1998/05/01 by David Dean, Jean‐Jacques Hublin, Ralph Holloway +1 · 3 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Homo sapiens #Anatomy #Crania #Mastoid process #Hominidae #Paleontology #Geology #Neanderthal #Biology #Biological evolution #Archaeology #Geography
paper · doi:10.1006/jhev.1998.0214
openalex publication_date 1998/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
This paper describes the morphology and phylogenetic significance of a well-preserved fossil human cranium found near Reilingen, Germany in 1978. The specimen consists of two complete parietals, most of the right temporal, and 70% of the occipital. The specimen displays several features characteristic of early "archaic" Homo sapiens: maximum breadth at the supramastoid crests, roughly pentagonal occipital view, an angular torus, superoinferiorly elongate/ anteroposterior shortened squamous temporal, strong mastoid, and separation of the tympanic and mastoid temporal portions. Other features align the Reilingen cranium with the "classic" Neandertals: developed suprainiac fossa, bilaterally protuberant occipital torus, strong juxtamastoid eminence, a highly convex occipital plane, and lambdoid flattening. This morphology and our cephalometric analysis support the assignment of this specimen to a Stage 2 "pre-Neandertal" group (e.g., Steinheim, Swanscombe, and Atapuerca [SH site]). Following an "Accretion Model" of European hominid evolution, Stage 2 succeeds Stage 1 European "early-pre-Neandertals" (e.g., Mauer and Petralona), and precedes both the Saale-Eem Stage 3 "early Neandertals" (e.g., Biache 1), which present greater platycephaly, a reduced mastoid process, an enlarged juxtamastoid eminence, and true "en-bombe" (parieto-occipital form), and Weichsel Stage 4 "Neandertals" (sensu stricto, i.e., "classic" Neandertals).