11: Archaic Homo

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Amanda Wolcott Paske & AnnMarie Beasley Cisneros

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Learning Objectives

Identify the main groupings of Archaic Homo sapiens, such as Neanderthals.
Explain how shifting environmental conditions required flexibility of adaptations, both anatomically and behaviorally.
Describe the unique anatomical and cultural characteristics of Archaic Homo sapiens, including Neanderthals, in contrast to other hominins.
Articulate how Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils fit into evolutionary trends including cranial capacity (brain size) development, cultural innovations, and migration patterns.
Identify the shared traits, regional variations, and local adaptations among Archaic Homo sapiens.
Detail the increased complexity and debates surrounding the classification of hominins in light of transitional species, species admixture, etc.

Thumbnail: Dali cranium, found at Dali, China, is representative of traits seen in archaic Homo sapiens in Asia, including large and robust features with heavy brow ridges like Homo erectus and a large cranial capacity intermediate between Homo erectus and anatomically modern Homo sapiens. Credit: Dali skull original to Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology (2nd ed.) by Mary Nelson is under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.

This chapter is a revision from “ Chapter 11: Archaic Homo ” by Amanda Wolcott Paskey and AnnMarie Beasley Cisneros. In Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology, first edition , edited by Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, Kelsie Aguilera, and Lara Braff, which is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 .