Ceprano Man

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Homo cepranensis
)
Argil
Homo neanderthalensis
Age430-385 ka
Place discoverednear Ceprano, Frosinone, Italy
Date discoveredMarch 13, 1994
Discovered byConstruction crew

Ceprano Man, Argil, and Ceprano Calvarium, is a

archaic human fossil, a single skull cap (calvarium), accidentally unearthed in a highway construction project in 1994 near Ceprano in the Province of Frosinone, Italy.[1][2] It was initially considered Homo cepranensis, Homo erectus, or possibly Homo antecessor; but in recent studies, most regard it either as a form of Homo heidelbergensis sharing affinities with African forms,[3][4] or an early morph of Neanderthal.[5]

History

During excavation in preparation for a

Iberia and the Middle East.[7] The most recent belief is that it is associated with Homo heidelbergensis or rhodesiensis, or that it is ancestral to Neanderthals.[5]

Dating

The fossil was first estimated to be between 690,000 and 900,000 years old determined on the basis of regional correlations and a series of absolute dates.[8] Taking the circumstances of the recovery of the fossil into account, Ascenzi (2001) noted that "an age between 800 and 900 ka is at present our best chronological estimate" based on "the absence in the sediments containing the cranium of any leucitic remnants of the more recent volcanic activity known in the region . . . and the presence above the cranium itself of a clear stratigraphic unconformity that marks"[9] After clarification of its geostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and archaeological relation to the well known and nearby Acheulean site of Fontana Ranuccio, dated to 487±6 ka, Muttoni et al. (2009) suggested that Ceprano is most likely about 450,000 years old. Manzi et al. (2010) agree with this, citing an age of 430 and 385 ka.[10]

Segre and Mallegni (2012) strongly retain their beliefs that the skull is 900-800 ka and is not the same age as the clay it was found in situ.

fossilization.[12]

Description

The reconstruction of the skull made in 2000 by Clarke and tweaked by M.A. de Lumley and Mallegni features repositioning of the

mastoid process, and occipital squama, and worked to correct some taphonomic distortion through retrodeformation and other methods. Most of this work is reflected in the vault rather than the face, and most of the peculiar aspects of the skull are now gone. For example, the single autapomorphy used to distinguish it as a new, valid species is a foreshortened vault, which when compared to the new reconstruction, appears typical of H. heidelbergensis.[12]

Paleopathology

The specimen preserves several injuries, The first is a deep, wide recess infiltrating deep the left greater wing of the

congenital malformation on the skull was not restrictive or painful enough to limit the subject's physical abilities.[14]

Classification

Ascenzi et al. (1996) argue that the similarity to Chinese

Gran Dolina fossils and concluded that it was "late Homo erectus", being one of the latest occurrences of the species and earliest Italian hominin. This allocation was supported by them with vault profile data and metrics. However, Ascenzi and Segre also consider specimens such as Montmaurin, Arago, Petralona and Vertesszolos as H. erectus or a similar taxon. They suggested that Tighenif No. 3 mandible is a good fit for the skull, and hinted that connection between it and North Africa may be evident.[16]

Clarke (2000) suggested that inconsistencies with minimal

variation, and not taxonomically informative.[17] Ascenzi et al. (2000) followed the cranial reconstruction by Clarke (2000) and modifications by M.A. de Lumley to reinforce assignment to H. erectus based on the tori, cranial capacity, bone thickness, and occipital profile angle.[13]

Manzi et al. (2001) pose the possibility that it may be an adult

parsimonious explanation would be the accommodation of two contemporary species, as they find the specimen is not referrable to Homo erectus, H. ergaster, H. heidelbergensis, or H. rhodesiensis. In fact, they recommend creation of a new name to represent a transition from late African to early European fossils. They also suggest that Early Pleistocene dispersals toted a new morphology that was lost, possibly by other Acheulean-using hominins.[1]

Mallegni et al. (2003) noticed a lack of

Middle Pleistocene (MP) hominins. They also suggested that similarity with Homo rhodesiensis fossils may be reflective of an ancestral-descendant phylogenetic relationship; and since the fossil was appearing so distinct they named Homo cepranensis with the calvarium as the holotype and only specimen.[7]

Bruner et al. (2007) recognize that the characters of the specimen exhibits a mix of early African and later European features, enough to be potentially distinct or, alternatively, considered a ancestral of Homo heidelbergensis. However, they caution other workers that no direct comparisons can yet be made based on fossil record incompleteness.[18] Mounier et al. (2011) have identified the fossil as "an appropriate ancestral stock of [H. heidelbergensis] . . . preceding the appearance of regional autapomorphic features." They suggested that the specimen could be "an appropriate 'counterpart'" to the current, inadequate holotype due to its preservation and morphology. They also suggest ancestry with Neanderthals.[5]

Segre and Mallegni (2012) retain use of Homo cepranensis and dispute redating of the site.[11] Freidline et al. (2012) follow suit with the opinion of Guipert (2005). Guipert (2005) digitally reconstructed several hominin fossils exhibiting extreme degrees of distortion, including the cranial remains from Arago. In their results, both teams draw similar conclusions that the Ceprano calvarium and the Arago hominins are closest in morphology.[19][20]

Manzi (2016) suggested that the species Homo heidelbergensis is the best descriptor for the calvaria, and further proposed two modes of

Sima).[21] Di Vincenzo et al. (2017) found with their new reconstruction that it is typical of H. heidelbergensis, specifically Broken Hill and Petralona. They suggest that it is ancestral to the neanderthalensis-sapiens-Denisovan clade.[12]

Manzi (2021) elaborates that the specimen is a lost morphology that lived in a

ICZN naming conventions.[24] They suggest that it may have contributed to Arago and Petralona, among other specimens.[3]

Technology

Mode I technologies and their morphology was lost by other Acheulean-using hominins.[1]

Paleoecology

The Ceprano calvarium was discovered in the Camp Grande area by what is now a highway. It was associated with bone and

fluvial period that is in relation to terminal tectonics.[16] It lived during the MIS 11, a warm stage at Lirino Lake, which was a refugium for archaic morphologies.[10][4] It was buried once in a perilacustrine environment by rising and lowering water, scattering the skeleton and filling the cranium.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^
    PMID 11504953
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  2. ISBN 9781586030308
    . Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  3. ^
    PMID 34710249
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  4. ^
    doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2101-1 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link
    )
  5. ^
    PMID 21533096
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  6. ^ "THE ARGIL, THE OLDEST MAN IN EUROPE". nostra italia. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  7. ^
    ISSN 1631-0683
    .
  8. hdl:2434/164132
    .
  9. ^ "Ceprano calvaria". tumblr. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  10. ^
    PMID 20832845
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  11. ^
    doi:10.1400/206927
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  12. ^
    PMID 29070804
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  13. ^
    PMID 11006051
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  14. S2CID 85237113
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  15. doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0069
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  16. ^
    S2CID 127360103
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  17. PMID 11006050
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  18. PMID 17177181
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  19. PMID 22176924
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  20. ^ Guipert, Gaspard (2005-01-01). Reconstitution et position phylétique des restes crâniens de l'homme de Tautavel (Arago 21-47) et de Biache-Saint-Vaast 2 : apports de l'imagerie et de l'analyse tridimensionnelles (These de doctorat thesis). Aix-Marseille 3.
  21. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.047
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  22. PMID 36964200
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  23. PMID 34557770
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  24. S2CID 250070886
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External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ceprano_Man&oldid=1204087027"