Human Origins

I.  Where did we come from?

A.  Creation Myths

1.  Purpose -- teleological

2.  Examples

a) Akkad (Enuma Elish)

b) India (Rigveda)

c) West Asia (Genesis)

B.  Evolutionary theory

1.  Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

a) HMS Beagle (1831-1836)

-- Galapagos Islands

b) On the Origin of Species

. . . by Means of Natural Selection (1859)

c) The Descent of Man (1871)

2.  Archaeological Record (How do we know?)

a) A. ramidus (1994) 4.4 million B.P.

b) A. afarensis (1974) 3.5 million B.P.

c) A. africanus (1924) 2.7 million B.P.

d) H. habilis (1960s & 1970s) 1.8 million B.P.

e) H. erectus (1891) 1.4 million B.P.

f) H. sapiens (1856) 120,000 B.P.

-- Neanderthal or "archiac"

g)  H.  sapiens sapiens (1967) 50,000 B.P.

3.  Putting it all Together (What do we Know?)

a) African origin

-- candelabra

-- "Noah's Ark"

b) Reading the Genetic Record (DNA)

c) Cultural & Biological Change

 -- small brain size

-- no oestrus cycle

4. Key Questions Remaining

a) straight line or bush?

b) ecological environment?

c) group living conditions?

d) hunt & forage?

e) what about fire?

f)  lines that die out?

g) when speech?

h) division of labor?

5. Theory of Scientific Revolution

II.  What makes us human?

A.  When did we appear?

1.  radiocarbon dating (C14)

2.  thermoluminescence

B. Seven Creative Behaviors

1.  Lone survior

2.  Global migration

3.  Increased population

4.  Changes in the tool kit

a)  stone tools

b) "womens tools"

5.  Art (Cave & Portable)

6.  Language

7.  Agriculture