A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2013. / Recent studies of the dental remains from Malapa, a fossil-bearing karstic cave-site located in the Cradle of Humankind (Berger et al., 2010), have demonstrated the presence of dental calculus and associated plant material in the form of phytoliths, preserved on the teeth of Australopithecus sediba (MH1) (Henry et al., 2012). This discovery raised the probability that dental calculus and plant microremains may also be present on hominin material from other cave sites in southern Africa, where fossils are preserved under similar conditions. The aim of this study was to establish the presence of dental calculus and associated microfossils on the teeth of other southern African Plio-Pleistocene early hominins. The dental collection of the Plio-Pleistocene age hominin site of Sterkfontein was examined. Where fossils were observed with adherent material, several analyses were performed to determine whether this material was calculus or not. Where possible, comparisons with the texture of the sediment matrix surrounding the fossil were conducted. Small quantities of this material were removed and observed microscopically to determine if it included food particulates and microfossils. In these cases, we also looked for microfossils in the surrounding matrix as a control. Phytoliths were recovered from all tooth sample material tested. The establishment of phytoliths in the dental calculus is direct evidence that these two structures existed simultaneously, as the formation of calculus can only take place in the presence of saliva. A large number of phytolith morphotypes further indicated that A.africanus had an adaptable and diverse diet, and that monocotyledons and dicotyledons appear to have made up a considerable part of their diet. The results from this study will benefit future analyses, by not only providing new protocols for establishing the presence of dental calculus, but also for promoting better preservation of dental calculus in the future. Further, future studies may be able to obtain direct evidence of consumed food that can directly be associated with individual hominins’ feeding behaviours. This could result in significant clues to the diet and ecology of not only individual hominins, but populations, species and comparisons of diet and behaviour between species and genera.

No description available.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg 1994. / This thesis presents an :investigation into the functional morphology and form of the skeletal elements of" the shoulder girdle of extant h0111inoids and extinct hO)ll.inids\~hich inhabited the Afr:i.c~n continent during the Late pliocene and Elarly \Ii Ii \Ii, ill Partic'l.l.lcu: emphasis is placed o\~\the \' i\. form of the scapula, clavicle and humerus. \Ii variation in the bony, arthrological and 41.yoloQif\;Lcal I" anatomy' Of this region in extant hominoids is I Pleistocene. examined. In light of biomechaniq~l models II reSUlting from this work, the bony,;anatomy of u hominid shoulder girdle elements examined and i. .1 r;:I~t>. ssil .1,1 . " biomechanical interpretations are made. The fossil shoulder girdle elements exan\ine~ in this study are grouped into four species samples. The first sample (Australopithecus a.:friCaIlUS) comprises Pliocene ,fossils from sterkfontein, South Africa. 'rhe second sampJ.e (A. afarelJ.si.s) i.s comprised of fossilo front Hadar, Ethiopia. The third (Homo habilis) and, fourth (ii. boisei) samples comprise fossils from C'lduvai GorgeI Ta:nzania, Koobi For~ll, Ke!nya and t.ne omo Valley ~ Ethiopia. When the t!;ossil homi.ndd. remains are scrt.ed into specf.ea, jl~heI:;houlder g;l.rdle elements InelYd:>e used to const.zuct; and contrast specd.es specijSiq '1· . ) bitOmechar1,ic::aml odelS of th~ shoulder. Th~~se models e:>fltP10re differernoes in form amon~,r.;tj;ossil hominid. species that may'be reJ,ated to dii.:;eetenc;:.es in behaviour. The models may also be appU.ed to the :~......,..~ interpretation of systemat.ic relationShips amongst early hominids. In o:(.~ierto construct models of early homi:p,ids it is first necessary to establish the,movement, myology and oste0logy of the extant hominoid shoulder. Chapters 4,5 and 6 sUl'l.1Il1ar~n,$eew data and available in,formation concel:"ning shoulder girdle mo.Jementand form. Chapter 7 presents detailed C';escriptiQns Of the fossil hominid ma.terial (u:::::19) available for study. 'rhis descriptive information, in conibination with all of the information derived from Chapters 4 through 6, is then used to inte1.pret, compaxe and contrast the fu.nctional morphology Of the shoulder girdle elements of each species of early hotninid. pa:q:ticuJ.ar emphasis is placed .on those features that cart be. directly related to specific :functiOl'l~ Model.s ,,.l the functional morphology of each of t1Je four species are then created. comparisons are made between indJ.vidual Shoulder girdle elements 'cg,fthe different homj.nid spacd.es as well as between the interpreted total morphology of each species' shoulder girdle. The study concludes that the functional m~>l':phologyof the shoulder girdle Qf A. afriaanus is unique ~unorJ.gstknown hominoic1~mode'l.s in that it poasesaes shoul<;ier girdle mo;t,'ph.oo.)gy adapted to bobh suspen ory behaviour and bipE~d;;d~i.srn. TIte suspensory adaptations are :Lndi9ated by the overall ape ..like morphology of the humeri, claviculae and heCid.of the scapulae, whilst bipedalism is mainly (J G indicated. by a broad, human-like inf.Ell:'ior'an9,'].eof " = the scapula. Several' RpparentlY prim.itive featu:r:es" are present in,..the A. africanus Ejcapl,1la,incl~dirtg a 0i,? ..... . _ .. '. \ shortened scapular 'n~ck, that ind:l.Cate'-\poss~ple ancestry f.roma quadru:pedal form. ~p.e functi<:>tJ.al. morphology of the A. afarens.ts shoulder is founa .to be more diffi.cult to interpret d'.le to poor f(i:; ,pre.~ervationt but the hypothesised znodel'~does not diffe):: substantially from th~t constructed for A. _c,~) . ..' .', 1) (; a£ricanus. The few robust aURtra.lopithecine,.,(A. boi.se:1) sho~~der girdle elements appear to possess ~,.. similar morpJ;lologi.esto A. a.:falyrnsis and )1- africanus. There ara .no'l:.SUfi:'lc:tently well preServedoH. habili.s shoulder girdle elements preserved to 'makemeffilningfulinterpreta.tions about the functional morphology of this, specie~:' .' n the lack of comparable elements amongst the two (I 1arger samples (...21.. a:faJ;'ensi.s and ,fl. arr:J;canus) I .it '..':::/ is not knownwhether the features found to be apparently unique to either species are useful as n taxonomic indicators.

Lithic projectile armatures represent a significant innovation over thrusted spears in the subsistence strategies of hominins. Previous researchers have disagreed over the timing of the appearance of projectile weapons in the archaeological record (Brooks 2006; Shea 2006). To discover when projectile technology first appears in the Levant, I have compared tip cross-sectional areas, weights, and tip penetrating angles (three variables useful for discriminating between projectile and thrusting weapons) of pointed Blades, Levallois points, and Mousterian points with analogs from known and suspected chipped stone projectile points. Results indicate that pointed Blades from Tabun and Skhul caves are statistically indistinguishable from other suspected projectile point types. Levallois and Mousterian points from Tabun and Skhul are also statistically indistinguishable from suspected projectile types when the lower halves of the populations are compared. Consequently, I conclude that points from Tabun and Skhul caves fall within the known and suspected range of variation of projectile point morphology. / by David E. Leslie. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis--University of Groningen, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 106-113).

Human handedness is likely related to brain lateralization and major cognitive innovations in human evolution. Identifying handedness in the archaeological record is, therefore, an important step in understanding our cognitive evolution. This thesis reports on experiments in identifying knapper handedness in lithic debitage. I conducted a blind study on flakes (n=631) from Acheulean handaxes replicated by right- and left-handed flintknappers. Several flake characteristics significantly indicated handedness, with a binary logistic regression correctly predicting handedness for 71.7% of the flakes. However, other characteristics were not associated with handedness. This is a result of personal knapping styles, as additional analyses show that individual knappers associate with some attributes better than handedness does. Continued work on these methodologies will enable analysis of Paleolithic assemblages in the future, with the ultimate goal of tracking population-level hominid handedness rates through time and using them as a proxy for cognitive evolution and language acquisition. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 263-281).

Thesis (M.S.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is a study of quantifiable variation in the geometric shape of the superior articular surface of the talus of higher primates, with special reference to fossil tali of Plio- Pleistocene hominids. (Abbreviation abstract ) / AC2017

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