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Résumé: Connu depuis 1971, Arago 21, découvert par Henry et Marie-Antoinette de Lumley, constitue la plus vieille face humaine fossilisée complète d’Europe. Nous avons effectué un travail de reconstruction virtuel en isolant tous les fragments constituant le fossile, avant de tous les articuler selon les contraintes anatomiques. Cette nouvelle reconstruction d’Arago 21, la première virtuelle, a fait l’objet d’une première comparaison tridimensionnelle avec d’autres fossiles allant du Pléistocène inférieur au Pléistocène supérieur d’Europe, d’Asie et d’Afrique. Ces premiers résultats tridimensionnels, limités à l’os frontal, indiquent une proximité de conformation entre Arago 21 et d’autres fossiles comme Sima de los Huesos 5. Cependant, des différences anatomiques et métriques subsistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: L’étude du site de Kocabaş d’où provient une calotte crânienne d’Homo erectus archaïque, entreprise en 2011 et 2012, à la demande du Professeur Mehmet Cihat Alçiçek, a fait l’objet d’un programme interdisciplinaire franco-turc consacré à l’étude géochronologique, magnétostratigraphique, biochronologique, paléoenvironnementale du site et à l’étude paléoanthropologique de la calotte crânienne elle-même. L’association de faunes de grands mammifères permet d’attribuer les formations de travertins d’où provient la calotte crânienne de Kocabaş à la deuxième partie du Pléistocène supérieur et plus précisément en raison de la disparition ou de l’apparition de certaines espèces à un âge compris entre 1,5 et 1,2 million d’années. Cet âge, donné par la biochronologie, est confirmé par l’étude du paléomagnétisme qui place les travertins d’où provient la calotte crânienne dans une période de polarite inverse, sous jacente à une formation de polarite normale qui pourrait être attribuée à l’excursion paléomagnétique de Cobb Mountain, datée de 1 194 000ans. La datation de ces faunes par la méthode des nucléides cosmogéniques 26Al/10Be effectuée par Anne-Elisabeth Lebatard lui attribue un âge supérieur à 1,22 Ma et inférieur à 1,5 Ma. La calotte crânienne d’Hominidé provenant de cette formation peut-être attribuée à un Homo erectus, un peu plus évolué que ceux des crânes d’Homo ergaster KNM-ER 3733 (1,78Ma) et KNM-WT 15000 (1,5 Ma), proche de celle de Daka (Bouri) datée d’environ un million d’années et plus archaïque que le fossile de Bodo (estimé à 600 000ans) et de Kabwe (entre 300 000 et 120 000ans). La calotte crânienne d’Homo erectus archaïque de Kocabaş, dénommée l’Homme de Denizli, témoigne que les Homo erectus, étaient déjà présents en Anatolie, au carrefour de l’Afrique, de l’Asie et de l’Europe, il y a un peu plus de 1,2 million d’années. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: En 2002, une calotte crânienne fragmentaire a été découverte dans le bassin de Denizli, localité de Kocabaş, dans le sud-ouest de la Turquie (Kappelman et al., 2008). Elle a été attribuée à un Homo erectus sur la base de la parenté morphologique et métrique observée avec les fossiles chinois de Zhoukoudian L-C (Vialet et al., 2012). Sur la base d’une nouvelle reconstitution 3D de ce fossile, dont seul l’os frontal et des fragments d’os pariétaux sont conservés, une analyse morphologique et morphométrique (2D et 3D) plus approfondie a été menée à bien. Les résultats confirment que le spécimen de Kocabaş, par la morphologie de son os frontal, sa conformation et ses dimensions, se distingue nettement des Homo habilis-Homo georgicus d’une part et des Homo heidelbergensis-Néandertaliens d’autre part. En revanche, il partage avec les Homo erectus, tant africains (KNM-ER3733, OH9, Daka-Bouri) qu’asiatiques (crânes de Zhoukoudian L-C, Nankin 1, Sangiran 17), des caractères métriques, une constriction post-orbitaire marquée, un torus supra-orbitaire bordé postérieurement par un sulcus supra-toral et présentant inférieurement, une incisure et un tubercule supra-orbitaires, des lignes temporales en position moyennement hautes délimitant une zone infra-temporale au bombement net. Cependant, Kocabaş se différencie par les proportions de son os frontal (considéré hors torus supra-orbitaire), qui est court et large, des Homo erectus asiatiques, chez qui l’écaille frontale est plus longue. Il partage cette disposition avec les Homo erectus africains. De ce fait, le fossile turc se positionne comme un intermédiaire entre les Homo erectus d’Afrique et d’Asie, tant d’un point de vue anatomique que géographique. Étant donné les nouvelles datations proposées, au-delà de 1,1Ma, pour ce fossile (Lebatard et al., 2014a, b ; Khatib et al., 2014 ; Boulbes et al., 2014), il contribue, avec OH9 (1,4–1,5Ma) et Daka-Bouri (1Ma), à combler une lacune paléoanthropologique, se situant entre KNM-ER3733 (1,78Ma) et les fossiles chinois de Zhoukoudian L-C, Sangiran 17 (plus récents que 0,78Ma) et Nankin 1 (environ 0,63Ma). Cette étude, portant essentiellement sur l’os frontal, incite à considérer Homo erectus comme une espèce à vaste répartition géochronologique et forte variabilité morphométrique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: La calotte crânienne de l’Homo erectus archaïque de Kocabaş (Denizli, Turquie) provient de travertins encadrés par des conglomérats. La datation de ces derniers par la méthode des nucléides cosmogéniques 26Al/10Be dans la carrière Faber permet de contraindre son âge entre 1,0 et 1,6 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: Au cours de la célèbre mission Augiéras-Draper effectuée en 1927 et 1928, de Dakar à Alger, à travers le Sahara, un squelette humain a été découvert par T. Monod et V. Besnard à proximité du poste militaire d’Asselar au Soudan français (actuel Mali). De retour en France, l’analyse de ce fossile, donné à l’Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, est confiée à M. Boule et H. Vallois. Elle sera publiée en 1932. Après ce premier travail exhaustif, le squelette d’Asselar n’est que peu utilisé dans les études anthropologiques mis à part un regain d’intérêt dans les travaux de O. Dutour dans les années 1990. L’objectif de cet article est de comprendre pourquoi malgré un certain prestige, le spécimen n’a pas joué le rôle auquel il semblait destiné par la singularité de sa position géographique et chronologique. Dans ce but, les publications du premier tiers du xx e siècle et les archives relatives à cette découverte ainsi que le squelette lui-même ont fait l’objet d’une nouvelle analyse. Les résultats montrent que le manque de précision quant à sa mise au jour et à sa datation ont rendu le fossile d’Asselar difficile à utiliser dans une perspective anthropologique. De plus, l’étude de Boule et Vallois l’a confiné à une discussion, vive dans les années 1930, celle de la ű race Ƈ de Grimaldi créée par R. Verneau en 1906, tombée en désuétude depuis. Enfin, l’examen du squelette d’Asselar, selon les principes de l’archéo-anthropologie, a permis d’attester, pour la première fois, d’un contexte de sépulture. La réhabilitation du fossile d’Asselar ouvre maintenant de nouvelles perspectives qui pourront bénéficier des techniques actuelles (datation, génétique, imagerie 3D…) et contribuer pleinement aux discussions relatives au peuplement de l’Afrique du Nord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: To study female pelves from Neolithic area (5000 years AD) in order to better understand the evolution of obstetrical mecanisms. Materials and methods: The fossil material comprised 73 Homo sapiens pelves: we reconstructed all the 20 adult female bony pelves. We realised the shape and morphometric analysis of the pelvic cavity. Changes in pelvic neolithic morphology were compared with pelvic modern morphology. Results: The pelves of prehistoric female were similar in shape with modern female. However, they differ in relative dimensions (transversal diameter of the pelvis inlet: respectively 118mm vs 125mm, p =0.02). Discussion and conclusion: Reconstructions based on Neolithic hominin fossils suggest that obstetrical mechanisms were probably common to Neolithic and modern humans: childbirth would probably require social adaptations and risks of perinatal and obstetric complications were undoubtedly high. However, the differences in morphometric analysis could suggest a change of human pelvis and raise the question of the evolution in obstetrical mechanisms in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In 2001 and 2003, several occipital fragments of a single mature skull were unearthed on the site of les Pradelles (Marillac-le-Franc, Charente). The archaeological context of the deposit allowed us to provisionally assign the remains to the Neandertal taxon. A morphometric study of this piece was conducted in order to confirm its placement in this lineage. Some features observed on this specimen and commonly described among Neandertals (e.g. the presence of a suprainiac fossa) as well as dimensional data locate the les Pradelles occipital within the morphological variability of Neandertals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article presents the dating results recently obtained on three archaeological sites in Europe. At Orgnac 3 (Ardèche, France) from where the last Homo heidelbergensis fossils are associated with the first evidence of levallois technique, two speleothem formations from the 5b–6–7th layers were U-Th dated with MC-ICPMS, giving an age range of 319–255ka (2σ) (MIS 8–9), while the volcanic ash-bearing second layer was dated by 40Ar/39Ar, obtaining a preliminary date of 308.2±6.8ka (2σ). The combined ESR/U-Th dating of red deer enamel teeth from Lazaret cave (Alpes-Maritimes, France) attributed ages of 120–190ka to the Acheulean and pre-Mousterian layers (MIS 6), which is in agreement with previous TIMS U-Th dates between 108 and 44ka on calcite samples from the overlying TRA trench (MIS 5, 4, 3). At Zafarraya (Andalousie, Espagne), a number of 14C measurements on charcoal samples as well as combined ESR/U-Th dates on Capra and Equus dental enamels assigned the Mousterian artefacts and neandertalian fossils-bearing deposits an age interval between 42 and 34ka (MIS 3). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Late Pleistocene hominin fossil assemblage from Liujiang, South China include a fairly well-preserved cranium, a right os coxa, a complete sacrum, and other postcranial elements all belonging to a single individual. This rare discovery offers us a unique and singular opportunity in understanding this Late Pleistocene hominin''s body proportion and relative cranial capacity (encephalization quotient [EQ]), and also pelvic morphology. Using the available right innominate and its mirror-imaged left side, we reconstruct Liujiang hominin''s pelvis. Our analysis of the pelvis indicates that the Liujiang hominin has a very gracile and modern-like pelvic morphology. Indeed, all of the pelvic dimensions are smaller than those of other Pleistocene hominins. Moreover, the pelvic characteristics typical of Middle and Late Pleistocene hominins including Neanderthals cannot be identified in the Liujiang pelvis. In contrast, both Liujiang''s metric and non-metric features indicate affinities to more recent human populations including our modern Chinese collections from Guangxi of south China. Further support of this assessment comes from the EQ value of 5.754 for Liujiang which is closer to Minatogawa 2 and modern Chinese populations than to Middle and Late Pleistocene fossil hominins. Our analysis of body shape shows that Liujiang has body proportion (i.e. body height relative to body breadth) typical of warm-adapted populations. Based on these findings, we reason that the modern physical characteristics of Liujiang may allude to a more recent geological age. Alternatively, its morphological “modernity” could also point to a much higher degree of skeletal variation within Late Pleistocene hominins in East Asia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the cultural and archaeological context of the human fossil bones from Muierii Cave, dated by us to the age of 30 150 ± 800 14C years BP (Before Present) or 34 810 ± 927 cal years BP (calibrated years Before Present), and from Cioclovina Cave, dated to the age of 29 000 ± 700 14C years BP or 33 540 ± 832 cal years BP, in the Southern Carpathians. These are among the most ancient dated human fossil remains from Central and South-Eastern Europe and are described in conjunction with other sites with Mousterian assemblages of the recent Neanderthal population, and sites with Aurignacian assemblage of early modern humans, from Romanian region, for the interval of time 34,000–26,000, the transitional period from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The fragmented pathological skull of a young child was discovered in a Magdalenian level in the Rochereil cave, Dordogne, France, in 1939. The bony fragments were extracted along with the surrounding soil, and completely cleaned in a laboratory. The mandible has been wrongly reconstructed. Among the nine teeth that are present on the mandible, three deciduous molars are human teeth at their correct places. Only one tooth in the incisor–canine block (the right deciduous lateral incisor) is a human tooth, but it is incorrectly positioned on the left side. The other incisors and canines implanted in this child''s mandible originated from one or several young adult reindeer. These small animal teeth were probably mistaken for human pathological teeth because the child''s skull and mandible showed several pathological lesions. The possibility of faulty reconstitution must be systematically considered when dealing with for all human fossils which have been discovered in the past. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The archaic lithic industries of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva sites in Orce in Andalusia and the stone tools of the Vallonnet french site was studied by petroarcheological analyses and reveal the sources exploited by the hominids. The localisation of these sources give data to define the territory exploited. These three examples provide the opportunity to assess the raw material selectivity, the behaviour and the territory occupation system of the first inhabitants of Europe. These lithic industries are composed by local raw material collected very close to the site or even on the site. These sources were probably an important argument on choosing the occupation site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The human remains unearthed at the Lower Pleistocene site of Dmanisi (Georgia), are numerous, well preserved and show no evidence of transportation or predation. They were discovered over a small surface and correspond to at least five Homo georgicus individuals, whose age at death is regularly distributed from the teenager to the elder over 40 years old. These characteristics evoke a family group who died suddenly. Granulometry and chemical analyses of ca. 30 volcanic tephra samples prove its unicity and its primary position. Since this tephra cannot correspond to a nuée ardente, it is probable that the Dmanisi Hominids were surprised and asphyxiated, 1 810 000 years ago, by volcanic ashfalls. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this article, there is a discussion about out-of-Africa models of Homo dispersal, considering new findings, specially a new site with Oldowan industry in Morocco (Ain-Beni-Mathar), found in 2005 by some of the authors (Gibert J, Gibert L, and El Hamouti). There is also a critical of the models of Homo dispersal only based on carrion consumption. We also discuss some objections about two human remains from Orce sites (VM-1960 and BL-0) based on morphometric data (that, in any case, move these remains away from genus Homo), on authority criteria and ad hoc hypothesis, ignoring the decisive anatomical data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: With thick loess sequence (in the North), well-developed alluvial sequences and numerous karstic cavities, China offers excellent recordings for deciphering the Quaternary story. Some of these attest human activity right from 2My. This article presents the earlier sites known so far in China, until the appearance of the Acheulian, around 0.8My. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The origin and evolution of modern Homo sapiens has been the subject of an intensive debate between exponents of two competing hypotheses, multiregional origins and “recent out of Africa”. This paper presents a synthesis of the chronological studies on seven hominid sites in China based on the U-series dating, five of them of intercalated speleothem calcites and other two of fossil materials. The results show that modern humans were present in China about 100ka ago, much earlier than previously estimated, and that the so-called “temporal gap” of human presence in China between 40 and 100ka is most probably nothing but an artifact caused by systematic errors of the dating methods. Further multidisciplinary studies on hominid sites in China may provide important evidence for resolving the hotly debated issues concerning the origin of modern humans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The discovery of several human remains in Dmanissi (Georgia) is particularly interesting in the purpose of the variability of fossil population. Analysis of the two first hominids'' brain has been realized by detailed description of endocasts D 2280 and D 2282, sustained by compared study with asiatic (Homo erectus). The results show Dmanissi''s endocasts which inferior size, but similar form and cerebral morphology which integrate in Asiatic H. erectus variation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although much research has been carried out on Australopithecus afarensis locomotion, no consensus has yet been reached. Our new critic study on femoral material brings to the fore a strictly bipedal behaviour within this taxon. Our results are based on the pertinence of human anatomical characteristics among A. afarensis and on the absence of characteristics revealing arboreal displacement. These results have emerged from our different observation and interpretation of some preceding authors concerning the anatomy of these fossil hominids. It is important to underline that apomorphic characteristics of this species are difficult to interpret. They must not however be used to support the idea of arboreal displacement simply based on the fact of a no totally human morphe. We believe that present day humans do not necessarily reflect the earliest strict bipedal anatomic model. An the other hand, it appears that the disagreement between the two locomotor hypothesis for A. afarensis that are bipedalism and arboreal displacement, facing the possibility of bipedalism associated with negligible arboreal displacement, results more from an evolutionary fact than from a real scientific conflict. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since 1983, Professor Agueda Vilhena-Vialou is conducting in Mato Grosso (Brazil) the French-brasilian archeological mission Fossil men and their paleo-environments in the Paraná basin. Its goal is the study of the first prehistoric settlements of Latin America''s heart, in their economic, social, cultural and symbolic dimensions. Thanks to the complementary and comparative analysis of the habitats, the regional settlements and the rock art, our research targets a more precise definition of territories and cultures proper of the prehistoric human groups from the South of the actual Mato Grosso state. The study of rock art, the most revealing aspect of symbolic behaviours, is one of the strongest programs inside our multidisciplinary team. Today, thanks to systematic prospections led along the Rio Vermelho (between Pantanal swamp at West and Rondonópolis city at East), a hundred rock art sites (walls, shelters and caves), decorated with signs, animals and humans, have been discovered, and, for the most of them, studied. These figures are painted, engraved and more rarely sculpted. Along those pages, the author is presenting the preliminary analysis of ten new rock art sites, recently identified in a cliff on the right bank of the Vermelho River. He starts a comparative study with the sites of the Cidade de Pedra and of close micro basin, from the left bank of the River. This research is showing the symbolic identities, both common and specific, proper to different territories of this major rock art region of Brazil, which is divided in several areas and micro territories, shared but autonomous. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Age at death and sex diagnosis of the Cro-Magnon fossils (Dordogne, France) based on the pelvic bone. This paper concerns the sex and age at death estimation of the Gravettian skeletons from Cro-Magnon site (Dordogne, France). Methods based on pelvic bone and probabilistic approach have been used. These methods have been tested elsewhere and provide a high accuracy level for sex and age determination. This analysis shows without ambiguity that two adults are male (hip bone 4315, 4315–4318), one is a female (pelvic bone 4316). The sex diagnosis of the last (pelvic bone 4317) is indeterminate. As the adult female is aged (more 50 years), she cannot be the mother of the newborn identified in the burial place. To cite this article: D. Gambier et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The lion''s share of articles dealing with the thumb anatomy of Plio-Pleistocene hominids has focussed on the capacity to manipulate and manufacture tools, and has largely neglected the locomotor aspects. However, in these hominids, the forelimb was still employed in locomotion. Certain of the anatomical characters classically associated with manipulation and/or fabrication of tools are already present in the Late Miocene species Orrorin tugenensis as shown by the terminal thumb phalanx BAR 1901''01. This specimen reveals crucial information suggesting that thumb morphology is not exclusively related to such tool using and manufacturing activities but reflects in a frequently bipedal creature a deeper adaptation concerning the precision grip essential for climbing and balancing, different from that of apes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The human remains recovered from “Grotte supérieure de Zhoukoudian” are the best-preserved Late Pleistocene human fossils in East Asia. For decades, as the representative of the Late Pleistocene human in East Asia, the Upper Cave skulls have been playing important role in the research of origins of modern Mongoloids and American Indians. With the advance of the origin and evolution of modern humans, more attention has been paid to the details and the mechanisms for the late Pleistocene human evolution and the formation of modern human populations. Both the origin and diversification of modern humans have been stressed. Some studies further trigger the debaters on the Upper Cave Man concerning its evolutionary level and its role in the formation of modern human populations in East Asia. To further explore these problems, we examined and compared 12 non-metric features on the 3 Late Pleistocene Upper Cave skulls and 162 Holocene individuals earthed from two archaeological sites of North China (Longxian and Yanqing). Our results indicate that 8 on the 12 features have different expression patterns between Upper Cave Man and recent Chinese leading the authors to believe that more primitive expressions appeared on the Upper Cave Man than on recent Chinese populations. Based on these findings, some problems on the intragroup variation in Late Pleistocene and Holocene populations are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: After the discovery of the controversial hominids and artefacts at the Longgupo site, three Early Pleistocene sites in the southern valleys of the Changjiang (Yangtze) were excavated from 1998 to 2000 in order to test the hypothesis that the hominids exist in China before 2 Ma. Three cheek teeth of Meganthropus palaeojavanicus, more than six hundreds pieces of artefacts of Mode 1 technology and thousands pieces of mammal fossils of Villafranchian age were unearthed in situ at the Longgudong Site in Hubei Province. More than 120 pieces of artefacts of Mode 1 technology and seven thousands pieces of mammal fossils of Villafranchian age were unearthed in situ at the Renzidong Site in Anhui Province. Although no new materials of hominids and artefacts were unearthed at the Yuanmou Man Site at Danawu in Yunnan Province, new materials of mammalian fauna confirm the horizon yielding the Yuanmou Man fossils is of the Early Pleistocene. These new discoveries imply that the appearance of hominids in China is very likely before 2 Ma. If the new report of 3 Ma artefact from Yuxian of the Nihewan Basin in northern China can be confirmed, it will be a strong support for the Continuity Theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Grasping among Primates: precision, tools and evolutionary implications. The term ‘precision’, defined as the ability to oppose the tips of thumb and index, is generally attributed to humans, tool use and associated with morphological criteria. Identified in fossils, those criteria are used to assert that they belong to the genus Homo and they manipulated tools. Observations of 67 Catarrhines and one Platyrrhine allowed us to quantify surfaces of fingers used during simple tasks of grasping both small and large objects, as well as during complex tasks of proto-tool and tool use. We concluded that precision handling is not peculiar to humans and that it is not systematically linked to tool use. Moreover, these results allowed us to discuss morphological traits used till now to deduce precision, tool use and hence the human character of a fossil. To cite this article: E. Pouydebat et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Acheulean cultures and the question of the emergence of symbolic thought among Homo erectus from the data related to morphological symmetry and aesthetic of the bifaces. It is usually considered that artistic creativity is a trait of the modern human and that art appears only with Homo sapiens, at the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic. If this fact seems well established, however it looks likely that the emergence of symbolic thought and aesthetic feeling has to be dated back to the Old Palaeolithic. Indeed, the Acheulean biface shows a morphological symmetry and a remarkable aesthetic. Whenever this tool exclusively constitutes the lithic assemblage of a culture, as it is the case in the site of Nadaouiyeh Aïn Askar (central Syria), it can be suggested that it represents a strong symbolic component. The question is, was this harmonic aspect of the form really conceived by the tool maker or does it result from an unconscious phenomenon related to the knapping of the artefact? If it is indeed a conscious and desired symmetry, it is not impossible that the artisan tried to project a part of him into the tool. Through this harmonic component of the bifaces, it seems that Homo erectus was already capable of symbolic behaviour and a kind of artistic creativity. It is not a question of art as traditional conception, but probably of its first steps. To cite this article: J.-M. Le Tensorer, C. R. Palevol 5 (2006) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since 1991, several human remains: 5 skulls, 4 mandibles and numerous postcranial fragments have been discovered on the Dmanissi prehistoric open site. It is an exceptional discovery due to the stratigraphical, paleontological and cultural context, which is well known and accurately well dated (Upper Pliocene–Early Pleistocene). Most of the hominids discovered in the level V and VI are dated between 1.81 My (level V) and 1.77 My (level VI) corresponding to a 40,000 years period. The assemblage of fossil human remains is peculiar due to (1) the quality of bone representation (distinct parts of the skeleton are preserved: skull, thorax, upper and lower limbs, belt), (2) the high degree of bone preservation (skulls and long bones are entire, rarely broken or crushed), (3) the diversity age at death estimated for each of the 5 individuals (3 adults, 1 young adult, 1 adolescent of both sexes). The study dealing with the first discovered mandibles and skulls has begun with Leo Gabounia since 1991 and represents several interests: 1) a paleoanthropological interest: the Dmanissi skulls are characterized by their small size; they are short, narrow and low. The skullcaps are less elevated than those of the Homo erectus group and even those of Homo ergaster. They are more elevated than those of Homo habilis and very close to Homo rudolfensis. The elevation and the transversal development of the middle part of the skull in the parietotemporal region are more significant: the Dmanissi specimens are intermediate between Homo habilis and Homo ergaster. In term of cranial capacity, a similar trend is observed. Generally speaking, the skull is slender. The vault is more flat than in Homo erectus, the frontal bone is less developed, divergent and the postorbital constriction is strong. The temporal bone is long, flat and the mastoid part is short. The upper part of the occipital bone is low and narrow. Crests are thin, less developed than in the Homo erectus group. The superior temporal crests are in a high position and a torus angularis is present on the adult-male specimen. The glenoid cavity is large with strong edges. The petrotympanic region is slender with a tympanic circle individualized and it shows a horizontal rotation in a posterior position, which is distinct from Homo erectus. The orthognathic trend of the face distinguishes the Dmanissi specimens from the early Pleistocene hominids (Homo habilis, Homo ergaster) and from the first Eurasian Homo erectus. Nevertheless, the subnasal region of the face is projected. The morphology of the mid-face, showing a developed pillar of the canine, an inframalar incurvation and an anterior position of the root of the zygomaticomaxillary crest, suggests strong masticatory stress. Considering the overall morphology, cranial and metrical features, the Dmanissi fossil skulls are intermediate to the Homo habilis-rudolfensis group and Homo ergaster while they are closer to the former and peculiarly to Homo rudolfensis (ER 1470). However, the Dmanissi fossil skulls are distinct from Homo rudolfensis by numerous features and among them: by their large maximum cranial width (Euryon–Euryon), the posterior rotation of their petrotympanic structure and the strong development of the pillar of their canine. Due to the gracility of their face, the narrowness of their occipital bone, and their cranial base pattern (mastoid region and petrotympanic structure), the Dmanissi fossil skulls are different from the Homo erectus group: 2) the abundance of the human fossils discovered in Dmanissi site provides information about the biodiversity of these hominids with the establishment of the morphological features related to either growth or sexual patterns: 3) compared to modern humans, the Dmanissi fossil skulls seem to follow a different growth pattern. The present study of the fossil skulls discovered is a pioneer step. Indeed, the Dmanissi site has yielded the oldest evidences of the first settlements in Eurasia, which were, until now, attributed to Homo erectus. The Dmanissi fossil skulls are close to the Homo habilis-rudolfensis African group. We attribute these hominids to Homo georgicus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Neanderthal environment in Liguria during the Upper Pleistocene. Pollen analysis from Caverna delle Fate (Finale Liguria, Italy). Pollen analysis of the Middle Palaeolithic site of Caverna delle Fate documents the vegetation mosaic contemporaneous to its Neanderthal occupation. The pollen sequence is typical of a semi-forested to forested landscape, reflecting mild climatic conditions. The development of meso-thermophilous taxa suggests a temperate climate, while the raise of Mediterranean taxa attests the temperature increase. The four climatic episodes can be assigned to different chronological phases between isotopic stages 5e and 3. To cite this article: E. Karatsori, C. R. Palevol 4 (2005) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A proposal of reconstruction of the second Homo erectus skull from Yunxian (China). In 1989 and 1990, two Homo erectus crania were recovered from Yunxian (Hubei province) in archaeological levels dated to more than 780 000 years. Considered along with Lantian, these skulls represent the oldest human remains discovered in China to date, constituting important palaeontological finds. Nevertheless, the crania were badly deformed during the course of fossilization, necessitating extensive cranial reconstruction. Of the two crania, only Yunxian II was in sufficient condition to carry out this reconstruction. Using sophisticated techniques only recently applied in human palaeontology, including computed tomography and rapid prototyping, and incorporating taphonomic and morphometrically-based hypotheses, we were able to correct virtually the deformation and to produce a 3D prototype of Yunxian II. To cite this article: A. Vialet et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We analyzed by a reduced-scale model of occlusion named “occlusal matrix” (M.O.), the report of the dental arches between the various anatomical pillars which are the first permanent molars (M1) and the final canines (C). We define thus 3 measurements, the total area of the occlusal matrix: M.O. (AT), the area of the superior face, representing palatine face: M.O. (FS) and the area of the inferior face: M.O. (FI), representing mandibulary face. This morphometric study was carried out on skulls of current Great Apes (Pan, Gorilla and Pongo), medieval and subcurrent populations living in southeast France (Provence) and on skulls mouldings of fossil Hominids. In the evolution of Hominoi¨ds towards the current man, a regular reduction of studied areas and thus of the jaws is confirmed by the recourse to these 3 new measurements designated by our study. In addition, the various stages of this reduction correspond in all points to those described for the general evolution of the higher primates. So, these 3 new measurements appear like particularly powerful describing with a simple tool the occlusal evolution of the Hominoi¨ds and making it possible to better define their phyletic position within the framework of paleontological research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several authors have already observed the dyschronic growth between Neanderthals and modern Humans permanent teeth but they never quantified it. Dental maturation is the best and mostly used way to evaluate precisely the decease age of Neanderthals. We thus present here an extensive study realised with deciduous and immature permanent Neanderthals teeth, which lead us to propose a new mode! Of dental maturation allowing to estimate their age without using the classical modern populations dental growth tables. We propose two methods, one using two mathematical formulas, the other one using a new table, which permits to directly obtain the age of a Neanderthal from his deciduous and permanent teeth degree of maturation data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The site of Tata, located in Hungary, has yielded two famous “artistic objects” dated from the isotopic stage 5. However, this site is also famous for its lithic assemblage, most of which is smaller than 30 mm. Other sites in Central Europe have yielded microlithic assemblages, which are not always related to specific raw material conditions. Few human remains provide evidence that Neanderthals were the authors of these assemblages. The settlements are often linked to water springs and the fauna assemblages are composed of one or two great herbivores (deer, horses, rhinoceros and elephants). The analysis of fauna remains suggests that some of these animals could be hunted. The low frequency of rhinoceros and elephants and the partial skeletons do not allow us to know whether these animals have been hunted or scavenged in most cases. But some sites have yielded a higher frequency of these herbivores, which are often young specimens. Are we dealing with programmed specialised settlements in favourable areas for animals, either dead or alive? The herbivore bones are associated with very small flakes, showing the diversity of the human technical behaviours adapted to all kinds of subsistence patterns. The technological analysis of the assemblages, in particular of the cores, provides new patterns about the technological choice for flaking, which seems to belong to a specific tradition. This hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by comparative studies of several microlithic industries from the OIS 11 to 4–3, such as Ve`rtesszo¨lo¨s in Hungary, Ku¨lna and Predmosti II in the Czeck Republic or the Pontinian complex in Italy. The microlithic assemblages are associated with various environments and could be one of the human responses to organise the stone tool production. It could also be evidence of another technological conception of the tools. The small artefacts could be used alone or hafted separately or grouped, and perhaps even to prepare wooden tools. The discoveries of both bone and wooden tools in some sites prove that the Neanderthal industrial world could be complex and diversified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Sambungmacan 1 fossil (Java, Indonesia) is assigned to the Homo erectus group. The carbonated matrix contained in this calvaria prevents the analysis of the internal surface. The CT data of the original fossil enables us to observe the conservation and mineralization state and the internal structures. Furthermore, we use the CT data to reconstruct the endocast, which shows that the morphological character of Sambungmacan 1 is close to the Ngandong hominids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Plio-Pleistocene site of Drimolen (Gauteng Province, South Africa) has yielded a fragmentary adult pelvis, DNH 43, composed of a robust, right innominate bone (DNH 43B) associated with the sacrum and the posterior arch of the last lumbar vertebra (DNH 43 A). Comparisons with other Plio-Pleistocene hominids (AL 288.1, Sts 14, Sts 65, Stw 431, TM 1605, SK 50, SK 3155b) pelves have been made which indicate that this specimen belongs to Paranthropus robustus. The ilium of the Drimolen hominid is narrowed just above the acetabulum. The small auricular surface is set far away from the acetabulum. The sacrum is curved, the upper lateral angles are clearly expressed. Some anatomical features reveal a lumbar lordosis in DNH 43. This lumbar lordosis is specific of australopithecines because different from extant human. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Résumé: En novembre 2002, dans le cadre de l’étude des formations Plio-Pléistocènes du Bassin de Denizli qui contient d’importants dépôts de travertins actifs et fossiles, au cours d’une visite de l’usine de Dalmersan, à proximité des carrières de travertin Kocabaş, j’ai reconnu une calotte crânienne d’Hominidé dans un lot d’ossements récupérés lors du découpage de dalles de travertins. Je l’ai immédiatement attribuée, à la calotte crânienne d’un Homo erectus. Par la suite, j’ai confié son étude, dans un premier temps au Professeur John Kappelman de l’université du Texas, puis une étude interdisciplinaire du site à l’Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, à Paris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the discovery of a new hominid species called Ardipithecus Ramidus, or Ardi. Researchers have found a skeleton almost complete of a female dated from 4.4 billions of years. If the argument according to which Ardi would be the chimpanzee' ancestor has been refuted, it is however impossible to prove that it is the man's ancestor.