Homo antecessor skull layers resemble modern humans and Neanderthals, fragments suggest
A new study provides quantitative data on cranial vault thickness in Homo antecessor, based on the analysis of three parietal fragments recovered from the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain.
A recent study, published in the Journal of Human Evolution, has analyzed three parietal fragments from Homo antecessor, discovered at the Gran Dolina site in Atapuerca, Spain. The research, conducted by Rafael Gallareto-Sande under the supervision of María Martinón-Torres, Emiliano Bruner, and Palmira Saladié, provides quantitative data on cranial vault thickness, comparing it with modern humans and Neanderthals.
The total cranial vault thickness of the examined adult Homo antecessor individuals falls within the range observed in modern humans and Neanderthals, but is lower than that found in Homo erectus and other early Pleistocene hominins. The analysis revealed that the diploë, or spongy tissue within the bone, comprised 41-50% of the total thickness, consistent with the pattern seen in Neanderthals and modern humans.
The outer and inner table proportions, however, differed from both groups. This study offers valuable insights into the evolutionary position of Homo antecessor, a species characterized by a mosaic anatomy of both ancestral and derived traits. Nonetheless, the limited sample size of Homo antecessor remains a constraint, and future excavations may provide new cranial remains to further refine these findings.
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