Bi8610 Palaeoanthropology

Faculty of Science
Spring 2009
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Jiří Svoboda, DrSc. (lecturer)
doc. RNDr. Eva Drozdová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jaroslav Malina, DrSc.
Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. PhDr. Jiří Svoboda, DrSc.
Timetable of Seminar Groups
Bi8610/01: Mon 13:00–14:50 Bp1, J. Svoboda
Bi8610/02: Mon 8:00–9:50 PBZ,01031a, E. Drozdová
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The main objective of the course is to review the phylogenesis and the taxonomy of Hominidae in their environmental and social contexts. At the end of the course the student should be able to explain the rhytm of climatic changes at the end of the Tertiary and throughout the Quaternary; morphological evolution of the Hominids; expansion of human populations in time and space; and adaptations to the newly settled environments. Attention is also paid to classical paleoanthropological finds from Moravia.
Syllabus
  • 1. Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Hominidae
  • 2. Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene enviroments: Review of the sediments and the climatical record
  • 3. Origin and adaptation of Hominids in Africa (Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Orrorin tugenensis, Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecinae, Homo habilis)
  • 4. Colonisation of Eurasia (Homo ergaster, H. erectus, H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis).
  • 5. The Neanderthals: example of an archaic human adaptation in the Eurasian zone.
  • 6. Modern humans: origin of a new population in Africa and its expansion in the other continents; problem of the „Human Revolution“.
  • 7. The Gravettian population in Moravia: example of modern human adaptation in the glacial environments of Danubian Europe.
  • 8. The Last Glacial Maximum, Late Glacial, origin and expansion of the Magdalenian.
  • 9. Environmental changes during the Holocene, human adaptation and demographic growth, impact of plant and animal domestication.
Literature
  • HENKE, Winfried and Ian TATTERSALL. Handbook of Paleoanthropology. 1st ed. Berlin: Spronger Verlag, 2007, 2173 pp. ISBN 978-3-540-32474-4. info
  • Early modern human evolution in Central Europe : the people of Dolní Věstonice and Pavlov. Edited by Erik Trinkaus - Jiří A. Svoboda. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, ix, 489. ISBN 019516699X. info
  • FRIDRICH, Jan. Ecce Homo : svět dávných lovců a sběračů. 1. vyd. Praha: Krigl, 2005, 320 s. ISBN 8086912043. info
  • Panoráma biologické a sociokulturní antropologie : modulové učební texty pro studenty antropologie a "příbuzných" oborů. 19, Paleolit a mezolit: Pohřební ritus. Edited by Jaroslav Malina. Brno: Nadace Universitas Masarykiana, 2003, 128 s. : i. ISBN 80-210-3182-4. info
  • MELLARS, Paul. The neanderthal legacy :an archaeological perspective from western Europe. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995, xix, 471 s. ISBN 0-691-03493-1. info
  • BENEŠ, Jan. Člověk (Human). 1st ed. Praha: Mladá Fronta, 1994, 343 pp. ISBN 80-204-0460-0. info
  • JELÍNEK, Jan. Velký obrazový atlas pravěkého člověka. Praha: Artia, 1977, 557 s. URL info
Assessment methods
Lectures. The course is concluded with an oral exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2008 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Spring 2011 - only for the accreditation, Spring 2003, Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, spring 2012 - acreditation, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
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