The endocast of the one‐million‐year‐old human cranium from Buia (UA 31), Danakil Eritrea
Dados Bibliográficos
| AUTOR(ES) | |
|---|---|
| AFILIAÇÃO(ÕES) | Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana Burgos 09002 Spain, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze 50121 Italy, Columbia University, Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma “La Sapienza” 00185 Rome, Italy, Sezione di Bioarcheologia, Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico “Luigi Pigorini” 00144 Rome Italy, UMR 7194 CNRS‐Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 75000 Paris France, Department of Anthropology University of Kansas KS 66045‐2110 Lawrence USA, National Museum of Eritrea 5284 Asmara Eritrea |
| ANO | 2016 |
| TIPO | Artigo |
| PERIÓDICO | American Journal of Physical Anthropology |
| ISSN | 0002-9483 |
| E-ISSN | 1096-8644 |
| EDITORA | Berghahn Journals (United Kingdom) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajpa.22983 |
| CITAÇÕES | 3 |
| ADICIONADO EM | Não informado |
Resumo
ObjectivesThe Homo erectus‐like cranium from Buia (UA 31) was found in the Eritrean Danakil depression and dated to 1 million years. Its outer morphology displays archaic traits, as well as distinctive and derived characters. The present study provides the description and metric comparison of its endocranial anatomy.Materials and MethodsUA 31 was originally filled by a diffuse concretion. Following its removal and cleaning, the endocast (995 cc) was reconstructed after physical molding and digital scan. Its morphology is here compared with specimens belonging to different human taxa, taking into account endocranial metrics, cortical traits, and craniovascular features.ResultsThe endocast is long and narrow when compared to the H. erectus/ergaster hypodigm, although its proportions are compatible with the morphology displayed by all archaic and medium‐brained human species. The occipital areas display a pronounced bulging, the cerebellum is located in a posterior position, and the middle meningeal vessels are more developed in the posterior regions. These features are common among specimens attributed to H. erectus s.l., particularly the Middle Pleistocene endocasts from Zhoukoudian. The parietal lobes are markedly bossed. This lateral bulging is associated with the lower parietal circumvolutions, as in other archaic specimens. This pronounced parietal curvature is apparently due to a narrow cranial base, more than to wider parietal areas.ConclusionsThe endocast of UA 31 shows a general plesiomorphic phenotype, with some individual features (e.g., dolichocephaly and rounded lower parietal areas) which confirm a remarkable degree of morphological variability within the H. erectus/ergaster hypodigm. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:458–468, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.