Homo Group

Homo Sapiens

BH-017-C. Cro-Magnon 1. 

30,000 to 32,000 YA. This skull was discovered by L. Lartet and H. Christy in 1868 in Les-Eyzies, France. Cro-Magnon represents the earliest modern humans from Western Europe. Classic modern human features include a large brain capacity (over 1600 cc), shortened face with rectangular eye sockets, a high forehead, hollowed cheekbones, and noticeable chin. 

 

BH-045. BOU-VP-16/1. Herto. 

160,000/154,000 YA. BOU-VP-16/1 was discovered in Herto, Middle Awash, Ethiopia, in 1997 by an international team. This adult cranium with a cranial capacity of 1450cc is nearly complete with only slight distortion. Discoverers White et al. describe the morphology as intermediate between early archaic African forms and later anatomically modern humans. It is on this basis that they designate the subspecies name idaltu (“elder’”).

 

 BH-032. Skhul 5.

100,000 YA. The Homo sapiens skull Skhul 5 was discovered by T. McCown near Mount Carmel, Israel in 1932, the site of the earliest examples of H. sapiens outside of Africa. Skhul 5’s features include a cranial capacity of 1520 cc, high forehead, expanded frontal portion of the braincase, pronounced brow ridges and a prognathic lower face. It may provide evidence of hybridization between humans and neanderthals. 

 

 BC-135. 12-year-old child.

The right side of the maxilla and jaw bone has been cut away to show an excellent example of the process of the adult teeth descending while the baby teeth are still in place. This specimen is appropriate for all students learning about tooth development and eruption patterns. Two of the teeth are only visible after part of the mandibular cortical bone has been removed. All available evidence suggests an age of 11 to 13 years.

 

BC-016, KO-093-P Human. Asian. Male. Having evolved from algae, this persistent species has managed to inhibit even the most undesirable of environments. Although humans inhabit many states, they are most often found in the state of confusion

 

BC-110. Human Male African. 

This is an excellent example of an African skull and perfect for use with our Asian and European skulls for comparative study. Certain features of the skull may be informative in differentiating geographical ancestral groups for purposes of forensic investigation. The nasal root is depressed and the nasal angle is obtuse. The nasal aperture is broad from top to bottom. The lower part of the nostrils has a bilateral gutter and there is no sill. The upper dental arcade has a somewhat rectangular shape. The incisors in the upper jaw are blade-like; however, there is a slight suggestion of shoveling on the left incisor. The face projects forward to a mild to moderate degree.

 

 BC-107 Human European Male. 

Having evolved from algae, this persistent species has managed to inhibit even the most undesirable of environments. Although humans inhabit many states, they are most often found in the state of confusion.

 

BC-228. Fetal skull–about 40 weeks. 

Full term Fetal Skull 40 1/2 Weeks old, this skull exhibits characteristics of prenatal development.

 

BC-111 Human Child-3 years old. 

This child skull, considered to be that of a 3 year-old, is part of our fetal and child chronological age series. Some details to note of the skull, the deciduous molar #2 can be seen and molar #1 is encrypted. 

 

BCH-809. Trauma: Human Female Cranium, Meningioma. 

Cranial meningiomas are not malignant tumors but they commonly result in new bone production. This skull clicits a massive development of spongy bone involving nearly all of the frontal squama and extending onto parietals, especially the left, with some internal involvement. Additionally, this skull displays artificial deformation (lamboidal flattening). 

 

BCH-808. Trauma: Human Female Cranium Syphilis. 

Syphilis is a bacterial infectious disease which has a venereal mode of transmission. The skull vault, frontal bone and both parietals show numerous lytic lesions. There is evidence of porotic hyperostosis involving both parietals with trace on the frontal bone. Additionally, tooth loss, alveolar abscessing, resorption, and extensive tartar deposits are present. 

 

 BCH-812. Trauma: Human Male Cranium Healed Parietal Bone Fracture. 

From the Hrdlicka palcopathology collection, the skull illustrates a healed blunt force fracture on the left parietal bone. The healing resulted in an influx of new bone growth creating a raised area around the fracture. Also present is a healed depression fracture on the right side of the frontal bone. There is also temporomandibular osteoarthritis on the left side. With gratitude to the San Diego Museum of Man.

 

BCH-811. Trauma: Human Male Cranium Healed Frontal Bone Fracture & Inca Bone. 

This blunt force trauma skull from the Hrdlicka palcopathology collection, San Diego Museum of Man exhibits a healed fracture on the frontal bone involving the left brow ridge. Blunt force fractures are caused by sudden, excessive impaction and result in the collapse or depression of the bone. This skull also exhibits an Inca bone (sutural bone located at the lambda).

 

BCH-818. Trauma: Human Male Cranium with Sharp Force Trauma. 

This adult male cranium exhibits perimortem trauma (at time of death) probably caused by a sharp rectangular object. Several rectangular shaped puncture wounds can be seen on the frontal and on the left parietal. This cast is from a specimen from the Hrdlicka paleopathology Collection housed at the San Diego Museum of Man.

 

BC-303. Trauma: Human Skull Healed Trauma. 

This is an excellent skull displaying a healed comminuted fracture of the left cheek bones, with associated injuries to the jaw, throat, and eye orbit. The skull illustrates not only major facial trauma (healed without effective medical treatment), but also subsequent modification of the eye orbit, temporomandibular joints and styloid process. 

 

BC-217. Trauma: Human Adult Male European With Hammer Wounds. 

Prior to death, there was blunt trauma to the head of this white male. The rounded, depressed nature of the two wounds is consistent with prior hammer injury, The smooth rounded edges are indicative of healing, and therefore indicates some period (likely months or years) of survival. 

 

BCD-323. Trauma: Human Male Skull, 22 Caliber Bullet Wound. 

This skull exhibits a class entry wound at the right parietal just superior to the temporal bone, and a larger, more irregular exit wound with characteristic beveling of the outer table of bone on the left parietal. Beveling on the inner table at the entry wound as well as the circumscribed nature of the exit wound can be seen by removing the skullcap. Gratitude to UC Anatomical Donation Program. 

 

BC-185. Trauma: Human Male Machete Wounds. 

All of the changes in this skull are the result of machete blows followed by submersion in the ocean for two weeks. The action of the water and sand ground the edges of the fractured bone to a smoother finish than expected for fresh bone injuries. The machete strikes caused all of the calvarial fragments from the left side of the face and the left and right sides of the calvarium.

 

BCM-805. Trauma: Human Cranium, Blunt Force Trauma, Eye Orbit. 

This is a good example of blunt force trauma to the left of supraorbital margin with subsequent fracturing of the entire frontal, extending onto adjacent cranial bones. In other words, the person was struck on the left eyebrow with enough force to break the eye orbit at the point of impact, crack the forehead, and shatter the bridge of the nose.

 

BCM-806. Trauma: Human Male Cranium Classic Entry-Exit Gunshot Wounds. 

This is the cranium of a modern human male with perimortem fractures caused by a small-caliber gunshot wound. Classic entry and exit wounds are present together with extensive peripheral injuries. The facial bones are fractured off in a near-complete LeFort II (pyramidal) pattern. The trajectory of the bullet is from right to left and directed upward at approximately 45- degrees from horizontal. The trajectory might be consistent with a self-inflicted wound by a right-handed person.

 

BC-196. Trauma: Human Female .410 Shotgun Wounds. 

African female, early 20’s. Two rounds penetrated the cranium. Blast separated coronal and lamboidal sutures. Downward directed third shot hit and shattered right jaw. One 5mm indentation visible. Reassembled to show wound details including radiating cracks, internal beveling and scalloped margins. 

 

BC-152. Trauma: Human Male European Gunshot Wound. 

Human male skull with large caliber bullet wound to head. European male, 25 years of age, modern specimen, North America. Cast by us from an original skull that is in a North American medical school forensic osteology teaching collection. The appearance of projectile damage to bone is crucial to the differentiation of “entrance” and “exit” wounds.

 

Homo Neanderthalis

BH-009-2 La Chapelle- aux-Saints

50,000 YA. This skull was discovered by A and J Bouyssomie and J Bonneval in 1908 in La Chapelle-aux- Saints France. It was the most complete Neanderthal skull found at the time. Despite a very large brain capacity (over 1600 cc) early descriptions by Boule led the term “Neanderthal” to be synonymous with brutality for decades.

 

BH-050. Shanidar | Skull. 

40,000-73,000 BP. Shanidar 1 is a nearly complete skeleton of an adult male discovered by Ralph Solecki in 1957 northern Iraq. This individual survived many injuries during his lifetime including healed fractures to the left side of the skull and a crippling injury causing atrophy of the right humerus, radius, and ulna. These injuries healed before his death, suggesting some type of altruistic care among neanderthals. 

 

BH-019 La Ferrassie 1. 

50,000 YA. This skull was discovered in France in 1909. It is considered to be “classic” neanderthal, having features that best represent its anatomy, including pronounced double-arched brow ridges, wide cheekbones, weak chin, heavily worn front teeth, a substantial nasal opening, and very large brain capacity (more than 1600 cc).

 

Homo floresiensis

BH-033. (Flores Skull LB1) 18,000 YA. 

This skull was discovered by P. Brown in 2003 in Flores, Indonesia. That this specimen, standing about 3.3 feet tall and having a magnificently small brain capacity (380 cc), was in existence only 18,000 YA could be one of the most important discoveries in decades. Much debate centers around whether it is a new human species or a microcephalic human.

 

BH-033-2. The Hobbit. 

18,000 YA. Flores Skull LB1 was discovered by P. Brown in 2003 in Flores, Indonesia. Evidence from the skeleton suggests this female was only about 3.3 feet tall with a small cranial capacity of only 380 cc. Another Homo species in existence only 18,000 YA could be one of the most important discoveries in decades. H. Floresiensis is the subject of much debate centering on whether it is a new species, a pathological H. sapiens, or a case of insular dwarfism of a small H. erectus population. 

 

Homo heidelbergensis

BH-041 Bodo

600,000 YA. This cranium known as “Bodo” was discovered by Asfaw, Whitehead and Wood in 1976 in Bodo D’ar, in the middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia. The taxonomic designation of Homo heidelbergensis, particularly with respect to African forms, is a topic of considerable debate. With a mosaic of features, its morphology is considered “intermediate.”

BH-004. Broken Hill 1. 

125,000 to 400,000 YA. Also known as Rhodesian Man, this fossil was discovered in 1921 by miner Zwigelaar in Kabwe, Zambia. It is the first human ancestor to be found in Africa. Initially thought, incorrectly, to have lived only 40,000 YA. The skull shares features of both Homo erectus (heavy brow ridges) and Homo sapiens (flatter face, large brain, (1300 cc)).

 

Homo erectus

BH-053. Dmanisi Skull 5. 

1.7 MYA, Dmanisi D4500/D2600 is believed to be a Homo erectus adult male. This individual has skull features that expand the range of variation in the Dmanisi sample; large zygomatic arches, large prognathic face, thick eyebrow ridges, large molars, and an inner cranial volume of 546 cc. Dmanisi hominins offer a unique glimpse of early human development within group variation and hominin migration patterns. 

 

BH-028. Dmanisi. 

1.75 to 2 MYA. THis skull was discovered in 1999 by A. Venus et al. in Dmanisi, Georgia. Our cast comprises the D2700 cranium and D2735 jaw. This small-brained specimen, found alongside choppers and scrapers, undercuts the theory that hominids did not leave Africa until about 1 MYA and only after becoming large-brained bi-peds with tool-making abilities. 

 

BH-018. Sangiran 17. 

1 to 1.7 MYA. This skull was discovered in 1969 by Towikromo in Java, Indonesia. It has been described as the most intact hominid skull found in Java and the only available example of an adult male Homo erectus. Its features include a long, low cranium with thick bones, cranial capacity over 1000 cc, raised sagittal keel, and a projecting face. 

 

BH-038. Peking Man. 

300,000 to 600,000 YA. Also known as the Pithecanthropus pekinensis, this skull is based on original reconstruction and recreated by Tattersall and Sawyer using original casts (represented in dark colors) of specimens from the caves at Zhoukoudian, China, in 1937. We are grateful to Sawyer and Tattersall for exclusively licensing us to cast this remarkable piece. 

 

Homo Habilis

BH-034. KNM-ER 1813. 

1.9 MYA. KNM-ER 1813 was discovered by K. Kimeu in 1973 at Koobi Fora, Kenya. There is still controversy about this specimen’s classification, with some scientists opting to classify it as an australopithecine and others believing it to be a species of Homo. Our product is a cast of the composite reconstruction by Sawyer and Deak

 

BH 010. Cranium OH 24. 

1.8 MYA. The Homo habilis cranium OH 24 (KNM) was discovered by P. Nzube in 1968 and first described by M. Leakey, Clark, & L. Leakey in Nature in 1971. This nearly complete but badly crushed specimen represented the oldest hominid found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, and supported the designation of the then controversial species of Homo habilis.

 

Homo ergaster

BH-011. KNM-ER 3733. 

1.75 MYA. This skull with dentition was discovered by B, Ngenco in 1975 in Koobi Fora, Kenya. Of great significance is the fact that this skull was found in the same sediment layer that A. boisei KNM-ER 406 had been six years earlier. This discovery put to rest the single species hypothesis, the notion that only one hominid species existed at any point in history.

 

BH-012. KNM-WT 15000 (boy). 

1.6 MYA. The Homo ergaster skull KNM-WT 15000, also known as "Nariokotome Boy" and "Turkana Boy" was discovered in 1984 in Nariokotome, Kenya. The first fragment was found by K. Kimeu and the rest of the skeleton was excavated by R. Leakey, Walker and their team. It was first described by Brown, Harris, Leakey and Walker in Nature in 1985 as H. erectus. The completeness of this skull allowed scientists to determine an estimated cranial capacity of 880cm³, however this could have been as high as 909cm³ had Turkana boy reached adulthood. With approximately 40% of the skeleton recovered, anthropologists were able to gain a great deal of information regarding body size, limb proportions, and growth rates of Homo ergaster. Based on the pelvis and overall skeleton size, this individual was determined to be male. The lack of 3rd molar eruption and unfused post-cranial elements determined the Turkana boy to be about 11 to 12 years old at time of death.