Homo Erectusand Related Taxa

The endocast of the one‐million‐year‐old human cranium from Buia (UA 31), Danakil Eritrea

“…Compared with other Early Pleistocene Eastern African specimens (e.g., KNM‐ER 3733, KNM‐ER 42700, OH 9) (Wood ; Spoor et al, ), including the chronogeographically close calvaria from Daka (Gilbert and Asfaw, ), as well as with the Indonesian and Chinese H. erectus s.s . hypodigm, UA 31 displays a blend of H. erectus ‐like and derived morphoarchitectural features more commonly found in Middle Pleistocene specimens (Antón, ; Rightmire, ; Baab, ). The braincase is absolutely long (204 mm), narrow (134.5 mm) and proportionally high (estimated basion‐bregma chord: 126 mm).…”

“…erectus ( sensu Wood and Leakey, ) near the end of the Early Pleistocene (Macchiarelli et al, ; Zanolli et al, ). Within the scarce and fragmentary penecontemporaneous East African record (Gilbert and Asfaw, ; Antón, ), the UA 31 cranium represents a find of special interest, notably because of its preserved face. A complete description of the outer morphology of this specimen, especially of its face, has not been finalized yet.…”

“What’s in a Name?” <i>The Taxonomy & Phylogeny of Early</i> Homo

“…The phyletic divergence of Homo has frequently been attributed to adaptive shifts due to dramatic environmental change and the innovation of lithic technology (Antón, 2013). Many authors suggest that it is the increasing aridification (deMenocal, 2004) or some other environmental correlate (e.g.…”

“…This is further confounded by an overlap in time of early H. ergaster and other species of early Homo, for almost half a million years (Spoor et al, 2007). As H. ergaster fossils are increasingly more variable, neither body size nor cranial capacity can be used as a proxy for differentiating between H. ergaster and other early Homo fossils (Antón, 2013).…”

“…H. georgicus (Gabunia et al 2002, in Antón, 2013) was initially introduced due to the primitive facial morphology and the cranial capacity of the Dmanisi H. ergaster specimens, such as in D2600 (Antón, 2013). However, Antón (2013) suggests that the range of variation already exhibited in H. ergaster, as well as the apparent similarities between the Dmanisi (D2280 and D2282) and H. ergaster fossils (e.g. KNM-ER 3733, 3833, and WT15000), such as in the moderate size of their supraporbital tori, the presence of a thick vault, and the absence of a compound temporal-nuchal crest (Gabunia et al, 2000), suggest that they are conspecific.…”