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Wesleyan University Archaeology & Anthropology Collections Hominin Fossil Casts |
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Species Designation: Australopithecus africanus (Plesianthropus tranvaalensis) ID/ Nickname: STS-5, Mrs. Ples Date: 2.3 - 2.8 million years ago Catalog #: 2004-11-3 Description: Cranium |
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Context of Discovery:
Discovered at Sterkfontein, South Africa by Robert Broom in 1947. Amongst blasted cave debris, the upper half of a perfect skull was revealed with lime crystals encrusted on its inner surface ("glittering skull"). The lower half of the skull lay embedded in a block of stone.
Facts about "Mrs. Ples":
Mrs. Ples was probably a middle-aged female at the time of death. From
the side, we can see that Mrs. Ples' face projects in front of the brain
case (prognathism). Mrs. Ples has a cranial capacity of 485cc, well above
the modern ape average of 350-400 cc, and a forward placed foramen magnum, indicating
that she had maintained an erect posture. Some recent studies have
suggested that Mrs. Ples might actually have been a male.
Important Publications:
Broom, R. 1947. "Discovery of a new skull of the South African ape-man, Plesianthropus." Nature 159: 672.
Broom, R., and J.T. Robinson. 1949. "A new mandible of the ape-man Plesianthropus transvaalensis." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 7: 123-127.
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