Paleolithic Hominids (Research Paper Sample)

The Crania Project
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Paleolithic Hominids
An extinct hominid, which is a species of Homo erectus, was discovered at Zhoukoudian near Beijing, China. The early Paleolithic hominids lived in China over a million years ago. The Peking man was discovered in the year 1927. It was believed to have existed about 400,000 years ago. The hominids are known to have split from ape-like ancestors. The two major features distinguishing human from apes are bipedalism and big brains. In order to understand the brains of the hominids, it is imperative that we understand its structure and the size. The size of the brain grew to 1400cc from 300cc. The measurement of the brain is obtained by measuring the inside of the brain/skull case.


As time progressed, there was an observable change of the brain case. The braincase shaped to oval then bun shaped. There was no forehead, but later developed the forehead. The brain case later became rounder due to the presence of larger brains.


In regards to the development of the brain, certain changes became apparent; this includes the minimization of the postorbital constriction. It meant that, the separation between the face and the brain reduced significantly.


The brains enlarged resulting to the flattening of the face. It was caused by the minimization of the distance between the face and the brain, which resulted into minimization of the prognathism also referred to as snootiness. The apes' faces appeared to have a snout while, in the case of the human face, the snout appear tucked inside the skull. There was an eventual loss of the wisdom tooth. Other significant features of a hominid include the appearance of the Mohawk bone on the head, which is also referred to as the Sagittal Crest. Some strong muscle attachment it was seen on the base of the skull. It also known as the Nuchal crest. Wide flaring zygomas was evident.


Homo neanderthalensis
Neanderthals are seen as the close relatives to human beings. Their skulls had various distinct characteristics. They had an angled cheekbone. Their face had a large middle part. They also possessed a large nose, which was adopted for warming and humidifying cold, as well as, dry air. They also had stocky and short bodies. Their body structures were adapted for their survival in cold environments. They also possessed large brains, which was proportional to the brawnier bodies. Both the male and the female had a height of 164cm and 155cm respectively. The female weighed 54kg while the male weighed 65kg. The Neanderthals were heavily built in comparison to the modern humans. They had high efficiency in the conversation of the body heat, which helped the Neanderthals in withstanding the prevailing cold climates. The Neanderthals used Mousterian stone tools. It was characterized by unique flake tools, which appeared detached from well-prepared stone core. The Neanderthals utilized this innovation in preparing various tool shapes from suitable stones. The tools were later used in sewing and hunting. The prevailing genetic and fossil evidence suggests that both the modern humans and the Neanderthals must have had similar ancestors. The Neanderthals are believed to have existed between 500,000 and 200,000 years ago.


Kenyanthropus
The Kenyanthropus platypus is believed to have existed 3.2 to 3.5 million years ago. The fossils of this hominid were discovered in Kenya around Lake Turkana. The obtained fossils suggested that, the Kenyanthropus were extremely diverse taxonomically in the middle Pliocene. The studies carried out on the fossil indicated that it had few resemblances with Australopithecus. This resemblance was inclusive of a large brain size, nasal parts the temporal and the suborbital regions. It was observed that, the Kenyanthropus has many differences with the Australopithecus. The fossil had small molars. The studies carried out on the fossil indicated that, the maxilla’s morphology was characterized by relatively othognathic and flat sub-nasal region. Its’ zygomatic process was interiorly placed. It also had small molars. Its flat face and small molars had huge resemblance with the modern humans. Other prevailing features included steep entrance of the nasal cavity, moderate depth of the mandible and thick enamel. Studies indicated that Kenyanthropus was among the oldest hominids and had a brain capacity of 450 cc.


Homo Neanderthalensis
In Le Moustier, France, a skull that was 45,000 years old was discovered. The prevailing distinctive features of this adolescent individual were apparent since it was evident that changes of the fossil were genetic but not lifetime changes. Their face had distinctive features showing a major difference between those that came after and before them. The main variance in their faces included the mid-facial prognathism, retreated zygomas, the nasal aperture and the positioning of the dentition. Most of the features that were used, distinguished humans from the Neanderthals. It included the absence of the canine fossa, inferior orbital margins that were round, suprainiac fossa, absence of mental eminence and the presence of the retro molar space. They also had a projecting and broad nose and an occipital bun.


Australopithecus Africanus
Australopithecus Africanus was discovered in South Africa in the year 1924. It was discovered by Raymond Dart. The skull obtained was small in size, which prompted him into calling it the ‘Taung baby.' Studies carried out on the skull indicated that, the skull originated from a child 3-4 years of age. The conclusion made on the skull was indicative of the fact that it was an intermediate between humans and apes. This conclusion was based from the position and shape of the brain's cas...