theolduvaigorge:

Thickened cranial vault and parasagittal keeling: Correlated traits and autapomorphies of Homo erectus?

• by Antoine Balzeau

“Homo erectus sensu lato (s.l.) is a key species in the hominin fossil record for the study of human evolution, being one of the first species discovered and perhaps the most documented, but also because of its long temporal range and having dispersed out of Africa earlier than any other human species. Here I test two proposed autapomorphic traits of H. erectus, namely the increased thickness of the upper cranial vault and parasagittal keeling. The definition of these two anatomical features and their expression and variation among hominids are discussed. The results of this study indicate that the upper vault in Asian H. erectus is not absolutely thicker compared with fossil anatomically modern Homo sapiens, whereas Broken Hill and Petralona have values above the range of variation of H. erectus. Moreover, this anatomical region in Asian H. erectus is not significantly thicker compared with Pan paniscus. In addition, these results demonstrate that cranial vault thickness should not be used to make hypotheses regarding sexual attribution of fossil hominin specimens. I also show that the relation between relief on the external surface of the upper vault, parasagittal keeling and bregmatic eminence, and bone thickness is complex. In this context, the autapomorphic status of the two analysed traits inH. erectus may be rejected.

Nevertheless, different patterns in the distribution of bone thickness on the upper vault were identified. Some individual variations are visible, but specificities are observable in samples of different species. The pattern of bone thickness distribution observed in Asian H. erectus, P. paniscus, possibly australopiths, and early Homo or Homo ergaster/erectus appears to be shared by these different species and would be a plesiomorphic trait among hominids. In contrast, two apomorphic states for this feature were identified for Neandertals and H. sapiens”  (read more).

(Source: Journal of Human Evolution, in press 2013)

(via scientificillustration)

nationalpost:

Richard III mystery solved after 500 years? Bones uncovered at suspected burial site
Archaeologists searching for the grave of King Richard III said Wednesday that they have found bones which are consistent with the 15th century monarch’s physical abnormality and of a man who died in battle.

A team from the University of Leicester said Wednesday the bones were beneath the site of the Grey Friars church in Leicester, central England, where contemporary accounts say Richard was buried following his death in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Richard Buckley, co-director of the university’s Archaeological Services, said the bones are a “prime candidate” to be Richard’s. The remains are now being examined and the team hopes that DNA can be recovered to aid identification. (AP Photo/University of Leicester; Reuters)

sciencesoup:

Robot Archaeology

Deep within the Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo are four narrow shafts, discovered in 1872—the two shafts in the “King’s Chamber” extend to open air, but the two in the “Queen’s Chamber” disappear puzzlingly into the architecture. Academics have long debated their purpose , but because no human could access the narrow spaces, no one could confirm their theories—but now we can send robot explorers instead. In 2011, the University of Leeds designed and built a robot as part of the Djedi Project, specifically for scoping out virtually inaccessible archaeological sites. The robot is well-equipped with a coring drill, a miniature robot that can fit through 19 mm holes, and an ultrasonic device that can determine the thickness of walls. It also has a “micro snake” camera that can see around corners, and on a mission through the shafts into a tiny hidden chamber, the Djedi robot sent back images of 4,500 year old markings. Researchers pieced these images together to reveal hieroglyphs marked in red paint. Red-painted numbers and graffiti are quite common around Giza—they’re often marks from masons or work gangs, depicting numbers, dates and names. These particular markings have not been seen by human eyes for thousands of years, and archaeologists think they might help us understand the purpose of the mysterious shafts.

What’s the Biggest Archaeological Find in History?: 

Our choice for biggest archaeological find in history is not a stone, a scroll or a skeleton — it’s Pompeii, an ancient city located on the plain of Campania in southern Italy (find out how we chose Pompeii over all the other amazing places we could have chosen).

A little bit of context: Pompeii was founded in the 6th century B.C. and became incorporated into Rome by 80 B.C. As a Roman colony, the city bustled with life and activity, supporting somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 inhabitants. Then a series of man-made and natural disasters struck the city. First, in A.D. 59, a riot between the Pompeians and the Nucerians erupted in the amphitheater. Next came an earthquake, which destroyed much of the city in A.D. 62. Finally, on Aug. 24, A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii beneath nearly 9 feet (3 meters) of ash, pumice and other volcanic debris.

The city lay undiscovered — and almost perfectly preserved — for almost two millennia. Formal excavations began in 1748 and have continued to this day.

Don’t stop learning here. Read on to discover much MUCH more.