New Observations on the Human Fossils from Petit-Puymoyen (Charente).

Abstract

The site of Petit-Puymoyen has yielded several Neandertal fossils as well as Mousterian stone tools. The anatomy of the PPm1 mandible has been the subject of comment in the past because it has been described as showing a combination of primitive and derived features. Examination of the original fossil confirms the presence of some individual chin elements on the external aspect of the symphysis and superior and inferior transverse tori on the internal aspect. However, this specimen can be comfortably accommodated within the known Neandertal range of variation. Both the PPm1 and PPm3 mandibles show a more modest degree of midfacial prognathism than most Neandertals. In addition, the PPm3 individual possesses a P3 which shows multiple roots. While a division of the pulp chamber can occasionally be found in Neandertal specimens, complete separation of the roots, as in PPm3, has not been reported in any other Neandertal individual, and represents a primitive feature only rarely found in specimens attributed to the genus Homo. A previously unpublished fragment of human occipital bone also was recognized within the sample of human fossils from the site. The presence of unfused sutures and the low thickness values for the bone suggest it represents a late adolescent or young adult individual. The presence of a suprainiac fossa suggests Neandertal affinities for this specimen.