G P Rightmire
Biographic Data
| ID | 1107 |
|---|---|
| NAME | G P Rightmire |
| GIVEN NAMES | G P |
| FAMILY NAME | Rightmire |
| SIGNATURE | RIGHTMIRE G P |
| AFFILIATIONS | Binghamton University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7922-4549 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 66 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1350 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 66 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1969 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 22 |
An ancient cranium from Dmanisi
Homo heidelbergensis
Variation among the Dmanisi hominins
Sources of the variation within ancient Homo assemblages remain poorly understood. Skull 5 is a very robust male, with a brain smaller than that of both a juvenile (Skull 3) and a probable female (Skull 2). Skull 1 has the largest brain, but cranial superstructures do not clearly mark this individual as male or female. It is likely that the Dmanisi hominins represent a single paleospecies of Homo displaying a pattern of sex dimorphism not seen in…
Middle Pleistocene Homo Crania from Broken Hill and Petralona
Skull 5 from Dmanisi
Later Middle Pleistocene Homo
William A. Stini (1930–2014)
Later Middle Pleistocene Homo
Homo erectus and Middle Pleistocene hominins
Radiometric dating of the type-site for Homo heidelbergensis at Mauer, Germany
The Mauer mandible, holotype of Homo heidelbergensis , was found in 1907 in fluvial sands deposited by the Neckar River 10 km southeast of Heidelberg, Germany. The fossil is an important key to understanding early human occupation of Europe north of the Alps. Given the associated mammal fauna and the geological context, the find layer has been placed in the early Middle Pleistocene, but confirmatory chronometric evidence has hitherto been missing…
Fossil Skulls from Dmanisi
Locomotor anatomy and biomechanics of the Dmanisi hominins
Middle and later Pleistocene hominins in Africa and Southwest Asia
Approximately 700,000 years ago, Homo erectus in Africa was giving way to populations with larger brains accompanied by structural adjustments to the vault, cranial base, and face. Such early Middle Pleistocene hominins were not anatomically modern. Their skulls display strong supraorbital tori above projecting faces, flattened frontals, and less parietal expansion than is the case for Homo sapiens . Postcranial remains seem also to have archaic …
Comparisons of Early Pleistocene Skulls from East Africa and the Georgian Caucasus
Variation in the mandibles from Dmanisi, Georgia
Homo in the middle pleistocene
It is generally accepted that modern humans evolved in Africa. This consensus has emerged in the last two decades, as molecular evidence has been coupled with findings from paleontology and prehistory. Patterns of DNA variation in living populations, morphology of fossils, and archeological traces can all be read to show that our species has deep roots in Africa and began to disperse into other regions only late in the Pleistocene. There are stil…
Later Middle Pleistocene Homo
Human foot bones from Klasies River main site, South Africa
Anatomical descriptions, comparative studies and evolutionary significance of the hominin skulls from Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia
The earliest toothless hominin skull
Brain size and encephalization in early to Mid‐Pleistocene Homo
Important changes in the brain have occurred during the course of human evolution. Both absolute and relative size increases can be documented for species of Homo , culminating in the appearance of modern humans. One species that is particularly well‐represented by fossil crania is Homo erectus . The mean capacity for 30 individuals is 973 cm 3 . Within this group there is substantial variation, but brain size increases slightly in specimens from…
John Talbot Robinson (1923-2001), paleontologist extraordinaire
Patterns of hominid evolution and dispersal in the Middle Pleistocene
New human teeth from Middle Stone Age deposits at Klasies River, South Africa
Middle pleistocene humans from africa
Anatomical descriptions, comparative studies and evolutionary significance of the hominin skulls from Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia
The Evolution of Homo Erectus
The first discoveries of Homo erectus were made in Java late in the 19th century. Since then many fossils have come to light in Africa as well as Asia. Homo erectus seems to have evolved in Africa before spreading to other regions of the Old World. This occurred over a long period of time, during which the populations changed relatively little. Only towards the close of the middle Pleistocene are there signs of change in evolutionary tempo leadin…
Comparative studies of Late Pleistocene human remains from Klasies River Mouth, South Africa
Locomotor anatomy and biomechanics of the Dmanisi hominins
Homo in the middle pleistocene
It is generally accepted that modern humans evolved in Africa. This consensus has emerged in the last two decades, as molecular evidence has been coupled with findings from paleontology and prehistory. Patterns of DNA variation in living populations, morphology of fossils, and archeological traces can all be read to show that our species has deep roots in Africa and began to disperse into other regions only late in the Pleistocene. There are stil…
Patterns of hominid evolution and dispersal in the Middle Pleistocene
Brain size and encephalization in early to Mid‐Pleistocene Homo
Important changes in the brain have occurred during the course of human evolution. Both absolute and relative size increases can be documented for species of Homo , culminating in the appearance of modern humans. One species that is particularly well‐represented by fossil crania is Homo erectus . The mean capacity for 30 individuals is 973 cm 3 . Within this group there is substantial variation, but brain size increases slightly in specimens from…
Variation among early Homo crania from Olduvai Gorge and the Koobi Fora region
Fossils recognized as early Homo were discovered first at Olduvai Gorge in 1959 and 1960. Teeth, skull parts and hand bones representing three individuals were found in Bed I, and more material followed from Bed I and lower Bed II. By 1964, L.S.B. Leakey, P.V. Tobias, and J.R. Napier were ready to name Homo habilis . But almost as soon as they had, there was confusion over the hypodigm of the new species. Tobias himself suggested that OH 13 resem…
Implications of Border Cave Skeletal Remains for Later Pleistocene Human Evolution [and Comments and Reply]
Recent excavations have helped to clarify the cultural and stratigraphic sequences at Border Cave, and human skeletal remains recovered at this South African site may well be associated with a Middle Stone Age industry. A partial adult cranium is of particular interest, and this was originally described as quite different both from African Negro and from Bushman individuals. Eleven measurements were taken on the fossil, and these provide a basis …
Homo erectus and Middle Pleistocene hominins
The Supraorbital Torus
The supraorbital torus is found only in some genera of the primate order. Because no muscles of consequence attach directly to it, it has been considered nonfunctional. However, invitro strain-gauge experiments demonstrate that when the anterior teeth are loaded, the supraorbital region acts as a bent beam, pulled downward on each end by masticatory muscle forces and pushed upward centrally by bite force. Clinical and experimental data indicate t…
The Lake Ndutu cranium and early Homo Sapiens in Africa
The partial cranium from Lake Ndutu, near Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, has generally been viewed as Homo erectus , although points of similarity to H. sapiens have also been recognized. Bones of the vault are in fact quite thick, and the cranium is small. Length and breadth dimensions are comparable to those of earlier H. erectus from Koobi Fora and Ileret, and the Ndutu individual is more similar in size to O.H. 12 than to O.H. 9. Unfortu…
Problems in the Study of Later Pleistocene Man in Africa1
The Upper and post-Pleistocene prehistory of man in Africa is highly complex, and a number of problems remain unsolved. The meaning of the Omo finds in relation to other late Middle or early Upper Pleistocene assemblages from southern Africa is uncertain, as is the significance of later fossil human remains which have been termed "Boskopoid." The origin of the African Negro is another question, difficult to answer on the basis of evidence at hand…
Additional human fossils from Klasies River Mouth, South Africa
Homo Erectus and Later Middle Pleistocene Humans
Infrastructures are material forms that allow for the possibility of exchange over space. They are the physical networks through which goods, ideas, waste, power, people, and finance are trafficked. In this article I trace the range of anthropological ...Read More
Middle Pleistocene hominids from Olduvai Gorge, Northern Tanzania
Cranial, dental, and mandibular remains of eight Olduvai hominids are described in detail. Four individuals were recovered in situ in Beds II to IV, while three more are most probably derived from Bed IV, the Masek Beds and the Lower Ndutu Beds. One specimen is of uncertain provenance. Deposits from which the fossils were collected range from late Lower Pleistocene to Middle Pleistocene in age. Of particular interest are three fragmentary lower j…
New human teeth from Middle Stone Age deposits at Klasies River, South Africa
A Fragmentary Cranium and Dated Later Stone Age Assemblage from Lukenya Hill, Kenya
Skull 5 from Dmanisi
Human foot bones from Klasies River main site, South Africa
Species recognition and homo erectus
Iron age skulls from Southern Africa re‐assessed by multiple discriminant analysis
Multiple discriminant analysis of Bushman, Hottentot and Bantu Negro skulls allows construction of a multidimensional space or statistical framework within which various problematical Iron Age skeletal remains from southern Africa can then be located, and the question of their affinities with the extant groups examined. Comparison of subfossil crania from Zambia, Rhodesia, Botswana and South Africa with the modern population samples in a 27‐varia…
Cranial remains of Homo erectus from Beds II and IV, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Cranial remains of hominids 9 and 12 from Olduvai Gorge are described in detail. O.H. 9 consists of a heavily built braincase, partly damaged and lacking the face, while O.H. 12 is less complete. The Bed II specimen is about 1.2 million years in age and shows anatomical similarities to the cranium designated ER‐3733 from Koobi Fora, east of Lake Turkana. Together these African fossils provide valuable information about Homo erectus in the later L…
On the computation of Mahalanobis' generalized distance (D 2 )
It is suggested that, while use of many statistical techniques is facilitated by electronic aids, a computer is not always a necessity. A simple guide to the calculation of Mahalanobis' D 2 statistic, intended for those with limited mathematical background and no access to computing equipment, is presented in hopes that such a procedure will permit application of this statistic, by anthropologists, with a minimum of effort
New studies of post‐Pleistocene human skeletal remains from the Rift Valley, Kenya
Prehistoric human crania from Bromhead's Site, Willey's Kopje, Makalia Burial Site, Nakuru, and other localities in the Eastern Rift Valley of Kenya are reassessed using measurements and a multivariate statistical approach. Materials available for comparison include series of Bushman and Hottentot crania, South and East African Negroes, and Egyptians. Up to 34 cranial measurements taken on these series are utilized to construct three multiple dis…
On the computation of Mahalanobis' generalized distance (D 2 )
It is suggested that, while use of many statistical techniques is facilitated by electronic aids, a computer is not always a necessity. A simple guide to the calculation of Mahalanobis' D 2 statistic, intended for those with limited mathematical background and no access to computing equipment, is presented in hopes that such a procedure will permit application of this statistic, by anthropologists, with a minimum of effort
Bushman, Hottentot and South African Negro crania studied by distance and discrimination
Anthropometric, serological and previous skeletal studies bearing on the question of Bushman‐Hottentot similarities and the relationships of these populations to South African Negroes are summarized briefly. Measurements of well documented crania representative of these three groups are then examined using the multivariate statistical techniques of generalized distance and discriminant function analysis, and the following points emerge: The Bushm…
Iron age skulls from Southern Africa re‐assessed by multiple discriminant analysis
Multiple discriminant analysis of Bushman, Hottentot and Bantu Negro skulls allows construction of a multidimensional space or statistical framework within which various problematical Iron Age skeletal remains from southern Africa can then be located, and the question of their affinities with the extant groups examined. Comparison of subfossil crania from Zambia, Rhodesia, Botswana and South Africa with the modern population samples in a 27‐varia…
Discriminant Function Sexing of Bushman and South African Negro Crania
A Fragmentary Cranium and Dated Later Stone Age Assemblage from Lukenya Hill, Kenya
New studies of post‐Pleistocene human skeletal remains from the Rift Valley, Kenya
Prehistoric human crania from Bromhead's Site, Willey's Kopje, Makalia Burial Site, Nakuru, and other localities in the Eastern Rift Valley of Kenya are reassessed using measurements and a multivariate statistical approach. Materials available for comparison include series of Bushman and Hottentot crania, South and East African Negroes, and Egyptians. Up to 34 cranial measurements taken on these series are utilized to construct three multiple dis…
Problems in the Study of Later Pleistocene Man in Africa1
The Upper and post-Pleistocene prehistory of man in Africa is highly complex, and a number of problems remain unsolved. The meaning of the Omo finds in relation to other late Middle or early Upper Pleistocene assemblages from southern Africa is uncertain, as is the significance of later fossil human remains which have been termed "Boskopoid." The origin of the African Negro is another question, difficult to answer on the basis of evidence at hand…
Two Burials from Phalaborwa and the Association of Race and Culture in the Iron Age of Southern Africa
G. P. Rightmire, N. J. van der Merwe, Two Burials from Phalaborwa and the Association of Race and Culture in the Iron Age of Southern Africa, The South African Archaeological Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 123/124 (Dec., 1976), pp. 147-152
Multidimensional scaling and the analysis of human biological diversity in Subsaharan Africa
Much information concerning intergroup variation in Subsaharan Africa has been collected by Hiernaux, who has calculated measures of biological distance (Δg) between pairs of 101 African human populations. The resulting very large matrix of distances is not easily interpreted through simple inspection. Therefore non‐metric multidimensional scaling is here applied in order to produce a configuration of 60 selected groups in a space of reduced dime…
Archaeology
Further Remarks on Later Pleistocene Man in Africa
Human Skeletal Remains from the Southern Cape Province and Their Bearing on the Stone Age Prehistory of South Africa
Substantial numbers of human skeletons have been recovered from caves and shelters of the southern Cape Province, South Africa, and these constitute a valuable source of information about evolutionary change and population movement during Upper Pleistocene and Holocene times. A few fragments from Klasies River Mouth and Die Kelders are firmly associated with Middle Stone Age cultural assemblages, but most of the material is probably linked with t…
Florisbad and human population succession in Southern Africa
The human cranium recovered at Florisbad in 1932 is compared with other Sub‐Saharan African hominid remains from Broken Hill, the Omo and Klasies River Mouth. The Florisbad frontal is very broad, but despite this breadth and differences in zygomatic form, there is a definite resemblance to archaic Homo sapiens from Broken Hill. There is also some similarity to both Omo I and Omo II, while fragmentary remains from Klasies River are more lightly bu…
Cranial remains of Homo erectus from Beds II and IV, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Cranial remains of hominids 9 and 12 from Olduvai Gorge are described in detail. O.H. 9 consists of a heavily built braincase, partly damaged and lacking the face, while O.H. 12 is less complete. The Bed II specimen is about 1.2 million years in age and shows anatomical similarities to the cranium designated ER‐3733 from Koobi Fora, east of Lake Turkana. Together these African fossils provide valuable information about Homo erectus in the later L…
Physical Anthropology
Implications of Border Cave Skeletal Remains for Later Pleistocene Human Evolution [and Comments and Reply]
Recent excavations have helped to clarify the cultural and stratigraphic sequences at Border Cave, and human skeletal remains recovered at this South African site may well be associated with a Middle Stone Age industry. A partial adult cranium is of particular interest, and this was originally described as quite different both from African Negro and from Bushman individuals. Eleven measurements were taken on the fossil, and these provide a basis …
On the Border Cave Skeletal Remains and Human Evolution
Middle Pleistocene hominids from Olduvai Gorge, Northern Tanzania
Cranial, dental, and mandibular remains of eight Olduvai hominids are described in detail. Four individuals were recovered in situ in Beds II to IV, while three more are most probably derived from Bed IV, the Masek Beds and the Lower Ndutu Beds. One specimen is of uncertain provenance. Deposits from which the fossils were collected range from late Lower Pleistocene to Middle Pleistocene in age. Of particular interest are three fragmentary lower j…
Sapienization and Speech [and Comments and Reply]
Middle Pleistocene erectus skulls differ from ours in fifteen discrete traits, primary among which are their smaller cranial capacities, flatter and more strongly constructed braincases, larger and more anteriorly projecting faces, and inflected mastoid processes. Back to 40,000 years ago all fossil hominids are of the sapiens desing, while all those clearly older show the erectus pattern. Except for their large brains, Neandertals are of the ere…
Homo erectus at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Physical Anthropology
Ramapithecus and Hominid Origins [and Comments and Reply]
The importance of Ramapithecus has traditionally been in the claim that it represents the earliest hominid. It is argued here that the development of Ramapithecus interpretations has been dependent upon the currently accepted theory of hominid origins. In turn, theories of hominid origins have been influenced by the emerging understanding of the ramapithecine adaptive radiation. Recent evidence strongly suggests an ancestry for Pongo among the ra…
The Lake Ndutu cranium and early Homo Sapiens in Africa
The partial cranium from Lake Ndutu, near Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, has generally been viewed as Homo erectus , although points of similarity to H. sapiens have also been recognized. Bones of the vault are in fact quite thick, and the cranium is small. Length and breadth dimensions are comparable to those of earlier H. erectus from Koobi Fora and Ileret, and the Ndutu individual is more similar in size to O.H. 12 than to O.H. 9. Unfortu…
Physical
The Supraorbital Torus
The supraorbital torus is found only in some genera of the primate order. Because no muscles of consequence attach directly to it, it has been considered nonfunctional. However, invitro strain-gauge experiments demonstrate that when the anterior teeth are loaded, the supraorbital region acts as a bent beam, pulled downward on each end by masticatory muscle forces and pushed upward centrally by bite force. Clinical and experimental data indicate t…
Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (50 works) · Geography (43 works) · Archaeology (42 works) · Biology (39 works) · Pleistocene (37 works) · Paleontology (36 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (34 works) · Homo erectus (32 works) · Paleontology (31 works) · Evolutionary biology (27 works)