From Grunts to Grammer

Imagine, a world, where nobody speaks. This would mean there was no grammar. And you had to communicate with someone. This would be very hard, especially if it a big, complex thought. Well, our ancestors had to do this. Scientists cannot exactly find out when grammar was first used. They think it was about 35,000-40,000 years ago. Before that, our ancestors didn't communicate like this. They probably had sounds that represented something. That is also the same for us today, just we have more complex words. They could have also used hand signals or maybe even facial expressions! Scientist have many theories when grammar was formed. They think, like I said before, it was 35,000-40,000 years ago, because, a group of early humans wanted to go to Australia from Asia. But to do so, they had to make a boat so they could go on the water to get across. To build a boat, you have to communicate to each other, so that is when scientists think that grammar was first used! 

Miller, Jeanne. "From Grunts to Grammar." Odyssey Oct. 2009: 34-36. Print.

On Our Own Two Feet

There are many differences between our skull and a chimpanzees skull. Like for instance, a human brain case is much, much larger than the chimpanzees brain case. Some people think we evolved from chimpanzees. But we did NOT evolve from chimpanzees. We share a common ancestor that lived about 6,000,000 years ago. Walking on two feet is very old, it came long before we modern humans evolved our big brains. It is at least 3,000,000 years old. But there is also evidence that walking on two feet might be even older! A. Aferensis lived 3,000,000 years ago. Their skull, looks a lot more chimp like than human like. A. Aferensis walked on two feet. Although, chimpanzees walk on all fours, their spines angle up slightly, but are nowhere near straight up and down. Creatures with brains not much bigger than chimpanzees had been walking on two feet for millions of years before human sized brains evolved. But for early humans, when they started walking on two feet, they where taller, and they could see more up ahead of them. But that was bad too, because then other animals can see them too. So in that way it is bad. But there is a good side to it. Like that, we have two free hands for making stone tools, fire, and mostly child care! 

Whitt, Stephen. "On Our Own Two Feet." Odyssey Oct. 2009: 26-28. Print.

Who's Who Among the Early Hominins?

Our first early hominid, is Homo Habilis. He is also known as handy man. Homo Habilis made tools, but they were not that good. Archaeologists don' know weather Homo Habilis hunted, or collected food that they could find and ate animals that were killed by other animals. They disappeared 1.5 million years ago. In their last 300,000 years, they were not the only ones on the planet. There was Homo Erectus with them. Homo Erectus lived from 1.8 million years ago to 100,000 years ago. He is one of the advanced hominids. He was to be found in Africa, Europe and Asia. He was taller and heavier than other early hominids. Homo Erectus also has vary much more advanced tools they used. Also, what was very important, Homo Erectus was the first to learn how to control fire! One of Homo Erectuses relatives, is Homo Flourensis. But thn, 150,000 years before the extincion of Homo Erectus, came the Neanderthals. They lived from 250,000 years ago to 30,000 years ago. They had very sophisticated stone tools, and culture. The Neanderthals settled in Europe 100,000 years ago, just when Homo Erectus got extinct. Homo Heidelburgensis evolved into the Neanderthals, but also into us, Homo Sapiens. During the Ice Age, it was only us and the Neanderthals. But when the Ice Age ended, the Neanderthals disappeared, and Homo Sapiens where the last ones standing.

Susman, Randall. "Whos Who Among the Early Hominids?" Odyssey Oct. 2009: 22-25. Print.

Last Human Standing

Homo sapiens.  When people hear this, they think of Early Humans. Early Humans have wiped out Home Neanderthals and Homo Erectus. Homo Sapiens had small spires and they were good for hunting, while Homo Neanderthals had big long spires that were not that effective. This is one thing why Homo Neanderthal might have disappear. The last place where they were was in Europe. Every Early Human started in Africa and then migrated to other places. Like Homo Erectus went to Asia, and then when Homo Sapiens came they too disappeared. Homo Sapiens are much more intelligent then Homo Erectus and Neanderthal. But, Homo Neanderthal has had a bit bigger brain then ours. They were the strong ones, but we were the smart ones. So, after the ice age, Homo Neanderthals disappear. One day, we might also disappear. Lets hope not.

"Last Human Standing." Becoming Human. PBS NOVA. 25 Nov. 2011. Television.

Taming Fire

In this article we read about the use of fire. Fire has bin discovered by Homo Erectus. Homo Erectus lived 1.8 million years ago. They did not know exactly how to use fire, or how to make it, they just discovered it. Fire was learnt how to use 250,000 years ago. By this I mean used in hearths. Hearths are places where you lid a fire, something similar to what you make when you go out camping. These types of fires are nothing similar to wildfires. Wildfires are ones that occur naturally. This means, they occur when the temperature of dry places increases, so then fires are made. Wildfires are big and might even burn down a whole forest, while camping fires are small. Researchers recently found out that there even might have been use of fire 1,000,000 years ago! This was found out through analysis of chemical change. Maybe, we will find out some more interesting things these next few years! Let’s hope so!

Cox, Mary Beth. "Taming Fire The First Scientist?" Odyssey Oct. 2009: 29-30. Print.

Why We Study Human Origins

Why We Study Human Origins
by Randall Susman
Calliope: Exploring World History

People question why humans evolved, when we evolved, where did we originate,why did some early humans (early hominids) not survive,what makes us different than all other early humans and many more! For a long time theories on human origins were based on religion but now theories are based on Science and concrete evidence like fossils. 1800s Charles Darwin thought of a theory of how plants and animals have evolved. This theory is called the Theory of Evolution. This theory was widely used by scientists. Not long after, Thomas Henry Huxley, who is a scientist, started comparing humans and apes. He believed that African apes look like humans more than monkeys do. To what this magazine says, “Huxley believed that anatomically, African apes and humans were similar, more similar in fact than apes were to monkeys.” This is interesting because apes look like monkeys on the outside but on the inside they’re actually more like humans. This is interesting because no one knew this before. This was a new idea! First hominid fossil was found in South Africa by Raymond Dart in 1925. This was the first puzzle piece to help explain human evolution and start to prove Darwin's and Huxley’s theories. Scientists and archaeologists continued to search and dig in Africa and have found more fossils and stone tools. Which means more puzzle pieces and evidence. Since we have found stone tools, this means that our ancestors hunted for food!

Susman, Randall. "Why We Study Human Origins." Calliope: Exploring World History Sept. 1999: 4-5. Print.

Huge Gladiator School Found Buried in Austria

Archaeologists working outside Vienna, Austria, have discovered the remains of a huge school for ancient Roman gladiators. This school is so complex, that that it rivals the training grounds outside Rome's Colosseum. Archaeologists have found out the remains of wooden training dummies and the first well known gladiators cemetery on the grounds of the ludus. It occupied about 200,000 square feet or 19,000 square meters. Even if excavators never turn over a single shovelful of dirt at the site, the Carnuntum ludus "is a powerful reminder of how the cultures of the empire's urban centers are linked together," said Haynes, who isn’t part of the Carnuntum research. This is all truly amazing.