Name: ________________ Anthropology 2502, Spring 2023
How will I know a Neanderthal when I see one?
Overarching goals:
To identify cranial traits that distinguish Homo sapiens
from other species attributed to Homo
, and to become familiar with well-known fossil specimens.
Instructions:
●
Work through Station I or II and complete station III. When you are finished you can check out the lithics at the front of the room
●
Station I: observe how traits change over time along Homo sapiens
lineage
●
Station II: compare Neanderthals and Homo sapiens
●
Station III: observe traits and infer species of unknown/controversial specimens
●
Upload your lab to HuskyCT by 11:59pm Friday night
Cranial landmarks
To collect metric data, you first need to recognize a number of cranial landmarks (see Figure 1)
, positions on the skull shared by all individuals. ●
Basion (ba) – point where the anterior margin of the foramen magnum is intersected by the mid-sagittal plane
●
Bregma
(b)
– point where the sagittal and coronal suture meet
●
Glabella (g)
– most forwardly projecting point in the mid-sagittal plane at the lower margin of the frontal bone, which lies above the nasal root and between the
superciliary arches
●
Opisthocranion (op)
– most posteriorly protruding point on the back of the braincase, located in the mid-sagittal plane
Cranial metric data
Using either spreading or plastic calipers, you will collect the following measurements:
●
Skull length
– distance between glabella and opisthocranion; measure with spreading calipers
●
Skull breadth – widest part of skull; view from behind and measure with spreading calipers
●
Skull height – distance from basion to bregma
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Thickness of browridges – at thickest point; measure with plastic calipers
Cranial non-metric traits to observe (where present):
●
Skull shape
– calculated from measurements: (skull breadth/length)x100
●
<74.9 = narrow or long headed
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75.0 – 79.9 = average/medium headed
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80.0 – 84.9 = broad/round headed
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>85.0 = very round headed
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Occipital bun – (Y/N) presence or absence ●
Chin – (Y/N) presence of distinct point chin vs. receding jaw with no chin ●
Retromolar space
(Y/N) presence or absence
