STUDENT PROCESS: Activities for Paleoanthropologist

During the last ICE AGE, which ended about 10,000 years ago, early humans called hominids lived around the world. They were different from us in some ways, but yet similar. They had families, regular places to live, they had religious worship, they hunted for food, buried their dead, told stories, and made their homes beautiful. Sometimes they were hurt in battles with wild animals, and sometimes they lost their teeth and limbs and even their lives.

These early hominids have long since died out. Many changes have occurred in humans between then and now. We know about what things were like before things changed by the research people do on teams like ours. We study the changes in fossils, in frozen or mummified bodies, and even from cave paintings.

The discoveries found in our cave might help to explain why some early humans survived and some did not.

Since you have taken on the role of the paleoanthropologist, you are going to investigate the archaeological evidence which we have for the hominids before and during the Pleistocene era, or as we call it, the ICE AGE. In this body of evidence, we have whole skeletons, as well as skulls, bones in the body, jawbones (or, mandibles), and teeth.

Part of your work will be comparing the groups of hominids called NEANDERTHALS and CRO-MAGNONS.

Your assignment is to search the websites to find information on Neanderthals and Cro-magnons. You will create an ICE AGE HOMINID INFORMATION SHEET, using MS Word.

Step #1: Go to the websites to answer these questions.

<INSERT WEBSITES HERE>

Step #2: For each question below, write an answer for both Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals

1. How big are the bones?

    Cro-Magnons:

   Neanderthals:

2. Look at the skulls? Where are there holes in them? How do you think they got there?

     Cro-Magnons:

     Neanderthals:

3. Look at the teeth. How many seem to be missing? Do you see any holes in the teeth? Why would there be holes in the teeth?

     Cro-Magnons:

     Neanderthals:

4. Which skeletons are male and which are female? How do you know?

     Cro-Magnons:

     Neanderthals:

Now, follow this link and take a little quiz to see if you could survive back then.

http://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/virtuallytheiceage/index.html

Click on the hand near the top of the page (“Stone Age People”) .

Then, click on “Test Your Survival Skills".

Follow the footprints to return to the Paleoanthropologist's activities....