The History of Our Tribe

Figure Home hunting by Taylor . Like those species that preceded them , were mobile . They left evidence for both seasonal and differential use . In addition to using rock shelters and caves for shelter , they are the first species for which we have evidence of building structures . At the site of Terra in the south of France , the living floors of structures have been excavated . It is thought that a group returned to the site annually for fishing and other subsistence activities and reconstructed their huts 201

( up to 11 times ) on the exact same site ( see Figure ) They are credited as having been the first to make the tools necessary for efficient fishing . Like past species , their hunting capabilities are able . However , there is evidence that they may have ambushed large animals by forcing them off cliffs or cornering them in canyons . Support for ambush comes from faunal on the nel Islands off the coast of France . The remains are from animals in prime condition , and the frequency of the various bones shows that the were differentially removing the limbs and bringing them back to butcher at a home base . spears and thousands of faunal remains have been recovered at , Germany . The spears were for strength and expertly weighted for flight , like modern javelins . A Figure Hut design at Terra . by Borg is in the public domain . While some tools from are , most are of the tradition . The species is credited with inventing a more conservative method , termed the technique , for controlling flake shape and maximizing their yield from a core . Flakes could then be worked into a variety of tools . They could also shape the core in such a way that a point could be struck off that was sharp on all sides ( see Figure ) were the first to make compound tools , tools with more than one ponent , such as hammers and spears . There is a great website demonstrating and describing tool production at , as well as an animated visual for the technique at technique . is the first species for which there is ample evidence of the controlled use of fire , in that hearths have been found at several sites . In addition to the aforementioned inventions , a couple of novel cultural practices have been suggested for the species . They may have made and used furniture , such as seaweed beds and stone blocks , and there is some evidence of art or written communication in the form of arcs and angles and the use of ocher ( mineral pigments ) A fine pink quartz hand axe , nicknamed Excalibur , was found among the bodies in the Pit of Some researchers believe it is the earliest evidence of associated with burial , in that the artifact was seemingly unused and manufactured from exotic stone . The seclusion of the bodies may also represent an attempt at keeping them from being ravaged by . All of these advancements and innovations are unequivocal support for the increase in cognition that resulted from the degree of and changes in brain architecture that are evident in the skull size and shape of . Finally , if the new DNA evidence is correct and branched off from our ancestry versus being our ancestor , the behavioral and cultural complexity ent at sites indicates that our common ancestor was cognitively advanced more than 800 kya ! 202 The History of Our Tribe

Figure point . point by Jose Alvarez is licensed under . Figure Hand , England . by is licensed under 33 . Homo 203