Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mandible and Taxonomy of the Earliest European Homo

  • Published:
Human Evolution

Abstract

Although variability of the mandible makes it problematic for taxonomy, the holotypes of three of the oldest European species, Home georgicus, H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis, are mandibles. Moreover, the distinctive validity of these three species cannot be established from these particular mandibles. The holotype of H. georgicus is pathological and similar to H. erectus in some important features, while others features are so widely spread that they are of little taxonomic value. H. antecessor shows juvenile mandibular features which are chronologically and geographically widespread, and similarities with H. pekinensis do not appear significant. The mandible from Mauer, H. heidelbergensis, is generally plesiomorphic, but similar to Neanderthals in a few important features. Neanderthals are a highly peculiar human group from the anatomical, geographical and chronological points of view. They are genetically different from H. sapiens and they seem to emerge in Europe during Middle Pleistocene. Mauer could be one of their earliest representatives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aguirre E, de Lumley M-A (1977) Fossil man from Atapuerca, Spain: their bearing on human evolution in the Middle Pleistocene. J Hum Evol 6:681–688

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bermúdez de Castro JM, Arsuaga JL, Carbonell E, Rosas A, Martinez I, Mosquera M (1997) A hominid from the Lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: possible ancestor to Neanderthals and modern humans. Science 276:1392–1395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bischoff J, Shamp DD, Aramburu A, Arsuaga JL, Carbonell E, Bermúdez de Castro JM (2003) The Sima de los Huesos hominids date to beyond U/Th equilibrium (>350 kyr) and perhaps to 400–500 kyr: new radiometric dates. J Archaeol Sci 30:275–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bräuer G, Schultz M (1996) The morphological affinities of the Plio–Pleistocene mandible from Dmanisi, Georgia. J Hum Evol 30:455–481

    Google Scholar 

  5. Carbonell E, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Arsuaga JL, Allue E, Bastir M, Benito A, Cáceres I, Canals T, Díez JC, van der Made J, Mosquera M, Ollé A, Pérez-González A, Rodríguez J, Rodríguez XP, Rosas A, Rosell J, Sala R, VallverdÚ J, Vergés JM (2005) An Early Pleistocene hominin mandible from Atapuerca-TD6, Spain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:5674–5678

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Creed-Miles M, Rosas A, Kruszynski R (1996) Issues in the identification of Neanderthal derivative traits at early post-natal stages. J Hum Evol 30:147–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Czarnetzki A, Jakob T, Pusch CM (2003) Palaeopathological and variant conditions of the Homo heidelbergensis type specimen (Mauer, Germany). J Hum Evol 44:479–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Dean D, Delson E (1995) Homo at the gates of Europe. Nature 373:472–473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dean D, Hublin JJ, Holloway R, Ziegler R (1998) On the phylogenetic position of the pre-Neanderthal specimen from Reilingen, Germany. J Hum Evol 34:485–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Eggen S (1992) Correlated characteristics of the jaws: association between torus mandibularis and marginal alveolar bone height. Acta Odontol Scand 50:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Eggen S, Natvig B (1986) Relationship between torus mandibularis and number of present teeth. Scand J Dent Res 94(3):233–240

    Google Scholar 

  12. Falgueres C, Bahain J-J, Yokoyama Y, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Carbonell E, Bischoff JL, Dolo J-M (1999) Earliest humans in Europe: the age of TD6 Gran Dolina, Atapuerca, Spain. J Hum Evol 37:343–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Franciscus RG, Trinkaus E (1995) Determinants of retromolar space presence in Pleistocene Homo mandibles. J Hum Evol 28:577–595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gabunia L, de Lumley M-A, Vekua A, Lordkipanidze D, de Lumley H (2002) Découverte d’un nouvel hominidé à Dmanissi (Transcaucasie, Géorgie). C R Palevol 1:243–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Gabunia L, Vekua A (1995) A Plio–Pleistocene hominid from Dmanisi, East Georgia, Caucasus. Nature 373:509–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gabunia L, Vekua A, Lordkipanidze D, Swisher III CC, Ferring R, Justus A, Nioradze M, Tvalchrelidze M, Anton SC, Bosinski G, Joris O, de Lumley M-A, Majsuradze G, Mouskhelishvili A (2000) Earliest Pleistocene hominid cranial remains from Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia: taxonomy, geological setting, and age. Science 288:1019–1025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Haugen LK (1992) Palatine and mandibular tori. A morphologic study in the current Norwegian population. Acta Odontol Scand 50:65–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Hublin JJ (1998) Climatic changes, paleogeography, and the evolution of the Neanderthals. In: Akazawa T Aoki K, Bar-Yosef O (eds) Neanderthals and Modern Humans in Western Asia. Plenum Press, New York pp 295–322

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kaifu Y, Aziz F, Baba H (2005) Hominid mandibular remains from Sangiran: 1952–1986 Collection. Am J Phys Anthropol 128:497–519

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kaifu Y, Baba H, Aziz F, Indriati E, Schrenk F, Jacob T (2005) Taxonomic affinities and evolutionary history of the early Pleistocene hominids of Java: dentognathic evidence. Am J Phys Anthropol, Published On-line: 10 Mar 2005

  21. King W (1864) The reputed fossil man of the Neanderthal. Q J Sci 1:88–97

    Google Scholar 

  22. Krings M, Stone A, Schmitz RW, Krainitzki H, Stoneking M, Pääbo S (1997) Neanderthal DNA sequences and the origin of modern humans. Cell 90:19–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Krings M, Geisert H, Schmitz RW, Krainitzki H, Pääbo S (1999) DNA sequence of the mitochondrial hypervariable region II from the Neanderthal type specimen. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:5581–5585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Lee S-H (2005) Brief communication: is variation in the cranial capacity of the Dmanisi sample too high to be from a single species? Am J Phys Anthropol 127:263–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Lordkipanidze D, Vekua A, Ferring R, Rightmire GP, Agusti J, Kiladze G, Mouskhelishvili A, Nioradze M, Ponce de Leon MS, Tappen M, Zollikofer CPE (2005) Anthropology: the earliest toothless hominin skull. Nature 434:717–718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Mallegni F, Carnieri E, Bisconti M, Tartarelli G, Ricci S, Segre A (2003) Homo cepranensis sp. nova and the evolution of African–European Middle Pleistocene hominids. C R Palevol 2:153–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Ovchinnikov IV, Gotherstrom A, Romanova GP, Kharitonov VM, Liden K, Goodwin W (2000) Molecular analysis of Neanderthal DNA from the northern Caucasus. Nature 404:490–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Parés JM, Pérez-Gonzàlez A (1995) Paleomagnetic age for hominid fossils at Atapuerca archaeological site, Spain. Science 269:830–832

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Quam RM, Arsuaga J-L, Bermúdez de Castro J-M, Diez JC, Lorenzo C, Carretero JM, Garcia N, Ortega AI (2001) Human remains from Valdegoba Cave (Huérmeces, Burgos, Spain). 41:385–435

  30. Rak Y, Kimbel WH, Hovers E (1994) A Neanderthal infant from Amud cave, Israel. J Hum Evol 26:313–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Rightmire GP (1985) The tempo of change in the evolution of mid-Pleistocene Homo. In: Delson E (ed.) Ancestors: The Hard Evidence. A.R. Liss, New York, pp 255–264

    Google Scholar 

  32. Rightmire GP (1990) The evolution of Homo erectus. Comparative Anatomical Studies of an Extinct Human Species. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  33. Rightmire GP (1998) Human evolution in the Middle Pleistocene: the role of Homo heidelbergensis. Evol Anthropol 6:218–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Rosas A (2001) Occurence of Neanderthal features in mandibles from the Atapuerca-SH site. Am J Phys Anthropol 114:74–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Rosas A (1995) Seventeen new mandibular specimens from the Atapuerca/Ibeas Middle Pleistocene hominids sample. J Hum Evol 28:533–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Rosas A, Bermúdez de Castro JM (1998a) On the taxonomic affinities of the Dmanisi mandible (Georgia). Am J Phys Anthropol 107:145–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Rosas A, Bermùdez de Castro JM (1998b) The Mauer mandible and the evolutionary significance of Homo heidelbergensis. Geobios 31:687–697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Rosas A, Bermúdez de Castro JM (1999) The ATD6-5 mandibular specimen from Gran Dolina (Atapuerca, Spain). Morphological study and phylogenetic implications. J Hum Evol 37:567–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Schoetensack O (1908) Der unterkiefer des Homo heidelbergensis aus den sanden von Mauer bei Heidelberg. Leipzig, W. Engelmann

    Google Scholar 

  40. Schwartz JH (2004) Anthropology. Getting to know Homo erectus. Science 305:53–54, Comment on: Science, 2004, Jul 2305(5680):75–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Schwartz JH, Tattersall I (2002) The Human Fossil Record, volume 2: Craniodental Morphology of Genus Homo (Africa and Asia). Wiley-Liss, New York

    Google Scholar 

  42. Seah YH (1995) Torus palatinus and torus mandibularis: a review of the literature. Aust Dent J 40(5):318–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Simpson GG (1961) Principles of Animal Taxonomy. Columbia University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  44. Skinner MM, Gordon AD, Collard NJ (2006) Mandibular size and shape variation in the hominins at Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia. J Hum Evol 51:36–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Stringer CB, Hublin J-J, Vandermeersch B (1984) Western Europe. In: Smith FH, Spencer F (eds), The Origins of Modern Humans. A World Survey of the Fossil Evidence. A.R. Liss, New York, pp 51–135

    Google Scholar 

  46. Tattersall I (1986) Species recognition in human paleontology. J Hum Evol 15:165–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Trinkaus E (1993) Variability in the position of the mandibular dental foramen and the identification of Neanderthal apomorphies. Riv Antropol 71:274–295.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Vekua A, Lordkipanidze D, Rightmire GP, Agusti J, Ferring R, Maisuradze G, Mouskhelishvili A, Nioradze M, Ponce de Leon M, Tappen M, Tvalchrelidze M, Zollikofer C (2002) A new skull of early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia. Science 297:85–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Weidenreich F (1936) The mandible of Sinanthropus pekinensis: a comparative study. Paleontol Sin New Ser D, 7(f4):1–162

    Google Scholar 

  50. Weidenreich F (1945) Giant early man from Java and south China. Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, New York

  51. Wiley EO (1978) The evolutionary species concept reconsidered. Syst Zool 27:17–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Wolpoff MH, Frayer DW (2005) Unique ramus anatomy for Neanderthals? Am J Phys Anthropol 128:245–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Wood BA (1991) Koobi Fora research project. Vol.4. Hominid cranial remains. Clarendon Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  54. Wood BA, Van Noten FL (1986) Preliminary observations on the BK 8518 mandible from Baringo, Kenya. Am J Phys Anthropol 69:117–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dip. Beni Culturali, Università degli Studi di Lecce, Via D. Birago 64, Lecce, 73100, Italy

    P. F. Fabbri

Authors
  1. P. F. Fabbri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. F. Fabbri.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fabbri, P.F. Mandible and Taxonomy of the Earliest European Homo . Human Evolution 21, 289–300 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11598-006-9028-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11598-006-9028-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation