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- Evolution
- Charles Darwin
- Survival of the
Fittest/ Natural
Selection
“Theories on prehistory and
early man constantly change as
new evidence comes to light.”
- Louis Leaky, British
Paleoanthropologist.
{
Chapter 1, section 1
Paleolithic
Neolithic
Human Origins in
Africa - Prehistory
Hominid
family
shrub
Evolution does
not claim that
man came from
Apes, just that
they share a
common ancestor.
Differentiation
happened 6-8
million years ago.
Skull is about the size of a
Chimpanzee.
 No bones below the skull
have been found, but shares
characteristics with skulls of
other bipedal creatures.
 No one is sure if Toumai is a
hominid – big debate!

The ones in
RED are the
ones you read
about in your
book.
Toumai
7 million years
ago (found in
2001)
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Lucy – found in 1974
Special
thumb??
Australopithecine
4 million – 1 million yrs. ago
Paleolithic
Homo Habilis
2.5 million – 1 million yrs. Ago.
start of the Paleolithic?
Old
Stone
•2,500,000 – 10,000 BCE
Neolithic
New
Stone
•10,000-4,000 BCE
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Differing Theories of
Human Migration
Are we all Africans “under the skin”?
Did Homo Erectus move out of Africa and
then evolve into Homo Sapiens in
different places around the same time?
Did Homo Erectus move out of
Africa, followed by waves of Homo
Sapiens who out competed them?
Homo Erectus
1.5 million – 30,000 yrs. ago
The Multi-regionalist Theory
70,000 – 10,000 BCE
•Earth’s surface
cooled.
•Continental ice
sheets (glaciers)
grew.
•Sahara became
a desert
encouraging
migration
The Out of Africa Theory
• Took tens
of
thousands
of years to
reach
Australia,
islands in
Pacific, etc.
•Skills also
had to
change.
•Ice bridges also
encouraged
migration
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Neanderthals
(400,000-30,000 yrs ago)
Cro-Magnons/ Early
Modern Human
(100,000-10,000 yrs ago)
•Humans during this period found
shelter in caves
•Cave paintings were left behind.
•From late Paleolithic.
•S. France and N. Spain
Purpose??
Homo Sapiens
200,000-10,000 BCE
NEANDERTHALS:
•Neander Valley, Germany
(1856)
•First humans to bury their
dead.
•Made clothes from animals
skins. Wore makeup & jewelry.
Played bone flutes  self
expression.
•Lived in Caves and tents.
•DNA evidence says we may be
more closely related than
previously thought!
•By 30,000 BCE they had
replaced Neanderthals, but
WHY???
•10,000-4,000 BCE
•Gradual shift from:
•Nomadic lifestyle  settled stationary life
•Hunting/Gathering  agricultural production and
domestication of animals;
the beginnings of civilization.
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Homo Sapiens Sapiens
10,000 BCE – now!
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