Hofmeyr A Late Pleistocene Human Skull from South Africa

About this book

This edited volume provides the historical and geological background, as well as the details pertaining to the morphology and morphometric assessments, of a singular human cranial specimen from the Late Pleistocene discovered in Hofmeyr, South Africa. The chapters are divided into 4 main sections. Section 1 discusses the discovery and historical context of the skull, while section 2 addresses its geological and geochronological contexts through dating and stable isotope analyses. Section 3 details the general morphological and morphometric analyses (description, 3-D reconstruction, morphological comparisons), and section 4 details the specific morphological analyses performed (inner ear, dentition, endocranial morphology and size). The volume will be of interest to professional and student paleoanthropologists interested in the later phases of human evolution.

Contents

1. Discovery and history of the skull
2. Geological background setting of the site
3. Dating the skull
4. Stable isotope analysis- Sr, N and C
5. Description of the skull
6. New three- dimensional reconstruction of the cranium
7. 3-D geometric morphometric study of the cranium
8. Linear morphometric study of the cranium
9. Morphological comparisons of the cranium
10. The inner ear
11. The dentition
12. Endocranial morphology and size
13. Ancient DNA analysis
14. Summary and conclusions

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Biography

Dr Frederick Grine’s research focuses on the fossil record for human evolution, with particular emphasis on the African evidence. He is particularly interested in the reconstruction of past diets and behaviours and in the evolutionary (phylogenetic) relationships among the different hominid species. He conducted archaeological excavations at the Middle Stone Age site of Die Kelders, South Africa, and has expertise with the Late Pleistocene record for the emergence of modern humans.