PPT - Ms. Rath - "Human Origins in Africa"

Human Origins in AfricaHuman Origins in Africa

Why is the study of Prehistoric Prehistoric ManMan so Elusive?

The Great Rift Valley extends from Turkey through the Jordan River valley, the Red Sea and down through the area of Lake Victoria almost to the Zambezi River.

The Great Rift Valley

The subsidence of rock resulting from two or more parallel rocks moving apart is known as a graben. When this happens on a large scale, with tectonic plates moving apart, a rift valley is created.

How the Great Rift Valley Was Created

Why is The Great Rift Valley such a rich source of fossils and artifacts?

The Olduvai Olduvai GorgeGorge and the Laetoli PlainLaetoli Plain are located in what modern country?

What important findings were found there?

Were they fossilsfossils or artifactsartifacts?

The young Donald Donald JohansonJohanson with his amazing discovery.

What was it?

In 1976 he was inducted into the Academy of Achievement for his discoveries.

One of the great fossilfossil finds: LUCYLUCY

A hominidhominid

What characteristics of the Great Rift ValleyGreat Rift Valley shown here in this diagram helped archaeologistsarchaeologists, anthropologistsanthropologists and paleontologistspaleontologists in finding LucyLucy?

How do each of those scientists help put the pieces of the puzzle together?

Who first Who first discovered discovered these these footprints?footprints?

Why are Why are they so they so important?important?

What explains why these two early homindshominds left footprints 3.5 million years ago?

What important valley in Africa is this scene a part of?

Who discovered these footprints?

Why are they so important?

The Leakeys in the Great Rift Valley

Dr. Louis LeakeyDr. Louis Leakey and and his wife Mary Leakeyhis wife Mary Leakey, archaeologists, display the skull of a human ancestor, Zinjanthropus, in 1959.

How does this cartoon help explain the why the red routes on the previous map went further than the yellow routes?

How do the dates on this map show that man originated in Africa and then migrated elsewhere?

Out of Africa

These skulls are both examples of Homo SapiensHomo Sapiens

Which is the NeanderthalNeanderthal and which is the Cro-Magnon Cro-Magnon Man?

Does this describe a Neanderthal or a Cro-Magnon Man?

How does this scene suggest Neanderthal Neanderthal ManMan is like us…a homo homo sapienssapiens?

How do you think an anthropologist anthropologist figured out that Neanderthal ManNeanderthal Man buried his dead?

Fungus Once Again Threatens French Cave Paintings

PARIS, Dec. 8 — For the second time in a decade, fungus is threatening France’s most celebrated prehistoric paintings, the mysterious animal images that line the Lascaux cave in the Dordogne region of southwest France, scientists say.

Go to the website below to discover what it feels like to be in the cave at Lascaux http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/

A Map of the Cave Cave at Lascauxat Lascaux in modern France shows that many of the paintings were in almost inaccessible parts of the cave.

Why?

Celebrated art historian, Sister Wendy BeckettSister Wendy Beckett, examines the paintings in the caves at Lascaux in her book, Story of Painting.

what will she say explains why these magnificent pictures of animals were painted in the deepest parts of the underground where few people ever saw them?

What seems to be the subject these painters most wanted to portray? What kinds of explanations does Lord AttenboroughLord Attenborough suggest?

This horse was painted by a Cro-Magnon at Lascaux in modern France

How do these paintings and the burial site in the last slide give evidence that both the Neanderthal and the Cro-Magnon were Homo Sapiens like us?

Are these artifacts artifacts or fossilsfossils?How do these findings help us to know that the people who made these are from the Paleolithic Paleolithic or the Neolithic Neolithic AgeAge?

How do the items pictured help explain the timeline in the next slide?

The The Paleolithic Paleolithic Age Age Becomes…

The Neolithic The Neolithic Age Age

How?How?