Functional reconstruction of the supralaryngeal vocal tract of fossil human

The purpose of the study was to reconstruct the supralaryngeal vocal tract of the archaic human from Petralona in Greece and to assess its vocal abilities. The reconstruction of the position of the hyoid bone of the Palaeolithic hominid from Petralona has been done by using the relation between the flexion of the basicranium and the inclination of the processus styloideus. The results indicate the lower position of the larynx in the fossil hominid. This conclusion was confirmed by an assessment of the position of the hyoid bones by extrapolating from a sample of 45 x-rays scans of recent adult human males.