Human EvolutionNeanderthals and Us

350 – 30 kya – H. NeanderthalensisAKA

NeanderthalsEurope, central

and northern Asia

Shorter limbs, wide ribcage, larger noses

Height 5’7”Brain 1200-

1900 cc (larger than AMH)

Very closely related to AMHStronger than AMH, especially arms and

handsRange of hair colours, many red or blonde

haired, with light skinGood eyesight, possibly better than AMHSame gait as AMHEvidence of language use**Same intelligence as AMH**

Made advanced tools, such as quartz handaxes, 3-sided picks, stone cleavers

Dugout boats – sailed Mediterranean as early as 99 kya

Buried deadCreated cave artEvidence of self-

adornmentApex predators –

hunted deer, reindeer, ibex, boar, aurochs, mammoth, elephant, rhino

Used fire to cook vegetables

Complex social groups similar to H. sapiens

Evidence of trade between groups, and with H. sapiens

Built sheltersIn Moldova – building made of mammoth

skulls, jaw bones, tusks, leg bones had 25 hearths inside

ExtinctionRecent DNA testing has shown evidence of

some interbreeding of H. sapiens and Neanderthals, outside of Africa1-4% of the DNA of non-Africans was passed

down from Neanderthal ancestorsThose individuals and groups who were not

absorbed into H. sapiens populations likely died out after a brief period of rapid climate changeFood became more scarce, and Neanderthals

required more calories to survive than H. sapiens

200 kya – present – H. SapiensExtinct subspecies? – H. sapiens idualtu

160 kyaEthiopiaBrain - 1450 ccVERY few fossils, so not much known; many

argue they are not actually a different group from H. sapiens sapiens

H. Sapiens SapiensAKA “wise man”Started in Africa, but later moved throughout

the world

Blue eyes, dark hair, olive complexionLight skin does not appear until 6 – 12 kya

Height Early – 5’7” – 5’9” Modern range - 4’7” – 6’3”

Brain Early average – 1600 cc Modern range - 950-1800 cc

At first, culture essentially the same as Neanderthals, including signs of behavioral modernity