Insegnamento
PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Docente
ALFREDO COPPA
After the course, students are expected to acquire a general knowledge of the mechanisms of evolution that underlie the adaptive changes that characterized the development of the various taxons involved in the homination process. Students will learn about the taxonomy of Homo and his ancestors and the phyletic relationships between the various hominid and hominin taxons. They will then have developed skills on human paleobiology, with knowledge of Skeleton Biology and Dental Anthropology, and on advanced technologies for the study of fossils and skeletal collections from archaeological excavations.
The course is divided into three sections and covers the following main topics:
1) PALEOANTHROPOLOGY (Lessons 1-19 + 1 video):
• Introduction
• General theoretical tools
• Interpretative models: species and fossil species
• Before the Australopithecines
• New data and locomotion
• AUSTRALOPITHECUS (anamensis, afarensis, barelghezali, africanus)
• AUSTRALOPITHECUS (garhi, sediba)
• PARANTHROPUS (aethiopicus, boisei, robustus)
• HOMO habilis, rudolfensis, ergaster. erectus
o Case studies. LATE ERGASTER 1MA, LATE HOMO ERGASTER MULHULI AMO FOSSIL
• HOMO (antecessor, heidelbergensis, rhodesiensis)
• HOMO (NEANDERTHAL)
• HOMO (sapiens)
2) HUMAN PALEOBIOLOGY (Lessons 20-23 + 8 videos):
• Anatomy
• Skeletal Biology
• Excavation
• Sex and Age Determination
• Skeletal Pathology
• Paleodemography
3) ADVANCED METHODOLOGIES (Lessons 24-30 + 8 videos)
• Physics, X-Rays and Computer Tomography (TAC)
• Micro CT (µCT), Synchrotron Light (SR-µCT)
• Paleo-histology
• Chemical, Physical Chemical
• Statistical Analysis and its Techniques: Geometric Morphometrics, Virtual anthropology.
o Case studies (Neandertal): Roc de Marsai, Le Ferrasie 2, Regardou, Abri Suard S14
• Statistical Analysis And It Techniques: Bootstrapping techniques.
o Case study: Ancient Skeletons used to map the Genetic History of Rome.
1) Tattersall, Ian and Schwartz, Jeffrey H. (2001) Extinct humans. Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc. ISBN10: 0813339189, ISBN13: 9780813339184
2) Reich, David (2019) WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT HERE. Ancient DNA and the new science of the human past. Oxford University Press, ISBN:9780198821267
3) White, Tim D. and Folkens Pieter A. (2005) THE HUMAN BONE MANUAL. ElsevierAcademic Press. ISBN: 0-12-088467-4.
The teaching activity and learning process is based on the combination of:
1) 30 video-lectures (the professor presents the course contents, in a way similar to classroom frontal teaching, supported by slides) and 17 videos (the videos were made within the research lines of the Professor and his collaborators, the videos of the lessons were made available by the American Association of Physical Anthropologists).
2) Individual study: handbooks (above, 3).
3) Interactive activity: the students are strongly encouraged to elaborate a short essay (5/7 pages, bibliography included) on one of the following eight topics: 1. New discovery of Fossils of Ominins; 2. Phyletic relationships between pre Homo taxon; 3. The oldest Ominins; 4. The use of microtomography for the study of human teeth; 5. Ancient DNA for the reconstruction of the human population of specific areas; 6. Dental Morphology and ancient DNA in comparison; 7. Stable isotopes for the reconstruction of the diet and migration; 8. Paleopathology and reconstruction of life models.
The essay will be revised by the professor (please refer to the Guidelines published on the course web page).
For the learning of the discipline, video-lectures, slides and other teaching materials are available to the students on the web page of the course. Professor and tutor will assist the students during the entire academic year through e-mail correspondence and, at the student's request, video-reception (dates and times to be agreed in advance with the professor and the tutor).
A test of 18 multiple choice questions is available in the moodle course, together with the one with the correct answers.
The evaluation will consist of an oral exam (questions concerning general and specific topics addressed during the lessons; recognition / description of hominid and hominine fossils, human paleobiology topics, application of advanced methodologies to the study of fossils and human skeletal collections from archaeological excavations).
Students are strongly encouraged to write a short essay (see above, 4), that will be discussed and evaluated during the exam.
The acquired knowledge and competencies will allow the graduates to be employed as experts in a wide range of potential institutions, such as those connected to cultural heritage management, protection and valorisation, e.g. museums, archaeological sites; public administrations; academic and research entities; archaeological excavations associations or cooperatives; organisations working in the field of tourism, history, architecture, scientific disclosure to the general public, etc.