Cranium, jrg. 12,
Do human
no.
1,
origins
New evidence
21-24,
pag.
lie
1995
maart
in Africa?
only
from northern Pakistan.
R.W. Dennell
Samenvatting
de
in Afrika
mens
migreerde hij rond 1,5 miljoen jaar geleden
en
naar
Europa
zijn.
Hoewel
Azië.
en
In Noord-Pakistan
er
opvatting ontstond
de heersende
Volgens
tot
zijn recentelijk
op heden geen
werktuigen gevonden,
stenen
fossielen
menselijke
zijn
gevonden,
de mensheid misschien niet alleen in Africa heeft
Dit is de laatste
lezing
mogelijk
de
stenen
dan 2
meer
werktuigen
oud
miljoen jaar
dat de
aanwijzing,
een
wieg
van
gestaan.
het ’Cradle of Mankind’ congres. De
van
die
vormen
in Cranium
overige lezingen zijn
verschenen.
11(2)
Summary
According
Recently
until
now
no
Man evolved in Africa and
beliefs,
to current
artifacts
stone
discovered in northern
were
human fossils have been found in this
migrated
Pakistan,
area,
these
into
which
possibly
This is the last lecture in the congress ’Cradle of Mankind’. The other lectures
The search
when
for
human
public
the
ever
tools
stone
Since
in
discovered
with
the
bones
Australia, Siberia, Patagonia,
the first
was
since
and
that
was
where
chimpanzee,
our
found
are
rities feel that he
the fossil and
suggest that
to
was
our
Lemuria,
origins lay
today. Nowadays,
ori-
Africa,
the
gorilla
most
evidence for
South
Africa, especially
evidence suggests that
australopithecines)
apes
some
Only
by
Homo
thought by
2.5
a
many
be
to
directly
in the last million
supposed
Europe
to
and Asia:
these
from
1.5
million
less
are
a
our
ago
in
East
of
Mankind",
viewpoint.
as
the
sil
more
human
on
For
there
most
likely
origins
widely regarded
has
always
dence
was
the first
when
were
where
we
Asia
Even
an
to
that is
Hei-
near
much older spePiltdown
forty
next
their
evidence
key
from
came
east
the
Far
to
opinion
or
swung
new
Africa until
made in East
was
firmly
later mi-
India and
China, Indonesia,
found in Eurasia
has
in the 1930's that
speculated
in Central Asia and
fossil find
near
1930's, and from Java in the
and Africa. Little
Europe
was
years,
concentrate
Most of the
evolution
originated
major
Mankind",
fossil evi-
1959, when
Africa,
towards Africa
and
new
East Africa
opposing
those
regarded
fossil
has
end
1959,
of the
from
king
21
now
and
the last
not
are
remains
Olduvai
yielded
Gorge
the
it took Louis
survey and
not
are
since
as
the
The first
points.
almost
fossils
are
working! The
rare
East
remains
Leakey
the "Cradle of
in the
all
the
of
some
as
key
thirty
on
found in
third is that
large
Africa,
62
not
is
light
years has concentrated
as
in
as
origin change
secondly,
thirty
surprisingly,
people
human
Although
where fos-
came
areas
-
human
on
discoveries,
over
regarded
remember three
must
we
that scientific views
evolved. As now, views
had been found. At the
human
if Africa is currently
to
the "Cradle
was
century, the oldest-known human fossil
Mauer
England.
researchers
erectus.
jaw
colonised
of
heavily influenced by
at
-
"Cradle of Mankind".
ancestors
Africa,
as
been
of this century,
area
human remains
last
now
Piltdown in
and Asia.
south and
fieldwork
is
found
supposedly
a
1920's and
westwards into
were
human
a
or
500,000
called Homo
War,
of hu-
erectus,
of Choukoutien (now Zhoudoudian)
cave
in the
grated
which may have descended from H. habilis.
Although Africa
and
encouraged
ancestors
our
form of extinct Homo that
years
at
is
today
type
around
probably
1930's. Several researchers
ma-
thought
are
Pithecanthropus
younger was
found
1960 for
Bejing
as
ourselves).
to
of Africa and
first Eurasians
have been Homo erectus,
dates
out
(These
is
and
old,
Europe
on
East: the
proto-human
ancestral
or
years
have moved
earliest
it
extinct
an
fraud that fooled most experts for the
before
walking
were
in 1891 of
called
Germany,
was
effort
years. The
some
in
but it also
ancestors
were
years ago.
the
habilis,
they
had
years
delberg
cimen
autho-
(known
he
had found
doctor, Eugene Dubois,
fragment
probably slightly
distinct from other
and
years ago;
million
thirty
ancestors
already
were
four million
tools
stone
probably
last
earliest
4.5 million years ago; that
bipedally by
king
the
over
our
Dutch
before the First World
Shortly
almost all
our
a
ape-man;
700,000
a non-
in
basically correct, since
archaeological
we
that
upright
before one million years
has been found in East and
ago
the
though
11(2).
in Cranium
published
were
and skull
leg
man
Indian Ocean. Dar-
relatives,
nearest
Eng-
Africa and
Asia,
and
a
animals.
that
suggested
existent continent that sank in the
win
of extinct
where
Java,
century,
in France and
and Central
S.E.
Europe,
fascinated scholars
nineteenth
early
various scholars have
then,
ginated
has
origins
since the
were
land in association
even
2 million years old. Even
over
artifacts indicate that the ’Cradle of Mankind’
may
stone
be situated outside Africa.
partly
and
and Asia around 1.5 million years ago.
Europe
are
diamonds.
for
example,
individuals since
years
excavation before the first
of
painsta-
was
found.
Even
an
area
than
more
produces
Europe
western
as
densely occupied
well researched and
as
200,000
years
old
fossil
a
only
human
every 20 years
once
or
more
than
flake
scars
one
and
1981,1
and
chaeological
fossil
ber of ways
rivers
for
sands of
last
which
Siwaliks),
sands,
also
that lived and died
bably
of the
one
in the world for
up
malayas
Ocean
the
to
around
the
to
one
of
geological
are
a
under
chain
Soan
that
year ago,
on
this
mains of
Africa
have
their way into
which
the west,
of the
and
thus
excellent
presents
evidence that
help
can
for
opportunities
link these
major
two
finding
sources
by
the
extensively
been
not
age of Pakistan has
stone
studied since
brief
a
fieldwork in the 1930's. Consequently,
has been
objectives
record
to see
in the form of their
tons.
that the tools that
rarer
finding
ted
on
be
dated,
well
as
Valley
the
near
and
as
(fig. 1)
we
in
two
cities of
can
have
main
areas
that
archaeological
stors
remains.
iron
of flaked
quartzite protruding
gritstone outcrop
of this
piece
corporated
least the
saw
at
into the
gritstone,
age. When the
that it had been flaked
directions;
ripples
tional
some
that
flaking.
was
(In
often
70
our
ance-
or
scars
very
deposits
evidence for
This is because
of
amount
this
the
of
volcanic
gas
argon,
some
the date of
ashes,
technique
geological
own
our
most
eviden-
dating
upon another
as
in the
possible
volcanic
reliable
well
as
cools;
produced
argon
was not
are
rely
to
re-
indication
rough
Since 1960, volcanic ashes
provide
was
to
was
of
removed,
also showed the
a
can
as
dated
one
for
million
rivers and
years;
example
analyses
in
effect,
they
lakes,
occurred
horizon
the
volcanic de-
and the age
just
to
gently
and also in lava
known with great
of the
still
Because
settle in
As noted already,
now
history
are
orientate themselves
radioactively,
"switches" is
the
that
poles change places.
field whenever
eruptions.
be
field
down;
under
sediments
of these
precision:
700,000
over
indicate that
reversed when those
was
in other
words, they
when the
major period
last
en
the
ye-
below
earth's
have
earth's
to
deposits
belong
magnetic
were
to
field
the
was
switched, which is between 700,000 and 2.5 million years
in-
ago.
at
we
Knowing
this age range
by considering
ley.
pieces
This
valley
of river-lain
22
the
is
is better than
A clearer estimate
sufficiently precise.
type
result of inten-
geologically-flaked
magnetic
artefact-bearing
lain
low
a
few
studying
reasons
field has "switched" peri-
magnetic, they
water, such
magnetic
piece
be
are
of
way
magnetic
last
the
a
field. For
north and south
ago. Our
the
nine times in three
as
indication of the
in any case, the
a
gully. Inspection
and thus had
produced
contrast,
distinctive
a
m
piece
a
an
and thus estimate
there
magnetic
from volcanic
ars
flaked before it
eight
of the flake
are
a
the
decay,
although
particles
flowing
turn.
from the surface of
the base of
showed that it
same
found
time-
in volcanic ash and lava after it
the earth's
the earth's
surprisingly early
evidence which suggests that
we
give
amounts
Unfortunately,
over
magnetic
and Islama-
inhabited this part of southern Asia well before
million years ago. In 1983,
minute
measure
earth's
odically
can
the Soan
-
be considered in
some
difficult and
archaeological
East Africa.
palaeomagnetism
unknown,
concentra-
animal
Rawalpindi
produced
little
animal remains in the
useful way of dating
most
We have instead had
magnetic
has
to
give only
contaminatedto
the last
Valley
can
Valley:
of the
Valley
The Soan
in
potassium
too
posits
The Soan
no
be used
Palaeomagnitism provides
Hills, half-way between Rawalpindi
Each
stone
a
observations.
much
are
contexts
fossil
collecting
geological
ancestors
our
are
two
char-
produced by the radioactive decay of
was
called
the remains of skele-
they made,
place
twin
the Pabbi
and Lahore
or
near
ancestors, either
our
tools in geological
stone
Our work has taken
bad,
tools,
stone
Because fossil remains of
ce.
main
our
the
contain
eruption.
are
of
period
of
how far back in the
could find evidence for
we
one
piece
of the early
some
fossil
geological layer.
a
this radioactive
Soan
early
are
can
animals
large
physicists
of
fossil evidence for human evolution.
For various reasons, the
to
artefact-bearing deposit;
humans
early
to
to
that
provided
kistan is intermediate between China and Indonesia
East Africa
intentio-
in 1983. This find
discovery
similar
very
above and below fossil and
deposits
Valley of
is
of
pieces
as
also found another
we
horizon has been very
of the
of
age
South East Asia and the Far East. Thirdly, northern Pa-
the east, and the Rift
24
of the size, shape, and flaking
terms
There
Valley
age of the
would have
they
some
regarded
million years old.
consuming.
Se-
natural
did leave
it
two
Dating
Arabian Sea and Indian
ancestors
our
million
1988,
be
can
pro-
sequences
along
nearby, and found
En-
of the
rest
tools from Olduvai Gorge in East Africa that
animals
the Siwaliks
In
type of
material).
struck
also searched the
we
in
times, rarely
small flake that had been delicately struck in
a
acteristics,
the
as
find,
had made the first
we
directions. In
thou-
deposited
remains
norther Pakistan
through
pass
Moun-
the Karakorum and the Hi-
and the
If
south.
before
or
Kush,
north,
First,
was
mountain
enormous
nally-struck.
where
three
or
and seldom have the
flaked stone, of which six
num-
the last few million years.
studying
the Hindu
Asia.
clays (known
nearby. Indeed,
the
in
ar-
ance-
a
Karakorum
contain the
best land-based
between
corridor
to
is ideal in
have
silts and
find
to
remote
our
northern Pakistan and India lie
condly,
makes
trying
origins
flowed off the
million years
15
of
metres
for
area
human
studying
have
that
tains of the
had
evidence
in northern Pakistan. This
stors
the
have been
team
my
two
deliberately
on
this
horizon
gritstone
Since
only
direction,
seen
couraged by
so.
of
struck
usually
are
remain
geological
a
syncline
deposits
sequence
that is
nothing,
can
not
in the Soan Val-
basically
that has been
but
be obtained
severely
a
sequence
folded and
eroded
the
taining
the past
over
million years. The
two
tools is overlain
stone
by
a
of sands and silts, all of which dip gently
as
on
artefact-bearing horizon)
90°.
about
by
After
rear
of
period
a
these
side,
the northern
up very
dated
previously
facts has
to
gue Helen
the
these
who
Since 1986,
that
identifiable in
and
deposits,
deposition
the
silts,
the volcanic ash. Thus
the artefacts
around the
would be around
same
age
Gorge
further,
of the
layer
age
old,
years
aena,
and various kinds of large
grassland type
le in
cal sequence of the
Soan
horizon is
little
a
der 2.5 million years. This would indicate that these
tefacts
are
are
over
the
as
oldest from
East
as
old
should be
they
as
ancestors
our
did
not
if,
as
commonly
leave Africa until under
and
unexpected
As
stan.
very
to
exciting,
mentioned
tools
in
Soan
Valley
stone
in
the
limited. We
in
fossil
30 km
sands,
silts
long
and
and 8 km
clays
was
little
are
a
low
lain
range
up
folded
deposits have been
are
very
soft,
most
been removed
to
erosion
by
are
-
of the
erosion. Those
grey,
tive" channel.
They
a
are
also
of hills
geological
deposits
now
in what is known
form low scarps
Hills
are
down
most
fine
most
yellow
seasonally
part,
sands
during
which
the
were
summer
onto
their
floodplain.
type of gentle but fairly rapid
fossil
preservation,
as
deposition
observations
commonly
preser-
frequently
most
,
frag-
understand better
occur
the fac-
rich
exceptionally
fossil
and
high-quality specimens
help give
can
have
eaten
rhino,
as
relied
we
probably
were
carnivores such
such
we
fossils that
only
find
our
the
scatte-
the surface.
the dens
or
feeding
hyaena. Although they
as
pigs,
deer,
bovids
point of view) they do
our
any of
on
on
and
not
ate
horses,
appear to
fossil ancestors!
the "ac-
can
We have also found
often
low numbers
deposits
probably
not
laid
be
lying
when
The
there
flowed
23
on
to
million
two
the
stone
surface,
same
have been
course
found
were
singly
exposed
are
years
tools
we
in
different
old.
are
Although
as
old
think it is
only
likely.
the last
from
as
those
no
obvious
nearby
young
in
very
bearing
we
can-
the fossils
These de-
400,000
years.
that
know
made in the last 400,000 years, and in
are
of collecor
the erosional surfaces of fossil
if these
artefacts
were
that is ideal for
up
sure
on
posits
frequently
tools in the
stone
fossils. Most of these
ting
useful
very
have
several thousand
most
but
the formation of the fossil record.
obtain
to
fragmented
sadly (from
which
monsoon
would
to
to
us
riverine
occasionally
combined with
sould otherwise have if
animals
Fine sands indicate the
water
the
those then
clearer view of the anatomy of these animals than
a
places of
in the Pabbi
of the annual rainfall occurs, and rivers
overflow
good
deposits
to
up
excavated three
These rich localities
otherwise featureless
an
the
provide
have also
red and
resistant
as
that
that contribute
us
deposits
sands
tors
We
we
probably
most
naturally-cemented
"marker" horizons in
For the
and
-
help
to
distributed,
articulated parts of animal skeletons that
of river-lain
of the
that the
distribution of
and very
and the types of animal that
should
the
to
randomly
patches,
information,
localities in order
of the Pabbi Hills has
be traced for several kilometres and
landscape.
low
ex-
This
Africa,
East
types of ancient
not
are
in small
or
This
together,
down between 2.5
most
as
centre
deposited year-round
were
form
to
anticline;
these
across
Fossils
singly,
attention
special
remains
large clusters numbering
ved,
and 0.5 million
the last 400,000
these
years ago. In
years,
the world's youngest
showing
paid
have
ments.
investigations
our
made
wide,
were
are
in
broadly similar
were
about the parts of the skeleton
of Paki-
exposures
therefore widened
that
both
animal remains
found
We
fossil
an-
was
that part
Valley, and
include the Pabbi Hills. These
some
extremely
realised that there
we
already,
in the Soan
scarce
very
of
contexts
for further extensive work
scope
Mankind",
landscapes.
discovery
useful in
indirectly
conditions
in northern Pakistan and India.
in
the
turt-
floodplain.
prevailing
occur
geological
of
woodland
some
which there would have
seasonally-inundated
environmental
The Pabbi Hills
cient
type
same
predominantly
a
-
hy-
For the
dogs.
ar-
million years ago.
Although
omnias
with crocodiles and
environment,
fossil information is
and
Africa,
today
varie-
un-
oldest in the world. Put another way, they
twice
believed,
a
old
as
the
and
cats
rivers and streams, and
wide,
a
"Cradle of
among
of
margins, beyond
river
along
geologi-
and concluded that
Vallley,
artefact-bearing
in East Africa
year-round
tended
the real age of the
deer);
and carnivores such
bear;
part, these animals indicate much the
as
a
bovids and
equids,
as
rivera rare
or
she has under-
then,
extensive re-examination of the
and
and
called Sivatherium;
such
pigs
re-
are
croco-
were
elephant, rhino,
as
vores
most
of
tools from Ol-
stone
include
deposits
cervids (different types of horse, cattle and
as
15,000
perhaps
They
the
as
of medium-sized animals such
environment
1.9 million
in East Africa. Since
duvia
taken
ty
at
animal
40,000 fossil
came.
extinct, short-necked giraffe
of
further
the minimum
the oldest
as
be
to
a
they
mammals such
lain); large
and erosion of
folding
deposition
the
finally,
of
for
accounts
of the type of animal and the part
(unsurprising
arte-
dating
some
of which
Hills,
terms
dile and turtle
the
there had
have found
Pabbi
of skeleton from which
around 1.6 million
to
damaging
or
which
of scenery that dominates the Pabbi
type
we
mains in the
volcanic ash that
has undertaken the
between the
of sands and
containing
a
seasonally-ex-
a
Hills.
overlain
were
on
dispersing
eroded,
easily
also
are
without
at
be considerably older. My geological collea-
Rendell,
least 300,000 years
metres
the
but
floodplain,
They
animal remains
bury
to
the "badland"
how-
indeed
layer containing
horizon, initially suggested
this
70
radioactively
words,
years ago; in other
them.
that have since
deposits
remained horizontal. These contain
was
10-15°
deposits (including
erosion, they
further series of water-lain
a
posed
syncline;
steeply
fast enough
con-
metres
about
at
of the southern side of the Soan
part
ever,
layer
further 70
deposits
we
most
cases,
from which
these
rent
fossil
any
more
be of the
and
some
same
instance,
found
few
without
years
being
as
age
tools
that
small
a
of flaked
in
quartzite
some
on
our
work
35 papers and
readers may wish
has
far been pub-
following
read the
to
so
monograph.
one
Interesthe
on
re-
sults from the Soan Valley:
In
near
Dennell, R.W.,
surface,
H.M. Rendell and E. Hailwood
Early toolmaking
unit
sandy
a
ted
tools
stone
the
on
lished in
washed
excavation
found
were
Preliminary reports
flattest
fossil-bearing deposits.
the
Note:
cur-
unlikely
all but the
on
confirmation that these
stone
piece
a
a
conducted
we
several
where
than
addition,
that it is very
high
so
tool could lie
stone
have
away. We
one
are
rates
or
surfaces for
may
been derived. In
tools could have
erosion
in Pakistan.
in Asia:
Antiquity
(1988)
two-million year-old artefacts
62: 98
106
-
around 1.25 million years old.
Rendell,
Discussion
What then
it
that
shows
already
of
of
implications
the
are
that should lead
ries
to
what
re-appraisal
on
know that the environment
that
likely
area
than
"Cradle
evolved
ancestors
our
currently thought.
of
Mankind"
extend
might usefully
the
was
as
Pabbi
we
16
Hills,
Rather than
East
as
the
and
concept
much
to
intervening
peninsula
pect
that
find
to
ca
we
2.0
some
are
Asian
we
gras-
possible
might
not
ther and
has
even
more
be
Valley
years ago,
we
of the
directly
ancestral
and
next
think it
of
our
is
daring suggestion
migrated
therefore
was
unlikely
"Cradle of
account
made
were
decade of field
to
might
a
type
ex-
Asian
of ho-
399
erectus
descended from
Which-
into human
to
full
the
origins
in
Author’s address:
Dr. R. W. Dennell
University
Prehistory
of Sheffield
Sheffield S10 2TN
United
figs.
De Terra and
perspective
a
Man and Environment
Dennell
R.W.
Hills,
(1991)
A
Pre-
northern Pakistan? South
1989:133-136
Hurcombe,
Haq (1992)
Archaeological
of the Pabbi
R.
Coard,
The
Mission
Hills,
M.
1990 field
to
Beech,
season
Pakistan in the
northern Pakistan. South
1991:1-14
R.W.
(1993)
source
in
Evidence
the
on
Upper
human
Siwaliks
origins:
of
Pakistan. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 18
into Africa 1.5 milli-
for that matter, the
and
and
L.M.
Archaeology
discovered
northern Pakistan.
Department of Archaeology
R.W.
area
Dennell,
are
ourselves. Ano-
We look forward
exploration
Archaeology
Baroth
and which
contemporaries.
or
origins.
L.M.
of the British
tools that
that Homo
not
industry:
Valley, Pakistan.
M. Anwar and S. ul
that Africa contains the whole
Mankind",
earliest
stone
by
(1991)
Re-
tools in Afri-
found in Africa,
been
not
Homo habilis and its African
ever,
stone
scenarios. One is that the
evolved in Asia and then
on
we
2.5 million years ago. However, there
found in the Soan
minid that
desert. If so,
flake
Soan
Soan
91-99
Dennell,
the remains of Homo habilis, the
made the first
probably
-
largely
now
(2):
the
Acheulean in the Pabbi
of southern Iran and the Arabian
eventually
hominid that
other
areas
and
Hurcombe,
slands of northern Pakistan and India, and perhaps also
the
Archaeological
and from the Pabbi Hills:
the
Africa,
include the
British
(1989)
in the
it
larger
regarding
South
Halim
also
we
kind of grass-
a
M.
Investigations
R.W. and H.M. Rendell
from the Soan
in East Africa.
same
over
Paterson,
indicates that
in East Africa. We therefore think
prevailed
as
Dennell,
Valley
early
as
learnt in the
theo-
foremost,
and
Series 544. 364
ports International
pp., 110
enquiry
current
our
First and
in south Asia
have
we
lines of
promising
some
a
human evolution.
early
tool-making began
land
Dennell
R.W.
Northern Pakistan.
Valley,
work? We think
our
believe the evidence from the Soan
From
H.R.,
Pleistocene and Palaeolithic
Kingdom
24
a re-
northern
(2):
377-