Test: From the Beginning of Time- 2 (Old Syllabus) - UPSC MCQ

Primates are classified under the category of Mammals. This classification is based on several key characteristics:

• Primates possess hair or fur on their bodies.
• They are warm-blooded animals.
• Primates give birth to live young.
• They typically have mammary glands that produce milk to nourish their offspring.

As mammals, primates share these traits with other members of the class, making them distinct from Reptiles, Amphibians, and other animal groups.

By about 24 mya, there emerged a subgroup amongst primates, called hominoids. This included apes.

Hominids have evolved from hominoids and share certain common features; there are significant differences as well.

Among various species, hominoids are known to possess smaller brains than hominids. This group includes all apes, which have less complex brain structures compared to humans and our ancestors.

Key points about hominoids:

• Hominoids include species like gibbons and orangutans.
• They exhibit a range of brain sizes, but generally, their brains are smaller than those of hominids.
• Brain size in hominoids correlates with their cognitive abilities, which are less advanced compared to hominids.

In contrast, both ancient and modern humans, as well as other hominids, have developed larger brains that support more complex thought processes and behaviours.

Hominids belong to a family known as Hominidae, which includes all forms of human beings.

The name Australopithecus comes from a Latin word, austral, meaning southern, and a greek word, pithekos, meaning ape.

Mary Leakey directed archaeological excavations at Olduvai and Laetoli and made some of the most exciting discoveries.

As the finds in Asia belong to a later date than those in Africa, the genus homo is likely that hominids migrated from east Africa to southern and northern Africa, south and north-eastern Asia, perhaps to Europe, sometime between 2 and 1.5 mya.

Hominids migrated from east Africa to southern and northern Africa, south and north-eastern Asia, and perhaps to Europe, sometime between 2 and 1.5 mya.

Modern humans are due to their descent from a population that originated in a single region: Africa.

Scholars who hold this view suggest that today’s physical differences among modern humans are the result of adaptation (throughout thousands of years) by populations who migrated to the particular regions where they finally settled down.

Evidence for caves and open-air sites primarily comes from archaeological findings in different regions. Among these, Europe stands out as a significant source. This is due to its rich history and numerous archaeological sites that provide insights into human prehistory.

• Geographical diversity: Europe features various landscapes, including mountains and plains, which support different types of archaeological sites.
• Historical significance: Many ancient civilisations thrived in Europe, leaving behind artefacts and structures in both caves and open-air locations.
• Research advancements: Ongoing archaeological research in Europe continues to uncover evidence, contributing to our understanding of early human life.

In contrast, while regions like Asia and Antarctica have their own archaeological significance, they do not provide as extensive evidence for the study of caves and open-air sites compared to Europe.

Gradually, these may have developed into language.

The paintings on the ceiling of the cave were first brought to the attention of Marcelino Sanz Desautuola, a local landowner and an amateur archaeologist, by his daughter maria in November 1879.

Prehistoric artists used natural pigments that were found nearby in the Earth such as limonite and hematite (reds, orange, yellows and browns), greens from oceanic deposits, blues from crushed stones and manganese ore, charcoal from the fire and white from ground calcite or chalk.

The act of painting could have been a ritual to ensure a successful hunt.

The last ice age, also known as the Pleistocene Ice Age, came to an end approximately 10,000 years ago. This period marked significant climatic changes, leading to the warming of the Earth and the retreat of glaciers.

• These changes allowed ecosystems to develop, paving the way for human evolution and the rise of agriculture.
• The transition from the ice age to the current warm period is known as the Holocene epoch.
• This era saw the extinction of many large mammals, such as the woolly mammoth.

Hadza relies mainly on the wild vegetable matter for their food. As much as 80 percent of their food by weight is vegetables, meat, and honey; they account for the remaining 20 percent.

Upper Palaeolithic female figurines are collectively described as "Venus figurines" in reference to the Roman goddess of beauty Venus.