Paleoanthropological Fossils from India
Extinct group of primate that lived from about
| Family – Pongidae | Dryopithecus | Sivapithecus | Gigantopithecus |
| Meaning | Ape of Forest | Ape of Sivaliks | Giant Ape |
| Dated | 23-8 mya (Miocene, Pliocene) | 14-8 mya (Siva) 12-14 mya (Rama) – | 9-0.5 mya |
| Species | D. africanus -by Leakey(C)D. major – by Pilbeam (G)D. sivalensis (now in shivapitcus) | S. punjabicus (Indian) S. urickeri (African) S. brevirostris (Chinese) | G. blacki (Chinese) G. bilaspurensis (Indian) |
| Discovery & | 1856 – Lartet A low jaw from Miocene deposits of southern France Also parts of Africa, Asia, Eurpe | 1934 – LewisHighly fragmented jaw from Turin village of Haritalyangar Bilaspur (HP) → RamapithecusLufang Valley (china) Rudabanya Mts (Hungary)Sivaliks (India) – bone of limbs, jaw Africa – Kenya – initially c/l Kenyapithecus | 1935 – Koenigswald in china’s medical stores Indian species – Late prof. S.R.K Chopra of PU (1969) – Haritalyangar (HP)Chinese & Qietnamese → Blacki → middle Pleistocene |
| Ecosystem of Habitat | inhabited both dense forest & savanna | live in forest periphery & Savannah, mostly on ground | |
| Physical Features | • Cranial Capacity – 167cc • weight – 26-33 pounds • Size – gibbon to gorilla • indication of ape simian shelf • large teeth, interlocking canines & diastema • Y5 cusp pattern – lower 3rd molar • Intermembrial Index approaching 100 • limbs not modified for brachiation, climbing or knuckle walking except in D. Africanus Resemble – Man• hand skeleton wrt to tibia & fibula Ape Resemblance• smaller brain • diastema • longer fingers• smaller femur | • size – ~ orangutan 🦧 • small face,• comparatively small teeth – resembles humans• canine & others don’t differ in size• U- shaped dental arcade, slightly parabolic in Indian fossils • Diastema • hand skeleton reflecting – possibility of arm swinging tree branch (Vertical Clinging) – like orangutan. • opposability of halux (big toe) & capability of holding objects with hind limbs & ability to brachiate was less • foot str – like 🦧 – clear -nc of foot arches ↠ -ve of 🚶 | • • • large size 6-9 ft• weight – 450 -600 pound • large teeth, large interlocking canine w/o diastema • U shaped arcade • food habits – hard nuts & other solid foods • Quadruped locomotion |
| Phylogenetic Status | Due to large similarities with orangutan, it is now placed under Dryopithecus along with other Dryo species. • accepted to be the ancestor of 🦧, independent of human line of evolution | ||
| Conclusion | mixed characteristic of apes & monkeys → logically give rise to present day ape or slender humans Strongest logic – Y% cusp pattern in lower third molar ; other mammals +4 cusp pattern ; | • beliefs in early 1980s apes & man separated 18-16 mya ; ↠ Ramapithecus (14 mya) – first ancestor of man • based on research proven wrong (split) & compete jaw found in 1976 (clearly Nonhominid) → now regarded as a member of shivapithcus • close similarities w/ 🦧 → its ancestor • acc to recent studies ; line separated 8-6 mya so Siva can’t be ancestral to man | • Too specialised on ape & no place in the ancestry of man • status vis a vi’s other not clear • extinct 0.5 mya |
Ramapithecus – Debate
Introduction – Miocene hominid found in 1934 in Lewis – fragmentary a dental & jaw remains & remarked on traits that appeared to be superficial associated with early humans.
- This line of reasoning later supported by L. Leakey on the basis of dental remains found in Kenya (Kenyapithecus)
Criteria used to differentiate humans from apes
- Cranial feature,
- post Cranial &
- Dentition
Until recently only dental & jaw remains belonging to Ramapithecus was available.
New Research Stressing Non-hominid Traits of Ramapithecus
- beliefs in early 1980s apes & man separated 18-16 mya ; ↠ Ramapithecus (14 mya) – first ancestor of man
- based on research proven wrong (split) & compete jaw found in 1976 (clearly Nonhominid) → now regarded as a member of shivapithcus
- acc to recent studies ; line separated 8-6 mya
- Rama & shiva are similar are remarkably similar in the features of thickness of enamel of the teeth as well as paleo – facial features. The only difference is sivapithcus seems to repellent large canine radiation.
- Some paleo anthropologist argue that a form of reduced canines might substitute tools for function (tearing, holding & defence) & an efficient tool maker would be a erect biped with hand free for tool use.
- David Philbeam (modern palaeontologist) Miocene radiation complex of Dryopithcus includes Ramapithecus ; & is not hominid leading to man but is a hominiod leading to apes (mainly orangutan)
- Now simply lump it with Sivapithecus. Also believe that was ♀.
Narmada-Man
Introduction – Narmada Man is name given to hominin fossil that was described from a broken skull specimen with upper jaw of homo erectus found in the middle of Narmada Valley in Hathnora, Madhya Pradesh in 1982 by Dr. Arun Sonakia.
Significance of Discovery –
- Discovery put India on world fossil map (earlier Java Man & Peking Man were know to scholars)
- Proved the presence of early humans in the subcontinent
- Filled a void in our knowledge about human evolution ; as it opened new chapter in terms of hard evidence of evolution in South Asia ; as earlier there were no fossil evidence unlike Africa, where fossils were found along with stone tools.
Features of Particular Fossil
- It was the most ancient human remnant so far discovered in Indian subcontinent
- Narmada Man belongs to the category of Homo erectus,
- Homo erectus believed to have inhabited the planet 1.8 million to 200,000 years (.2 million) ago.
- A/c to Bhattacharya, the fossil represent human form that had colonised India at least 400,000 years ago
- Age – around 0.7 mya ; (~ fossil could be 50,000 to 600,000 years old)
- b/o associated fauna, palaeomagnetic dating studies by GSI and morphological features compared with other fossils of know antiquity.
- Cranium ascribed to a female at the age between 25 and 30 years.
- But the evidence is not even a full skul, it is rather a skull cap with a little bit of orbital roof.
- Cranial Capacity – 1200 cc
- Jaw Skeleton – 7.9 X 13.4 cm
Cultural Features -As that of Homo erectus
Phylogenetic Significance
Recent Controvery
- In 1987, Sankhyan discovered a collar bone from same site and in 1991 Sankhyan, Kennedy et al gave the hypothesis that Narmada man represented the earliest Homo sapiens.
- They also proposed that Narmada man was different from extinct African Homo erectus and European Neanderthal and Western Archaic Homo sapiens.
- This opened up new possibilities for human evolution giving credence to theory of parallel evolution.
- Sankhyan proposed that modern man originated and migrated from Narmada valley and disputed earlier belief that Neanderthal man was origin of Narmada man saying that Narmada hominid characterises archaic, robust and stocky hominid in sharp contrast to tall and well built African or western Homo sapiens.
- Later disputing separate evolutional claims of Chinese scholars, Sankhyan put forward two evolutions- one in Africa and another in Asia (Narmada valley).
- But claims of Sankhyan, Kennedy et al as Narmada man to be archaic Homo sapience was rejected in 2004 at a seminar in Delhi. It was concluded that Narmada man was an erectus with cranial capacity 1200 cc and age 0.7 Mya.
- According to some scientists, this line (Narmada man) indicates incursion of African or Chinese erectus into Indian Territory.
Importance of Shiwalisks In Study of Indian Prehistory
When India was assuming its present geographical and biotic features, there evolved various species of apes whose fossils are found in Shiwaliks bordering Himalayas. Their evolutionary relationship to other ape species recovered from other parts of world gave them significant place in biological history of primates and Indian pre-history.
Importance in Indian Pre-history
- Two fossils of hominids were found in Shiwalik hills, thus is the importance of Shiwaliks for Indian Pre-history.
- Ramapithecus
- Sivapithecus
- Soan Culture is located in and around Potwar Platue which is an extention of Shiwalik Hills.
- Soan is a lower Paleolithic culture divided into pre-soan, early soan, and late soan and evolved soan.
- It is characterized by chopper-chopping and hand axe tools.