Comparative morphology and paleobiology of Middle Pleistocene human remains from the Bau de l'Aubesier, Vaucluse, France

Lebel, Serge; Trinkaus, Erik; Faure, Martine; Fernandez, Philippe; Guérin, Claude; Richter, Daniel; Mercier, Norbert; Valladas, Hélène; Wagner, Günther A.

doi:10.1073/pnas.181353998

Cited by 108 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This fits well into the picture that Neanderthals were capable of sustaining severely impaired individuals over extended periods of time (21), and that this behavioral competence was already present in the Middle Pleistocene (37). We must therefore conceive that Neanderthals, depending on the context, inflicted wounds to conspecifics and nursed the injured, using aggressive and integrative behavioral elements as tools in a network of social interactions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Evidence for interpersonal violence in the St. Césaire Neanderthal

Zollikofer

León

Vandermeersch

et al. 2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The St. Cé saire 1 Neanderthal skeleton of a young adult individual is unique in its association with Châ telperronian artifacts from a level dated to ca. 36,000 years ago. Computer-tomographic imaging and computer-assisted reconstruction of the skull revealed a healed fracture in the cranial vault. When paleopathological and forensic diagnostic standards are applied, the bony scar bears direct evidence for the impact of a sharp implement, which was presumably directed toward the individual during an act of interpersonal violence. These findings add to the evidence that Neanderthals used implements not only for hunting and food processing, but also in other behavioral contexts. It is hypothesized that the high intra-group damage potential inherent to weapons might have represented a major factor during the evolution of hominid social behavior.Châ telperronian ͉ paleopathology ͉ tool use ͉ trauma ͉ computer tomography T he St. Césaire 1 Neanderthal partial skeleton was discovered in 1979 at the site of La Roche à Pierrot (near the village of St. Césaire, Charente Maritime, France), a collapsed rock shelter comprising a sequence of Mousterian, Châtelperronian, and Aurignacian deposits (1). The skeleton was recovered from level E J0P (1), which contains a Châtelperronian assemblage thermoluminescence-dated to Ϸ36,000 years ago (2, 3). This ensemble represented the first direct evidence for the association of Neanderthals with Châtelperronian implements. Together with a similar association from the site of Arcy-sur-Cure (4), these finds spurred an intense and ongoing debate over the evolutionary, paleodemographic, and cultural relationships between local Neanderthal populations and the early modern human (EMH) newcomers during the early Upper Paleolithic in Europe.The St. Césaire 1 skeleton is fragmented and partially eroded, but the reconstructed craniomandibular and long bone diaphyseal morphology permitted significant inferences regarding the phyletic status and behavioral specializations of this individual. The craniomandibular morphology of the specimen largely corresponds to the ''classical'' Neanderthal type (5). Tooth microwear analysis suggests a meat-rich diet comparable to that of earlier Neanderthals and modern hunting societies (6). The morphology of the well-preserved right femoral shaft indicates Neanderthal-type hyperarctic body proportions, but crosssectional biomechanical analysis suggests locomotor patterns closer to those of EMH than of classic Neanderthals (7).Here we report on recently discovered paleopathological aspects of the morphology of the fossil. During computerassisted reconstruction of the skull, we detected a healed fracture in the cranial vault. When paleopathological diagnostic standards (8, 9) are applied, this bony scar bears direct evidence for the impact of a sharp implement, which may have been directed toward the individual during an act of interpersonal violence. We discuss the possible behavioral context of this evidence and its implications for hominid behavior during the ...

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Evidence for interpersonal violence in the St. Césaire Neanderthal

Zollikofer

León

Vandermeersch

et al. 2002

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…2), consistent with a chronic apical peridontitis associated with traumatic occlusion (27). This sort of lesion is common among Neandertal lineage populations (28).…”

Section: Paleobiological Aspects Of El Sidró N Human Remainsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Paleobiology and comparative morphology of a late Neandertal sample from El Sidrón, Asturias, Spain

Rosas

Martı́nez-Maza

Bastir

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

186

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fossil evidence from the Iberian Peninsula is essential for understanding Neandertal evolution and history. Since 2000, a new sample Ϸ43,000 years old has been systematically recovered at the El Sidró n cave site (Asturias, Spain). Human remains almost exclusively compose the bone assemblage. All of the skeletal parts are preserved, and there is a moderate occurrence of Middle Paleolithic stone tools. A minimum number of eight individuals are represented, and ancient mtDNA has been extracted from dental and osteological remains. Paleobiology of the El Sidró n archaic humans fits the pattern found in other Neandertal samples: a high incidence of dental hypoplasia and interproximal grooves, yet no traumatic lesions are present. Moreover, unambiguous evidence of human-induced modifications has been found on the human remains. Morphologically, the El Sidró n humans show a large number of Neandertal lineage-derived features even though certain traits place the sample at the limits of Neandertal variation. Integrating the El Sidró n human mandibles into the larger Neandertal sample reveals a north-south geographic patterning, with southern Neandertals showing broader faces with increased lower facial heights. The large El Sidró n sample therefore augments the European evolutionary lineage fossil record and supports ecogeographical variability across Neandertal populations. dental hypoplasia ͉ geographic patterning ͉ geometric morphometrics ͉ mandible ͉ Neandertal diversity

show abstract

“…The relationship between the mandibular condyle and the crest of the incisura semilunaris (crest of the mandibular notch, CMN) has historically entered into discussions of Neanderthal characteristics (Boule, 1911(Boule, -1913Martin, 1923;Weidenreich, 1936;Patte, 1955;Arambourg, 1963;Piveteau, 1963Piveteau, -1966Suzuki, 1970;de Lumley-Woodyear, 1973;Kolossov et al, 1975;Heim, 1976;Billy and Vallois, 1977;Hublin and Tillier, 1981;Vandermeersch, 1981;Hublin, 1988Hublin, , 1998Tillier et al, 1989;Rosas et al, 1991;Lebel et al, 2001;Rosas, 2001). Investigators have described this relationship in various terms.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mandibular condyle traits in Neanderthals and other Homo: A comparative, correlative, and ontogenetic study

Jabbour

Richards

Anderson

2002

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The relationship between the mandibular condyle and the crest of the mandibular notch (CMN) has historically entered into discussions of Neanderthal characteristics and was recently suggested to be autapomorphic in Neanderthals. The Neanderthal CMN has been described as intersecting the condyle in the middle, while the modern human CMN runs to the condyle's lateral end. A large lateral condylar tubercle (LCT) has also been observed in Neanderthals and thought to be related to medial (or less lateral) CMN position. In addition, the presence of a less lateral CMN early in ontogeny, as seen in the Amud 7 infant, has been argued to demonstrate great evolutionary divergence in Neanderthals. Using a scoring system for each trait, this study first examines the expression of CMN position and LCT size in 102 adult modern humans and in samples of Neanderthals and other fossil Homo. Then, CMN position is scored in 208 subadult modern humans to elucidate the ontogeny of this trait. Results show that CMN position is not autapomorphic in Neanderthals, but Neanderthals have significantly more CMNs in the least-lateral score category than does the modern human sample. Large LCTs are found to be strongly predictive of less lateral CMN position, although less lateral CMN position may exist in the absence of a large LCT. The complex ontogenetic pattern of CMN expression observed indicates that features of subadult and adult condylar morphology cannot be constructively compared without first considering subadult morphology on its own functional and developmental terms.

show abstract

Comparative morphology and paleobiology of Middle Pleistocene human remains from the Bau de l'Aubesier, Vaucluse, France

Cited by 108 publications

References 36 publications

Evidence for interpersonal violence in the St. Césaire Neanderthal

Evidence for interpersonal violence in the St. Césaire Neanderthal

Paleobiology and comparative morphology of a late Neandertal sample from El Sidrón, Asturias, Spain

Mandibular condyle traits in Neanderthals and other Homo: A comparative, correlative, and ontogenetic study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About