Bio Anthropology: Ch. 9 – Flashcards

Which of the following statements is false? a. ​Earlier Homo erectus populations had a smaller cranial capacity than later populations. ​b. Thick cranial and postcranial bones characterize most Homo erectus specimens. c. ​Homo erectus appears to have been less encephalized than Homo sapiens. ​d. Several definite Homo erectus fossils have been discovered in France. e. ​Homo erectus was most likely the first hominid to live outside of Africa

The earliest Homo erectus remains from Africa are dated to approximately _____ years ago. ​a. 500,000 to 200,000 ​b. 2.5 to 3.5 million c. ​800,000 d. ​1.7-1 million ​e. 5.5 million

The earliest of the East African H. erectus fossils came from: ​a. Dmanisi. ​b. Nariokotome. ​c. East Turkana. ​d. Hexian County. ​e. Olduvai Gorge.

Until recently, H. erectus sites outside of Africa all have shown dates later than the earliest finds of species in Africa. This has led paleoanthropologists to assume that: ​a. the hominins who migrated to Asia and Europe descended from earlier African ancestors. ​b. the earliest finds in Africa are misdated. ​c. the hominins who migrated to Asia and Europe descended from earlier Asian ancestors. ​d. there is another, heretofore unknown hominin, who is the missing link. ​e. the sites outside of Africa are misdated.

Hominin sites in the European regions of Spain and Italy evidence fossil material that is contemporaneous with Homo erectus. They include all of the following except: ​a. Sima del Elefante. b. ​Gran Dolina. ​c. Ceprano. ​d. Atapuerca caves. ​e. Hexian County.

Homo erectus represents a different kind of hominin than the more ancient African predecessors. One of the primary reasons is that: a. ​it has higher levels of sexual dimorphism. b. ​it demonstrates less encephalization. c. ​it represents an increased body size and robustness. d. ​H. erectus is a step towards being more ape-like. e. ​it demonstrates less variation among regional populations.

According to your text book, thus far, there is agreement that all hominins found outside Africa are members of which genus? ​ a. Australopithecus ​b. Ardipithecus ​c. H. erectus ​d. Paranthropus ​e. Homo

The term Homo ergaster: ​a. was suggested to be used to refer to African Homo erectus specimens. ​b. was initially proposed by Eugene Dubois. ​c. refers to later H. erectus specimens. ​d. is fully accepted by all paleoanthropologists. e. ​was suggested to be used to refer to Asian Homo erectus specimens.

It now appears likely that cultural traditions relating to stone tool technology were largely equivalent over the full geographical range of H. erectus and its contemporaries. True/False

Bifacially flaked tools characterize the _______ stone tool industry. ​a. Oldowan ​b. Northern Asian ​c. Shewlian ​d. Acheulian ​e. Osteodontokeratic

Evidence for animal butchering is: ​a. found only in African Homo erectus sites. ​b. widespread in Homo erectus sites. ​c. lacking in Homo erectus sites. ​d. found only at Dmanisi. ​e. found only in Asian Homo erectus sites.

A projection of bones in the back of the cranium where neck muscles attach is called a(n): ​a. nuchal torus. b. ​rhinencephalon. c. ​sagittal crest. ​d. sagittal keel. ​e. fovea centralis.

What is the range for estimated cranial capacities for Homo erectus? ​a. 700 to 1,250 cubic centimeters ​b. 1,000 to 2,000 cubic centimeters ​c. 1,250 to 1,600 cubic centimeters ​d. 300 to 750 cubic centimeters ​e. 400 to 800 cubic centimeters

The Nariokotome Homo erectus specimen: a. ​is a young female. ​b. was destroyed in dating analysis. ​c. was discovered at Olduvai Gorge. ​d. would potentially have reached an adult height of around 6 feet. e. ​is estimated to have been about 65 years old at death.

Given the newest dates for the Ngandong Homo erectus material on Java, it is possible that Homo erectus could have existed contemporaneously with Homo sapiens. True/False

Thus far, what do the postcranial remains of the Dmanisi hominins indicate? ​a. They are not bipeds. ​b. They are much more similar to modern humans than to Homo erectus. ​c. They are indistinguishable from Homo sapiens. ​d. The first hominins to leave Africa were possibly a very early form of H. erectus. ​e. They are significantly more robust than other Homo erectus.

Evidence from Zhoukoudian suggests that Homo erectus: ​a. was a scavenger. ​b. built wooden structures. c. ​lived there continuously for over 250,00 years. ​d. were settled agriculturalists. e. ​kept domesticated animals.

At Zhoukoudian, there is now thought to be evidence that Homo erectus: a. ​lived in the cave. ​b. killed deer and horses. ​c. were victims of hungry giant hyenas. ​d. used fire inside the cave. ​e. knew how to hunt.

By far the largest collection of Homo erectus remains have been found at: a. ​Olduvai. ​b. Trinil. c. ​Lantian. ​d. Sangiran. ​e. Zhoukoudian.

The Dmanisi site is most notable for which of the following: a. ​being in North Africa. b. ​producing crania remains that are uncharacteristic of H. erectus. ​c. a complete cranium of an older adult with jawbones that show advanced bone loss. ​d. crania with relatively large cranial capacities. ​e. crania that are not associated with stone tools.