Shape analysis of the mid-sagittal craniogram in some European middle and upper-Paleolithic adult and subadult crania |
| |
Authors: | Vacca Eligio Ciraci Rosalia Delfino Vittorio Pesce |
| |
Institution: | Department of Zoology, Anthropology Unit, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. e.vacca@biologia.uniba.it |
| |
Abstract: | In order to evaluate the lateral shape contour of the Neanderthal cranium, the mid-sagittal profiles (glabella-opisthocranion) in adult and subadult Neanderthal remains were examined and compared with those of other specimens of fossil Homo. Size normalized boundaries were digitally acquired as ordered series of coordinates; the series of the distances from the glabella opisthocranion axis, was decomposed in Fourier polynomials; the extracted amplitudes and phase angles were used as variables to carry out multivariate discriminant analysis (PCA). The first and the second components accounted for 70% of the total variance. Neanderthal and European Upper Paleolithic subadults differ from adults of their respective groups: the subadult Homo sapiens are more similar to the adult, as the element characterizing the group is constituted by a steep craniogram with a noticeable equilibrium between the anterior and posterior district. In Neanderthal subadults, the adult model seems partially delineated and the mature cranial architecture is reached trough a phase of local allometric differentiation. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|