Crown outline analysis of the hominin upper third molar from the Megalopolis Basin, Peloponnese, Greece

The left upper third molar from the Megalopolis Basin is enigmatic due to its problematic preservation and context. The Megalopolis molar is the only possible human fossil known to date from the Megalopolis Basin. It was found on the surface during geological surveys in 1962-63. Based on the faunal assemblage collected during the same survey, it was proposed to be of Middle Pleistocene age and possibly one of the oldest human fossils in Europe. However, its actual geological age is unknown. In the past, dental crown outline analysis has been successfully used to differentiate between hominin species and populations. We applied the method to upper third molars, attempting to shed light on the affinities of the Megalopolis specimen. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the crown outline shape grouped the Megalopolis molar with our Homo sapiens sample; however, the PCA in form space, including shape plus size, as well as Procrustes distances based on overall shape, grouped it with our Neanderthal comparative sample. We conclude that its most likely identification is as a member of the Neanderthal lineage. However, we urge further analyses with an increased fossil comparative sample to include representatives of Homo heidelbergensis, which is underrepresented in our study. The Megalopolis molar contributes to the scarce Pleistocene human fossil record of Greece and highlights the potential of the Megalopolis Basin for yielding further paleoanthropological finds.

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Stratigraphy, sedimentology, and archaeology of Middle Pleistocene localities near Ceprano, Campogrande area, Italy

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1017/qua.2019.52 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 93 ◽

pp. 155-171

Author(s):

Italo Biddittu ◽

Marie-Hélène Moncel ◽

Salvatore Milli ◽

Luca Bellucci ◽

Massimo Ruffo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Italy ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Homo Heidelbergensis ◽

Oxygen Isotope Stage ◽

Meandering Channel ◽

Human Fossil ◽

Fossil Specimen ◽

Lithic Assemblages ◽

Archaeological Materials ◽

Late Middle Pleistocene

AbstractThe Ceprano human calvarium, dated around 400,000 yr, is a well-known fossil specimen. It represents significant evidence of hominin presence in the Italian peninsula during the Middle Pleistocene and may be considered representative of an archaic variant of the widespread and polymorphic species Homo heidelbergensis. Since its discovery (March 1994), systematic surveys in the Campogrande area near Ceprano, central Italy, identified 12 localities (CG1-12) with archaeological and/or paleontological assemblages. On this basis, fieldwork was carried out at Campogrande between 2001 and 2006, including drilled cores and excavations, allowing a detailed description of the stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental context associated with the human fossil specimen and the archaeological materials. In the present paper we focus on the stratigraphy and sedimentological features of the uppermost deposits, coupled with a detailed appraisal of the available lithic assemblages that mostly belongs to overlying sediments (CG9 and CG10 localities). We conclude that the Ceprano hominin died in a floodplain environment with a low topographic gradient, where a fluvial meandering channel occurred. The archaeological materials describe a network of sites that document common behavioural features of human groups of the mid-to-late Middle Pleistocene, representing evidence of the regionalization observed across Europe after Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 12.

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The late Middle Pleistocene upper third molar from Florisbad: metrics and morphology

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa ◽

10.1080/0035919x.2015.1065930 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 70 (3) ◽

pp. 233-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

P. Smith ◽

J. S. Brink ◽

J. W. Hoffman ◽

L.C. Bam ◽

R. Nshimirimana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Third Molar ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Upper Third ◽

Late Middle Pleistocene

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Revisiting the age of the Florisbad hominin material

10.31730/osf.io/eqs7d ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lee R. Berger ◽

John Hawks

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Southern Africa ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Age Determination ◽

Current Data ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Early Homo ◽

Geological Age ◽

Evolutionary Context ◽

Critical Investigation

In 1996, Grün and coworkers provided an ESR age determination for a hominin molar from Florisbad, South Africa, at 259 ± 35 ka. The most anatomically informative hominin specimen from Florisbad is a fragmentary craniofacial specimen, attributed by many to early Homo sapiens, which has been assumed to derive from the same individual as this tooth. Since 1996, evidence about the evolutionary context for the later Middle Pleistocene and its associated hominins in Africa had markedly changed. If the Florisbad date is accurate and if the molar is associated with the craniofacial specimen, this evidence may suggest that Homo naledi coexisted in time and geography with H. sapiens in southern Africa. Thus, the accuracy for all dates needs critical investigation. This study examines the published record of excavation and subsequent analyses for the Florisbad material. We find that the contemporary records raise doubt about the contemporaneity of the tooth and calvaria. The site’s complex stratigraphy and the details about the tooth’s discovery also pose challenges for the previous ESR age estimate. Because the fragmentary cranial specimen has value for morphological comparisons, developing additional means of understanding its geological age is necessary. The current data do not demonstrate the presence of H. sapiens in southern Africa at ~260 ka.

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Before the Emergence of Homo sapiens: Overview on the Early-to-Middle Pleistocene Fossil Record (with a Proposal about Homo heidelbergensis at the subspecific level)

International Journal of Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.4061/2011/582678 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Giorgio Manzi

Keyword(s):

Homo Sapiens ◽

Early Pleistocene ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Last Common Ancestor ◽

Homo Heidelbergensis ◽

Deep Roots ◽

Incipient Species ◽

And Diffusion ◽

Special Case ◽

Subspecific Level

The origin of H. sapiens has deep roots, which include two crucial nodes: (1) the emergence and diffusion of the last common ancestor of later Homo (in the Early Pleistocene) and (2) the tempo and mode of the appearance of distinct evolutionary lineages (in the Middle Pleistocene). The window between 1,000 and 500 thousand years before present appears of crucial importance, including the generation of a new and more encephalised kind of humanity, referred to by many authors as H. heidelbergensis. This species greatly diversified during the Middle Pleistocene up to the formation of new variants (i.e., incipient species) that, eventually, led to the allopatric speciation of H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. The special case furnished by the calvarium found near Ceprano (Italy), dated to 430–385 ka, offers the opportunity to investigate this matter from an original perspective. It is proposed to separate the hypodigm of a single, widespread, and polymorphic human taxon of the Middle Pleistocene into distinct subspecies (i.e., incipient species). The ancestral one should be H. heidelbergensis, including specimens such as Ceprano and the mandible from Mauer.

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Hominin transition to Upper Pliocene

10.1093/oso/9780198739906.003.0009 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Francisco J. Ayala ◽

Camilo J. Cela-Conde

Keyword(s):

Brain Development ◽

Late Pleistocene ◽

Technological Progress ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Evolutionary Significance ◽

Australopithecus Afarensis ◽

Phylogenetic Significance ◽

Homo Neanderthalensis ◽

Surprising Discovery

This chapter analyzes the transition of the hominins from the Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene. Two alternative models are explored, the “Multiregional Hypothesis” (MH) and the “Replacement Hypothesis,” and how each model evaluates the existing relationships between the taxa Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Next is the investigation of the transitional (or “archaic,” if this grade is taken into account) exemplars found in Europe, Africa, and Asia and their evolutionary significance. In particular, the comparison between H. erectus and H. sapiens in China and Java is investigated, as the main foundation of the MH. The chapter ends with the surprising discovery of Homo floresiensis and its description and interpretations concerning its taxonomic and phylogenetic significance. The correlation between brain development and technological progress is at odds with the attribution of perforators, microblades, and fishing hooks to a hominin with a small cranial volume, similar to that of Australopithecus afarensis.

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Directional changes in Levallois core technologies between Eastern Africa, Arabia, and the Levant during MIS 5

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-90744-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

James Blinkhorn ◽

Huw S. Groucutt ◽

Eleanor M. L. Scerri ◽

Michael D. Petraglia ◽

Simon Blockley

Keyword(s):

Homo Sapiens ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Detailed Comparison ◽

Eastern Africa ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Reduction Activity ◽

Core Technology ◽

Geographic Expansion ◽

First Time ◽

Mis 5

AbstractMarine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, ~ 130 to 71 thousand years ago, was a key period for the geographic expansion of Homo sapiens, including engagement with new landscapes within Africa and dispersal into Asia. Occupation of the Levant by Homo sapiens in MIS 5 is well established, while recent research has documented complementary evidence in Arabia. Here, we undertake the first detailed comparison of Levallois core technology from eastern Africa, Arabia, and the Levant during MIS 5, including multiple sites associated with Homo sapiens fossils. We employ quantitative comparisons of individual artefacts that provides a detailed appraisal of Levallois reduction activity in MIS 5, thereby enabling assessment of intra- and inter-assemblage variability for the first time. Our results demonstrate a pattern of geographically structured variability embedded within a shared focus on centripetal Levallois reduction schemes and overlapping core morphologies. We reveal directional changes in core shaping and flake production from eastern Africa to Arabia and the Levant that are independent of differences in geographic or environmental parameters. These results are consistent with a common cultural inheritance between these regions, potentially stemming from a shared late Middle Pleistocene source in eastern Africa.

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Remoção de Terceiro Molar Superior Localizado no Interior do Seio Maxilar: Relato de Caso/ Removal of an Upper Third Molar Located inside the Maxillary Sinus: Case Report

Brazilian Journal of Health Review ◽

10.34119/bjhrv4n3-122 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 11172-11184

Author(s):

José Valdir Pessoa Neto ◽

Lucas Alexandre Maia ◽

Paulo Henrique de Brito ◽

Marília de Lima Saraiva Maia ◽

Moisés João Bortoluzzi Júnior ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Maxillary Sinus ◽

Third Molar ◽

Upper Third

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A Supernumerary Tooth in the Lower Molar Region: A Case Report

Journal of The Royal Naval Medical Service ◽

10.1136/jrnms-61-88 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 88-88

Author(s):

L. C. Langan

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Third Molar ◽

Supernumerary Teeth ◽

Supernumerary Tooth ◽

Lower Jaw ◽

Upper Third ◽

Lower Molar ◽

Molar Region

AbstractSupernumerary teeth in the upper third molar region are relatively common but cases in the lower jaw are rare. In his survey of supernumerary teeth Stafne (1932) saw 131 upper but only 10 lower fourth molars. The following is a report of a single supernumerary tooth in the lower third molar region.

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