University:
Tyler Junior College
Course:
ANTH 2301 | Anthropology
Academic year:

2024
Views:

262

Pages:

2
Author:

Dave D.

The Genus Homo and the Emergence of Us ANTH 2301 Homo antecessor Homo antecessor, which belongs to the 1.2 MYA to 800 KYA time period, has been discovered in Spain, France, and England. The earliest fossil evidence for the genus Homo in Europe is represented by these fossils. There is a debate among scientists on the relationship between this species and Homo heidelbergensis. Some contend that H. antecessor is a direct descendant of H. ergaster. The earliest evidence of Homo antecessor was discovered in the Sima de los Huesos site in Spain's Sierra de Atapuerca area. The Pit of Bones, a cave located within this site, is home to around 1,600 fossils of 28 different people that date from 780,000 years ago or earlier. The site is significant because it spans a long time and shows how different Homo physical traits emerged and diverged, paving the way for their eventual appearance in Neanderthals. According to Meyer et al. (2016), nuclear DNA evidence indicates that early hominins at this location diverged earlier than 430,000 years ago, placing them more closely connected to the Neanderthal than the Denisovans. Further examination of the hybridization and divergence between Neanderthals, Denisovans, and contemporary Homo sapiens will be provided in the Neanderthal section. Male Homo sapiens weighed over 200 pounds and stood almost six feet tall, both of which are well within the range of variation for modern humans. This species' other physical characteristics include a low forehead, no strong chin, a projecting occipital bun (a protrusion in the occipital region of the skull), and a cranial capacity of around 1,000 cc. The occipital bun has been proposed as a means of counteracting the weight of the face and skull's anterior region. This species shares a fairly contemporary feature with modern humans: a facial depression called the canine fossa is present over the canine tooth. A 10-year-old's maxilla, or top jawbone, is the best-preserved fossil. of Gran Dolina, another area of the Atapuerca site, 200 stone tools and 300 animal bones were discovered in addition to the fossil bones. A carved stone knife was also discovered there. The majority of the stone tools at this site were made in the Oldowan style using raw materials found nearby. Hand-held cores and flakes cutters were among the tools used. Some have stated that the fact that these instruments aren't retouched here suggests they were made primarily with meat preparation and consumption in mind. The bulk of animal remains have cutmarks. The fact that this site has so many huge animal corpses (mainly deer) that are thought to have been moved rather than eaten where they were killed is one of the most interesting things to notice about it. According to some experts, the tradition of bringing food back to the location demonstrates social cooperation by implying both a division of labour and a shared food custom. Similar cutmarks found on animal bones are also present on many Homo sapiens bones, suggesting that the purpose of the flesh removal was dismemberment. This has led some scientists to conclude that H. antecessor engaged in cannibalism. But during funeral ceremonies, people have also been known to pluck flesh from bones. It is still up for contention as to whether the cutmarks left by H. antecessor are evidence of cannibalism, a burial ceremony, or some other, unidentified behaviour.

The Genus Homo and the Emergence of Us - Homo Antecessor

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