Anatomically modern humans: term usually used to describe the first members of Homo sapiens; their appearance was characterized by smaller faces, higher and more rounded crania, more lightly built skeletons and behavioral flexibility (i.e. Skhul 5).

Australopithecines- any species of the genus Australopithecus that lived in East and South Africa about 4.2 to 2.5 million years ago (i.e., Australopithecus afarensis).

Bipedality- habitual upright walking on two hind legs.

Breccia- blocks of sandy sediment and fossils cemented together.

Calvarium- the cranium without the face.

Cast- a reproduction of the details of a natural object (fossil) done by casting plaster into a mold.

Coronal plane- the plane that splits the body into front and back halves.

Cranium- the skull without the lower jaw.

Diastema- the space between teeth in a jaw; esp. where opposing canine fits.

Encephalization- the process of brain enlargement.

Foramen magnum- the opening in the skull through which the spinal cord passes (if it is positioned toward the center of the skull, that is an indication of bipedalism).

Fossil- a remnant or impression of an organism that has been preserved in the earthís crust.

Frontal bone- skull bone making up the forehead and upper parts of the eye sockets.

Hominin- Sub-family which includes modern humans and their ancestors and relatives since divergence from ape lineage (non-apes only).

Hominidae- Family which includes African apes (chimpanzees and gorillas) and humans.

Hominoidea- Super-family which includes humans and apes.

Mandible- lower jaw.

Maxilla- upper jaw.

Megadonts- hominin radiation of robust australopithecines with big teeth.

Metopic ridge- a ridge on the forehead between the two halves of the frontal bones.

Multiregional evolution hypothesis- theory that modern humans evolved in different parts of the world at around the same time.

Occipital bone- The bone that forms the rear bottom of the skull.

Occipital bun- a swelling of bone at the back of the skull on the occipital bone.

Out of Africa hypothesis- theory that modern humans originated recently in Africa (~150,000 ñ 200,000 years ago).

Paleoanthropology- the study of the physical and behavioral aspects of humans in prehistory.

Parietal bones- the left and right side bones joined at the top of the skull by the sagittal suture.

Phylogeny- a branching diagram that shows the ancestral relations among species.

Postcranium- the skeleton without the skull.

Prognathism- the jutting forward of the face and jaw.

Reconstruction- the re-building of a fossil specimen based on scientific knowledge or fossil evidence.

Sagittal crest- ridge at the midline of the skull for the attachment of temporalis muscles (i.e., robust australopithecines).

Sagittal plane- plane that splits body into right and left halves.

Sexual dimorphism- differences in size or shape between the males and females of a species.

Supraorbital torus- bony brow ridge; prominent in H. erectus, Neanderthals and some australopithecines.

Temporal bones- bones at the sides and base of the skull which contain the middle and inner ear.

Type specimen- a specimen or individual that is designated as representing the characteristics of that species.

Valgus angle- the angle that the femur makes with the midline of the body; indicates bipedalism.

Zygomatic arches- cheek bones (big cheekbones indicate big chewing muscles that pass through them, i.e., megadonts).

HOME