Pithecanthropus. Who are Pithecanthropus? Lifestyle, characteristics, evolution, tools, brain volume, ancestors. Human ancestor? New discoveries Where the remains of Pithecanthropus were found

Led to the fact that modern man came to new round its history. Comparing the first subspecies of people and the modern inhabitant of the Earth, one can be amazed at the path that has been taken and how much has been achieved in a relatively short period of time for history.

Origin of the term

To answer the question of who Pithecanthropus is, you should take a closer look at the term itself. It was invented in the 19th century by Ernst Haeckel. The time of the term fell on a period in science when there were not yet a large number of fossil finds that could provide more detailed and accurate characteristics of the first people. However, even then, scientists gradually came to the conclusion that man is the ancestor of long-extinct animals. Haeckel decided to describe it, but it had to be called something. He decided to combine the words “man” and “monkey” to make it clear that something in between was implied. It should be noted that it was this German scientist who insisted that ancestors should be sought in the southeastern part of Asia.

Confirmation of Ernst Haeckel's theory

Ernst Haeckel was right. The Dutch scientist Eugene Dubois was able to confirm and prove his words. He went to scientific expedition to the swamps of Indonesia to find the very middle link that connected man and monkey. The first four years of his search were unsuccessful, however, luck smiled on him too. He found a skull, a hip bone and two molars on Eva Island. The creature whose remains he found combined the properties of both man and monkey. Dubois decided to independently name his find - erect ape-man.

After that all scientific world celebrated his victory. Many expeditions were organized to Eva Island, where scientists discovered the remains of about 20 adult individuals. Since the last century, scientists have regularly encountered pithecanthropus bones around the world.

Many finds belong to Africa according to their territorial location. This is not surprising, since most of the remains of the ape-man were found there. In 1955, a fragment of the skull and jaw of a hominid that closely resembled Pithecanthropus was found in Algeria. Along with this, the remains of animals were discovered: giraffe, elephant, rhinoceros. Interestingly, stone tools were also discovered.

Who are Pithecanthropus?

The word Pithecanthropus, translated from Greek and split into two parts, means “man” and “monkey”. A synonym for this term is the phrase “Javanese man.” So who are Pithecanthropus? Pithecanthropus is a subspecies of people, which, according to some opinions, is recognized as something between Australopithecines and Neanderthals on the evolutionary ladder. Scientists have estimated the time gap between the existence of this type of people at 1 million 700 thousand years.

Modern scientists consider this subspecies of people as a local replacement for Homo erectus, which is located in Southeast Asia. This subspecies did not produce the immediate ancestors of modern humans.

Boy from Turkana

Turkana is a beautiful lake located in Kenya. The area was extensively excavated in 1968 under the supervision of Richard Leakey. In 1984, the western shore of the lake presented the scientific world with a unique specimen - the skeleton of a boy about 12 years old. It has been established that the boy lived about 1 million 600 thousand years ago! The skull and jaw bones were similar to the bone structure of Neanderthals, but all the other bones were like those of modern humans. Interestingly, his height was 170 cm, and this despite the fact that he was only 12 years old!

The eastern birch of Lake Turkana pleased scientists with the finds of Pithecanthropus. In 1982, due to the large number of Pithecanthropus remains found, it was released postage stamp with their image.

Finds around the world

Pithecanthropus - ancient people who left traces of their existence throughout to the globe. Europe also boasts a number of discoveries. Scientists have found a lower jaw that most likely belonged to a young and to a strong man. The discovery was made near Heidelberg, Germany. In all respects, this find was ranked among the finds of the remains of Pithecanthropus. In Hungary in 1965, a massive occipital bone was found, which also belonged to Pithecanthropus. In Nice (France), scientists discovered a whole site of Pithecanthropus called Terra Amata. Large ones were found there. They were made up of branches that rested on one strong pillar covered with skin. The dwellings were very spacious, reaching 15 m in length and 5 m in width. Inside the dwelling one could find the remains of hearths made of many stones. By the way, this particular find is the earliest evidence that they knew how to handle fire. By the end of the existence of this species, fire was used everywhere by them. Perhaps this was influenced by climate change towards cooling.

As for the time chain, it should be said that the first Pithecanthropus lived in Africa approximately 1.7 million years ago. At first they did not want to leave their home, but for about 1.2 million years they have been actively moving to the territory of Eurasia. And only about 700,000 years ago, Pithecanthropus visited Europe.

Appearance

Pithecanthropus Neanderthal was over 1.5 m tall. Like modern man, Pithecanthropus walked on two legs, but due to the structural features of his skeleton, his gait resembled a “waddle.” If we take into account the general structure, then the ancient man of this subspecies was very similar to modern man with the exception of the skull bones, which retained multiple archaic elements: a sloping forehead, a massive lower jaw, large teeth, protruding brow ridges. Due to the fact that the chin protuberance was not found, it is generally accepted that he could not speak, but could make sounds and communicate with them. The structure of the brain itself has also become noticeably more complex compared to previous species. Australopithecus Pithecanthropus had a rapidly developing brain, although some of the head parts grew unevenly.

The work of Pithecanthropus

Australopithecus, Neanderthal, Pithecanthropus - all of them are representatives of ancient people, but they developed in their own period of time and achieved different progress. Pithecanthropus is considered to be closest in many respects to modern humans than the other two subspecies.

Pithecanthropus managed to make a hand ax - a piece of flint, which is chipped on both sides and is a rough and massive weapon. It is approximately 20 cm in length and weighs 0.5 kg. The chopper has a fairly drawn shape, working part and the handle are well separated. Having found a handaxe, it is difficult to confuse it with an ordinary stone of a bizarre shape, which is typical for many tools of other subspecies of ancient people. It is this weapon that is most often found in the villages of Pithecanthropus, but it is not the only one. They have piercings (for piercing something) and scrapers (for working with wood and bone) made of flint. They also made wooden tools, which, however, have not survived well to this day due to the natural properties of wood. However, the tools that fell into the peat layer were preserved sufficiently to be studied.

A yew spear from Pithecanthropus was discovered in Germany, which was intended to kill an elephant. The length of this weapon is 215 cm, and the sharp end is fire-treated for better strength. Since research has shown that the center of gravity is in the lower part of the weapon, it was most likely used as a pike rather than a throwing device. Scientists also often find clubs and digging tools that were used in everyday life.

Life of Pithecanthropus

It was simple, ordinary and primitive, but very dangerous. It is known that these human ancestors lived in villages. They created something like families, but their huge dwellings indicate that the family was different from the modern one. Several generations lived in the dwelling for many years in a row. At the same time, there was no special division into who was whose partner. Of course, if someone defended his female and showed aggression, then she was not touched.

Pithecanthropus, who was quite primitive, still knew how to hunt and get food for himself and his family. made tools that helped them kill large and strong representatives of the animal world. Most of the life of the male representative of Pithecanthropus was spent hunting. The women remained in their homes, looked after the children, and prepared potions to treat the returning hunters.

Opinion of modern scientists

Today, scientists are not inclined to truly recognize Pithecanthropus as the ancestor of modern humans. For the scientific world, this subspecies of people represents an isolated but fairly developed group of people who were lucky enough to live until the appearance of the first modern people.

Nevertheless, research and excavations continue, and perhaps something new will be found that will confirm or refute the opinion of today's researchers.

To summarize, it is worth noting that Pithecanthropus, a photo of which can be found in a history textbook, was the ancestor of man. But it is important to understand that he was far from the ancestor of man in his modern form. Pithecanthropus were simply an intermediate link that occupied its temporary niche and developed in accordance with the conditions environment and your own needs. It is worth understanding that discoveries are made almost every year, so it is unknown what we will know in the future about who Pithecanthropus is and how this will change our understanding of human ancestors.

A great achievement of advanced science in late XIX V. There were finds of remains of even more highly organized creatures than Australopithecus. These remains date back entirely to the Quaternary period, which is divided into two stages: the Pleistocene, which lasted approximately until the VIII-VII millennia BC. e. and covering pre-glacial and glacial times, and modern stage(Holocene). These discoveries completely confirmed the views of advanced naturalists of the 19th century. and F. Engels' theory about the origin of man.

The first to be found was the most ancient primitive man known today - Pithecanthropus (literally “ape-man”). The bones of Pithecanthropus were first discovered as a result of persistent searches that lasted from 1891 to 1894, by the Dutch doctor E. Dubois near Trinil, on the island of Java. Going to South Asia, Du Bois set out to find the remains of a form transitional from ape to man, since the existence of such a form followed from evolutionary theory Darwin. Du Bois's discoveries more than justified his expectations and hopes. The skull cap and femur he found immediately showed the enormous significance of the Trinil finds, since one of the most important links in the chain of human development was discovered.

In 1936, the skull of a child Pithecanthropus was found in Mojokerto, also in Java. There were also bones of animals, including, it is believed, several more ancient ones, from the Lower Pleistocene time. In 1937 local residents The most complete skull cap of Pithecanthropus, with temporal bones, was delivered to the Bandung Geological Laboratory from Sangiran, and then other remains of Pithecanthropus were discovered in Sangiran, including two more skulls. In total, the remains of at least seven individuals of Pithecanthropus are currently known.

As its name itself shows, Pithecanthropus (ape-man) connects ancient highly developed monkeys such as Australopithecus with primitive man more developed type. This significance of Pithecanthropus is most fully evidenced by skulls from finds in Trinil and Sangiran. These skulls combine specific simian and purely human features. The first include such features as the peculiar shape of the skull, with a pronounced interception in the front of the forehead, near the eye sockets, and a massive, wide supraorbital ridge, traces of a longitudinal crest on the crown of the head, a low cranial vault, i.e., a sloping forehead, and great thickness cranial bones. But, at the same time, Pithecanthropus was already a completely bipedal creature. The volume of his brain (850-950 cubic cm) was 1.5-2 times larger than that of modern apes. However, in terms of general proportions and the degree of development of individual lobes of the brain, Pithecanthropus was closer to anthropoids than to humans.

Judging by the remains of plants, including excellently preserved leaves and even flowers, found in the sediments immediately overlying the Trinil bone layer, Pithecanthropus lived in a forest consisting of trees that still grow in Java, but in the somewhat cooler climate that exists now at an altitude of 600-1200 m above sea level. Citrus and bay trees, fig trees and other subtropical plants grew in this forest. Along with Pithecanthropus, the Trinil forest was home to many different animals of the southern zone, whose bones survived in the same bone-bearing layer. During the excavations, most of the antlers of two species of antelope and deer were found, as well as teeth and fragments of skulls of wild pigs. There were also bones of bulls, rhinoceroses, monkeys, hippopotamuses, and tapirs. The remains of ancient elephants, close to the European ancient elephant, and predators - leopard and tiger - were also found.

All these animals, whose bones were found in Trinil deposits, are believed to have died as a result of a volcanic catastrophe. During the volcanic eruption, the wooded slopes of the hills were covered and burned with a mass of hot volcanic ash. Then rain streams carved deep channels in the loose ash layer and carried the bones of thousands of dead animals into the Trinil valley; This is how the bone-bearing layer of Trinil was formed. Something similar happened during the eruption of the Klut volcano in eastern Java in 1852. According to eyewitnesses, the large navigable river Brontas, which went around the volcano, swelled and rose high. Its water contained at least 25% volcanic ash mixed with pumice. The color of the water was completely black, and it carried such a mass of fallen timber, as well as the corpses of animals, including buffalos, monkeys, turtles, crocodiles, even tigers, that the bridge that stood on the river, the largest of all the bridges on the river, was broken and completely destroyed. island of Java.

Together with other inhabitants tropical forest Pithecanthropus, whose bones were discovered in Trinil, apparently also became victims of a similar catastrophe in ancient times. These special conditions associated with the Trinil finds, as probably with the finds of Pithecanthropus bones elsewhere in Java, explain why there was no evidence of tool use by Pithecanthropus there.

If the bone remains of Pithecanthropus were found in temporary sites, then the presence of tools would be very likely. In any case, judging by general level Given the physical structure of Pithecanthropus, it should be assumed that he already made tools and constantly used them, including not only wooden ones, but also stone ones. Indirect evidence that Pithecanthropus made stone tools is provided by rough quartzite items discovered in the south of the island of Java, near Patjitan, along with the remains of the same animals, the bones of which were found at Trinil in the same layer of sediments as the bones of Pithecanthropus.

Thus, we can conclude that with Pithecanthropus and creatures close to him, the initial period in the formation of man ends. This was, as we have seen, that very distant time when our ancestors led a herd lifestyle and were just beginning to move from the use of ready-made objects of nature to the manufacture of tools.

In 1891, on the island of Java in the valley of the Solo River, in Early Pleistocene layers, at a depth of 15 m Dr. Dubu discovered the scattered remains of a humanoid creature, which he later named based on the morphological features of Pithecantropus erectus. The skull vault discovered here, despite its primitiveness, still had a number of features that brought it closer to human. In particular, the volume of his brain was one and a half times greater than that of a gorilla, and the shape of the hip categorically indicated a vertical position of the torso.

In 1926-1927, based on the cast of the skull of Pithecanthropus I (Dubois), the tooth found there, as well as the lower jaw of the Heidelberger, I created my first reconstruction of Pithecanthropus. This reconstruction of the skull of Pithecanthropus, which has many minor shortcomings, was fundamentally not so erroneous, as evidenced by a comparison of this skull with the skull reconstructed by Weidenreich, published by him in 1935. They were new finds of Pithecanthropus skulls in Java were taken into account.

When restoring the head of Pithecanthropus, the morphological features of the skull were taken into account, and when reproducing the scalp and facial hair, the latter was taken as it is in chimpanzees and young gorillas. As a result, despite the fact that the face of the Pithecanthropus I restored undoubtedly has more human features than ape ones, the impression is that this is a portrait of some kind of higher ape, which at the same time has human features.

This first attempt at reconstruction, despite obvious errors, showed, however, the possibility of such hypothetical work.

In the same year, an attempt was made to restore the head of a Neanderthal and a Neolithic man from the Glazkovsky necropolis. The reconstructions are exhibited in the archaeological department of the Irkutsk Museum.

Only after seven years, during which I systematically collected factual material to solve the problem of reconstructing the face from the skull, in 1934 I again tried to create a new reconstruction. This time the head of Sinanthropus was reproduced (Fig. 37).

Later than Pithecanthropus, one of the most ancient representatives of the ancestors of modern people, the synanthropus Pithecantropus pekinensis, lived on the territory of modern northern China. The bones of Sinanthropus were discovered as a result of systematic excavations from 1927 to 1938 in a cave near Zhou-kou-dian in 40 km southwest of Beiping (Beijing).

In 1929-1930 Chinese scientist Pei found the first two Sinanthropus skulls. By 1938, many bones had already been found that belonged to at least 11 individuals of Sinanthropus. These are separate, scattered, mostly fragmented bones and teeth. All of them were found in a redeposited state, i.e. in the secondary position. The bones of men, women and children were found here.

At the same time, extremely primitive, but at the same time undeniable stone tools, bones of killed and eaten animals, and thick layers of coal and ash were discovered in these same layers, indicating that Sinanthropus knew how to prepare stone tools, knew fire well and was able to use it. support.

The Anthropological Museum of Moscow State University has at its disposal the entire complex of the main finds of Sinanthropus in beautiful models. These dummies were the basis for creating a series of reconstructions of Sinanthropus. In 1934, man No. I was made, in 1938, man No. II, in 1939, man No. III and a woman.

S i n a n t r o p I (male). The basis for this reconstruction was the skull, restored

updated on the basis of the first finds and, in particular, vault II. Incomplete data led to a number of errors in the construction of the facial skeleton, which was

Rice. 37. Sinanthropus, the oldest representative of man.

it was excessively heavy and had a greater prognathism than it should have, which gave greater primitiveness to the entire appearance of the skull. The portrait of Sinanthropus reproduced on this basis can serve as an illustration of the extreme, most primitive type. The reconstruction was exhibited at the MAE USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad (Fig. 37).

S i n a n t r o p I I (male). This is the second (version, significantly expanded and corrected based on published data. The reconstruction is stored in the Zoological Museum of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad.

Sinanthrop (woman). The female skull was reconstructed from a number of authentic casts from the bones of Sinanthropus. The vault of the reconstructed skull was an exact copy of the skullcap found by Pei in 1930, known as Category II. The facial skeleton was reproduced taking into account fragments of jaws and teeth, selected by size. The sum of these fragmentary remains of a genuine female skull of Sinanthropus made it possible to reproduce with a sufficient degree of probability the skull of a woman aged 35 to 40 years.

Constant consultation and exchange of opinions with anthropologists, primarily with Sinelnikov, Roginsky and Gremyatsky, ensured maximum consideration necessary data, so we can think that this reconstructed female skull of Synanthropus really closely reflects its true features. Unlike the skull made by Weidenreich, our reconstruction has a smaller number of bright specialized details, which is significantly closer to modern humans morphologically. The reconstruction of this skull deserves at least a brief description.

When examining the proposed female skull of Sinanthropus in profile, first of all, a significant predominance of the facial skeleton in relation to the cranium is noted in comparison with modern skulls. The face is heavy, especially the jaw section, and it all seems to be pushed forward. The cranial vault in profile is strongly flattened, but has a sharp transition to a low, but rather steep, forehead. Strongly protruding brow ridges are sharply demarcated by a strong bend of the forehead. The glabella has a sharp edge of inflection, and the sharpness of the inflection of the angle is most pronounced in the middle part. As it passes into the brow ridges, the edge becomes rounded and forms sharply protruding flattened brow ridges. The structure of the glabella gives the skull distinctly simian features.

IN horizontal projection This skull of Sinanthropus, like the skull of Pithecanthropus, approaches the white form, and the depression between the forehead and the back of the head is very strong and sharply limited by the protrusion of the eyebrow. The greatest width of the skull is confined to the area of ​​the mastoid processes.

When examining the cranial vault, the medial ridge is clearly visible, almost along its entire length, starting from the bend of the frontal bone to the occipital bone. This ridge gives the cross-section of the vault a roof-like appearance, despite its strong flattening. The back of the head is protruding, with a sharply defined ridge, which, perhaps, should be called a crest due to the sharpness of its outline. The foramen magnum is strongly moved posteriorly. The wide flattening in front above the bridge of the nose indicates that Sinanthropus has a flattened, wide arch of the nasal root, which makes it very different from all known higher apes. This form of the structure of the root of the nose seems to indicate that the nasal bones of Sinanthropus were wide, slightly wavy, of a simple pattern, that they formed a wide arch of the wide heart-shaped pear-shaped opening of the nose. The direction and degree of development of the zygomatic process of the temporal bone to some extent indicate the external shape of the zygomatic bone.

All Neanderthal skulls that preserved the facial skeleton have a very unique structure of the orbital part of the maxillary bones. Their frontal part is flattened and slanted to the side and posteriorly, as a result of which there is no ridge of the lower edge of the orbit and the canine fossa is smoothed to nothing. When reconstructing these missing parts of the facial skeleton of Sinanthropus, I reproduced it by analogy with Neanderthal forms, which gave the skull some forms of primitiveness, but was morphologically completely justified. It is precisely in connection with this shape of the zygomatic and maxillary bones that the outlines of the orbits and the structure of the alveolar part of the upper jaw acquire a completely special pattern. These details of the structure of the skull I reconstructed are very different from the skull of Sinanthropus reproduced by Weidenreich, published by him in 1938. The lower jaw of Sinanthropus was preserved in a number of fragments, so its reproduction was not difficult and sufficient authentically. It is very massive, with a short ascending branch and complete absence chin protrusion.

Comparing the female skull of Sinanthropus created by Weidenreich with the skull reconstructed by me completely independently of him (since they were both made almost at the same time and the publication of Weidenre e x a was still unknown to me), it should be said that

of “my” skull, the eye sockets are lower and less profiled, the nasal bones, when viewed in profile, are longer and flattened, the alveolar process of the upper jaw is less profiled, there is no sharp frontal bend in it, and in general my skull is less protruding. In the skull created by Weidenreich, a greater number of specialized features are noted, which is unlikely to be correct, especially considering that the reconstructed skull is female. Ignoring these ultimately minute individual traits, both skulls undoubtedly represent the same racial type, and the degree of difference does not exceed the norm of variation within the same racial group. In this book there is no need for a more detailed coverage of these reconstructions, since this goes beyond the scope of the popular presentation of the material. Based on the skull I reconstructed, a bust of a female Sinanthropus was created. When reproducing this bust, the specific features of head position, characteristic of early racial types of humans, were taken into account.

S i n a n t r o p I I I (male). This reconstruction was carried out taking into account the bone material, which, based on morphological data and size, presumably belonged to a man, and the features of sexual dimorphism were taken into account, at these early stages of the formation of the human type, which was probably expressed more sharply. That's why the reconstruction

Rice. 38. Sinanthropus - man and woman. Nakhodki recent years in a cave near Beiping have expanded our understanding of Sinanthropus so much that this makes it possible, speaking about their appearance, to assume that these images, reconstructed from original bones, are really close to the appearance of these primitive people who lived at the dawn of human times, but already who knew basic techniques for making primitive stone tools and knew how to use fire.

tion of the male Sinanthropus III has significantly more so-called primitive features when comparing him with the female Sinanthropus and modern man. Both reconstructions are exhibited at the Anthropological Museum of Moscow State University.

Of course, it is impossible to consider these reconstructions of Sinanthropus as portraits, and no one could set themselves the solution to such a problem, since the skulls used for the reconstruction were largely reproduced only on the basis of the sum of data obtained as a result of the study fragments of skull bones of synanthropes, but belonging to many individuals. As one might expect, the proposed reconstructions are generalized racial portraits of these ancient representatives of the hominid genus (Fig. 38).

The oldest representatives of hominids (Pithecanthropus and Sinanthropus) are archaeologically associated with ancient cultures Lower Paleolithic, Pre-Cheulian, Chelian and Acheulian eras. This era is characterized by the stage of primitive gathering, although, undoubtedly, since the advent of fire, hunting has become increasingly important.

Until now, scientists did not have many remains of primitive people. On at the moment archaeologists managed to discover large number remains of ancient people. The most ancient ones were found on the African continent. In this regard, it is generally accepted that it was on this hot continent that human evolution may have originated, an evolution that ultimately led to the emergence of modern man. 3.5-1.8 million years ago across endless expanses African continent Humanoid creatures were already roaming, which were called Australopithecines - southern monkeys. They already had a certain brain, and large jaws necessary for animals, in addition, they could move like a person on two legs, and they could not only hold a stick in their hands, but also use it “correctly” as a tool.

Based on the findings, scientists suggest that the first tools appeared about two and a half million years ago. These were primitive tools made of sticks and stone. You couldn’t do much with them, but you could kill an animal, skin it, or dig up root crops. Those primitive people, who managed to learn how to make primitive tools, received the name in science “handy man” (homo habilis). Now they are considered the first representatives of the human race.

This “Skillful Man” could move on his hind legs, and his “hands” could not only use tools, but also make them. For now, these people could not speak. All of them colloquial speech boiled down to “sign language” like that of monkeys. Their diet consisted of both plant and animal meat, which they obtained through hunting.

Pithecanthropus tools

Their “society” was not large, their groups consisted of a small number of individuals. Several males, several females with cubs.

A little later, about one million years ago, there appeared new look ancient man, this is “homo erectus” - an erect person. In science they called him Pithecanthropus - this is an ape-man. This man was still very similar to animals. His body was covered in fur. He had a low forehead and very prominent brow ridges. And the brain was already closer to man. It was quite large, approaching the size of the brain of a modern person. Pithecanthropus, like the early representatives of humanity, could make tools from stone; these tools could significantly make his life easier in ancient world. They could kill animals, cut meat, skins, dig the ground and much more.

Labor, as is commonly believed, makes a person. This is what happened with Pithecanthropus. The development of “ancient craftsmanship” contributed to adaptation to various climatic conditions of our planet. Their remains were found in various regions of the Earth. Due to the formation of glaciers, it became possible for not only animals, but also “people” to migrate on the planet. This is how they appeared even on the American continent.

Ancient sites of Pithecanthropus, as a rule, were located near rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, where there were many animals. They usually hunted large animals, such as deer. People hunted in groups, then divided the prey among all members of the herd.

Primitive Pithecanthropus already knew fire. Fire allowed them to keep warm during the cold season and protected them from predators. They also began to “cook” food over the fire, which they had hitherto eaten raw.

Such a way of life required “collectivism” from them. Their teams must be fairly united. This led to the transfer of knowledge from the elders to the younger generation, from parents to their children. However, despite this, Pithecanthropus was unable to advance further on the evolutionary ladder. Development was very slow. They “died” in their primitive state.

International scientific name

Homo erectus erectus (Dubois, 1892)

Synonyms

• Pithecanthropus erectus Dubois, 1894
• Anthropopithecus javenensis
• Hylobates giga Krause, 1895
• Hylobates giganteus Bumüller, 1899

History of discovery

Term Pithecanthropus(Pithecantropus) was first proposed in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel as a designation for a hypothetical intermediate between apes and humans.

The danger that awaited Pithecanthropus at every step forced them to live in large families, or more or less large stable associations, in relation to which the concept of “primitive herd” or ancestral community.

A study of tool materials from camps in Africa showed that the latter, as a rule, were permanent. Judging by the spaciousness of the dwellings known to modern scientists, several generations of a large family could coexist in one room for a long time. Living in large groups made it easier to hunt large animals that were distinguished by their remarkable strength and speed of movement. In addition to hunting, Pithecanthropus could engage in fishing, most often catching fish with their bare hands.

According to scientists, in the society of Pithecanthropus there were often skirmishes, often leading to the death of certain members of the community, and in times of famine, cannibalism was common. In order to coexist peacefully even in such a primitive society, considerable efforts had to be made to curb primitive instincts. It was for this purpose that it was necessary to develop some generally accepted norms of behavior, which made it possible for all relatives to move to a new stage in the development of coexistence. To control the implementation of such certain rules there is a need for leaders who are assigned a leadership role.

Unlike modern people, at an early stage Pithecanthropus did not yet have strict sexual restrictions and promiscuity actually reigned. However, at a later stage, stable married couples could periodically arise in their herds, and some male, showing aggression towards his fellow tribesmen, would choose a specific female, as artistically described in Jack London’s historical story “Before Adam” (1907).

According to the French anthropologist A. Valois and the Soviet scientist A.V. Nemilov, in the Early Paleolithic era, due to the consequences of the transition to upright walking, which caused complications during childbirth, the life expectancy of female Pithecanthropus was significantly lower than that of males, due to which the number of the latter in primitive human groups exceeded the number of the first.

While most of the males' lives were spent hunting or clashes due to personal rivalry, females took care of everyday life, raised children, and cared for the wounded and sick. The inclusion of Pithecanthropus meat in the daily diet helped solve the problem of providing the body with reliable sources of replenishing the energy reserves necessary to perform heavy work. physical work. And using various plants for food was an excellent way to learn about their healing properties, which can be considered the first steps towards healing.

Science has evidence of the manifestation of collective care by Pithecanthropus for sick fellow tribesmen. Thus, on the Pithecanthropus femur discovered by Dubois on the island of Java, there are pronounced changes in bone tissue (exostosis). It is obvious that without the support of his relatives this lame, disabilities self-defense, the individual inevitably had to die, but he lived, remaining crippled, for many years.

Even in those distant primitive times, Pithecanthropus begins to realize the importance of hygienic skills, such as removing the remains of eaten animals from homes or burying deceased relatives. But at that stage of human development, in the absence abstract thinking, all this was done without any special rituals or the creation of a funeral cult.

Material culture

Unlike Australopithecus, the hands of Pithecanthropus were already capable of superficial processing of wood, bone and stone. Working on the creation of primitive tools, the Pithecanthropes had to gradually perfect stones split naturally or split them on their own, making chips and flakes on them.

There is no direct evidence of whether Pithecanthropus made tools, since bone remains on the island of Java were found in a redeposited state, which precludes the discovery of contemporary tools. On the other hand, in the same layers and with the same fauna as the finds of Pithecanthropus, finds of archaic tools similar to the Acheulean culture were made. In addition, among the later finds (Sinanthropus, Heidelberg man, Atlantropus), belonging to the same species Homo erectus or related species ( Homo heidelbergensis, Homo ergaster, Homo antecessor), tools of the same culture as the Javanese ones were found. Therefore, there is reason to think that Javanese tools were made by Pithecanthropus.

Along with stone ones, Pithecanthropus were able to make primitive tools from bones and horns, and use wooden clubs and sharpened branches as spears.

Scientists do not have convincing data to suggest that Pithecanthropus were capable, like Sinanthropus, of independently producing or maintaining fire, but they undoubtedly knew how to use it. In addition to protection from the cold, predators and cooking, mastery of fire made Pithecanthropus herds less dependent on the climate and more mobile.

Pithecanthropus and modern people

While Soviet anthropologists were mostly of the opinion that Pithecanthropus was an intermediate link between Australopithecines and people of the genus Homo, modern researchers are not inclined to consider them the ancestors of modern people. Apparently they were a distant and isolated population Homo erectus, which, in Indonesian conditions, lived until the advent of modern humans and died out about 27 thousand years ago [ ] .