The document discusses the origins and classifications of early hominids, particularly australopithecines, which lived in Africa between 4 and 2 million years ago. It outlines the different species within the australopithecus genus and their key characteristics, as well as the emergence of the homo genus, including species like homo habilis, homo erectus, and homo sapiens. The document also highlights early hominid cultures, their tool-making traditions, and lifestyle practices.

1. Australopithecines:
The Earliest Definite Hominids

2. Origins and Classifications
• In the mainland of Africa, discoveries of fossils
are the work of the paleoanthropologists just
to trace the origins of man.
• Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya- were the places
of particular excavations and believed that
man or bipedal hominids lived and walked
there between 4 -3 million years ago.
• At Laetoli, Tanzania, more than 50 hardened
humanlike footprints from about 3.6 million
years old.

3. Origins and Classifications
• Excavated evidences in Africa were classified
as Australopithecines.
• Paleoanthropologists divided the genus
australopithecus into four species.
– Australopithecus anamensis
– Australopithecus afarensis
– Australopithecus africanus
– Australopithecus boisei
– Australopithecus robustus

7. Australopithecus Anamensis
• Discovered at the east of Lake Turkana, Kenya
• Believed to be 4.2 million years

9. Australopithecus Afarensis
• Found in the east of Africa from 4 to 3 million
years ago.
• It was depicted that the fossils of these species
are clear bipeds and thus originated from Laetoli,
Hadar, and Ethiopia.
• Paleoanthropologist based their classification
through the appearances of their teeth, jaws, and
skull are still more alike to apes.
• Believed to be the fore species of the A.
africanus.

13. Australopithecus Africanus
• Lived between 3 to 2 million years ago.
• Excavated at the caves at Sterkfontein and
Makapansgat in South Africa.
• The braincase is rounded with relatively well-
developed forehead.
• It was also believed that the Taung Child by
Dr. Raymond Dart was so similar with this type
of specie.

17. Australopithecus boisei and robustus
• Robustus lived in East Africa and in South
Africa about 2.5 to 1 million years ago.
• Classified too as paranthropus which means
beside humans.
• Believed to be resided at the caves in
Kromdraai and in Swartkrans, and later in the
Omo basin in Ethiopia, lake in Turkana Kenya
and in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

18. Australopithecus boisei and robustus
• Boisei was believed to walked around 2.5
million years ago.
• Paleoanthropologist refer boisei as
descendants from the robustus and the
africanus and thus, named as Australopithecus
aethiopicus.
• Characterized as having extreme features with
large molars, thick and deep jaws, thick cheek
bones

23. Early Species : HOMO
• They are hominids that are absolutely and
relatively larger than that of the
australopithecines appear about 2.5 million
years ago.
• Classified in our own specie, homo, discovered
in Olduvai Gorge by Louis Leakey, Phillip
Tobias, and John Napier.

24. HOMO HABILIS
• Classified as the first specie of the homo
genus.
• Apparently lived in the same place together
with the robustus and boisei.
• They do have large brains and reduced molars
and premolars.

27. Homo Erectus
• They were found first in Java, China ,and
Africa.
• It was believed that they moved and lived in
Eastern Africa round 1.6 million years ago and
about 1 million years ago in Asia.
• Recent re-dating suggest that early discoveries
of H. erectus in Java maybe somewhat older
dating to perhaps 1.8 million years ago.

30. Homo Sapiens
• Scientist believed that the H. Erectus evolved to Homo
Sapiens.
• Early fossils of the discoveries of the Homo Sapiens
were found in Africa, Europe and Asia.
• Particular in Broken Hill mine in Zambia dating from
200,000 years ago.
• Its cranial capacity is 1200 cc.
• Low forehead, large brow ridges.
• Closely related to the Neandertals who were
considered also as the modern human beings classified
as Homo Sapiens Neandertalensis.

31. Early Hominid Cultures
• Tool Traditions (2.5 million years)
• Percussion flaking
– Striking stone with another stone
• Unifacial tools
• Bifacial tools

32. Life style
• Archaeologists believed that early hominids in
Olduvai Gorge had already specific lifestyles.
• They were very particular with their stone
tools.
• Tools were studied and analyzed, and then
believed to be used for whittling wood into
sharp-pointed sticks, dismembering animals,
and slitting the hides of some animals.

33. Early Hominid Cultures
• H. erectus used stone tools, known as
Acheulian tool that was formed and
discovered as stone-like hammers.
• Big –Game Eating
• Control of Fire
• Campsites