Deck 9: The First Dispersalof the Genus Homo:homo Erectus and Contemporaries

Question 1

Why is the nearly complete skeleton from Nariokotome so important? What kinds of evi-dence does it provide?

Answer 1

Turkana boy is presently called as Nariokotome boy. It is a general name that is given to the fossil of Homo erectus. It is a complete skeleton of the hominin youth that lived at the time of early Pleistocene. The specimen of Nariokotome is the only complete human skeleton till found.
His age, death ranges from about 7 to 18 years of age. It was suggested that initially, he might have grown as 185 cm (centimeters) tall adult. The pelvis shape identified suggests that the specimen was of a male. The specimen consists of 108 bones and makes it a complete skeleton for the humans discovered yet.
The pelvis was narrower than found in Homo sapiens. It is the most likely to promote efficient and walking upright. It further indicates that it showed fully bipedalism. It is unlike old species of hominin, which show combined features of tree climbing and bipedalism.

Question 2

Assume that you're in the laboratory and have the Nariokotome skeleton as well as a skeleton of a modern human. First, given a choice, what age and sex would you choose for the comparative human skeleton, and why? Second, what similarities and differences do the two skeletons show?

Answer 2

Nariokotome is a common name that is given to the fossil of Homo erectus. It is a complete skeleton of a hominin youth that lived at the time of early Pleistocene. The specimen of Nariokotome is the only complete human skeleton ever found.
The age chosen to do a comparative study on the skeleton of a Nariokotome and humans would be between 7 to 18 years of age. The pelvis shape of a Nariokotome suggests that the specimen was of a male. The specimen consists of 108 bones and makes it a complete skeleton for the humans discovered yet. It was suggested that initially, he might have grown as 185 cm (centimeters) tall adult.
The Nariokotome consists of an apparent disjunction and that was of an inferred age when it was judged by the dental maturity. It shows a difference in the growth pattern as compared to the skeleton of humans. A Nariokotome was similar to ape rather than like a human.

Question 3

What fundamental questions of interpretation do the fossil hominins from Dmanisi raise? Does this evidence completely overturn the earlier views (hypotheses) concerning H. erectus dispersal from Africa? Explain why or why not.

Answer 3

There is an evidence of human occupation at the Dmanisi. It is uncertain today that the entire human skull found from the Dmanisi. When there may be the bones of apes in the mix, might be the humans suffering from the malformations of the skeletal as well as growth disorders.
Anthropologists are puzzled at the query that, which of the oldest Homo species represented Dmanisi skulls. The four skulls that were discovered at the Dmanisi displayed different features. They comprised of smaller cranial capacity that ranged from 601 to 730 cm 3 (cubic centimeters).
None of the fossils of human cranial capacity were so small. Smaller cases of the brain lead to the specimen classified as Homo erectus. This feature makes them as one of the oldest fossil of America. The fundamental query is why and how the hominin wanders approximately 3000 miles from their origin.

Question 4

How has the interpretation of M. erectus behave-ior at Zhoukoudian been revised in recent years? What kinds of new evidence from this site have been used in this reevaluation, and what does that tell you about modern archaeological techniques and approaches?