Evolutionary Trends in the Temporal Bone in the Neandertal Lineage: A Comparative Study Between the Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca) and Krapina Samples

A comparative study of the temporal bone in the fossil human collections from the Middle and Upper Pleistocene sites of the Sima de los Huesos (Spain) and Krapma (Croatia), respectively, has revealed a pattern to the emergence of several Neandertal features in the glenoid fossa and mastoid process....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez Mendizábal, Ignacio, Quam, Rolf, Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2006
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/110277
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110277
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:569.89
Krapina
Atapuerca
Sima de los Huesos
temporal bone
Neandertal
Paleontología
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
Descripción
Sumario:A comparative study of the temporal bone in the fossil human collections from the Middle and Upper Pleistocene sites of the Sima de los Huesos (Spain) and Krapma (Croatia), respectively, has revealed a pattern to the emergence of several Neandertal features in the glenoid fossa and mastoid process. The results demonstrate that a flattened articular eminence characterizes the Neandertal evolutionary lineage, and this apparently derived feature is present at least since the time of the Atapuerca (SH) hominids. In contrast, both the size of the postglenoid process and the projection of the mastoid process have clearly undergone a reduction in the Neandertals, including the Krapina sample, from their Middle Pleistocene precursors. The anterior mastoid tubercle is absent in both the Atapuerca (SH) sample and the Krapina hominids, but is ubiquitous in Upper Pleistocene Western European Neandertals, suggesting a later appearance of this feature. Finally, the narrow width of the mastoid process in the Krapina sample appears to be a feature which is particular to this sample.