ARCH 112 CHAPTER 4

Occipital

Occipital

Area at the rear of the skull.

prognathous

the quality of having a forward-thrusting lower face

supraorbital torus

a continuous ridge of bone above and across the eye orbits

Calvarium

The top part of a skull, lacking the lower jaw (mandible) and facial bones

Handaxe:

Bifacially chipped, symmetrical stone tool associated with Homo erectus populations in Africa and Europe. The oldest _s have been found in Africa and date to 1.76 million years ago in Kenya.

Glacier:

A massive body of ice that, through a number of processes, can expand and actually move.

Pleistocene Epoch

Geological epoch beginning about 2.6 million years ago and, perhaps, ending about 10,000 years ago. Marked by a succession of colder periods (glacials) interrupted by warmer periods (interglacials).

Holocene Epoch:

The recent and current geological epoch. The _ followed the Pleistocene and may represent a break with that glacial epoch.

Glacial:

Period of ice advance during the Pleistocene.

Stadial

Short period of increased glaciation. Stadials can occur during either glacials or interglacials and are separated by interstadials.

Interstadial:

Short periods during glacials when temperature increased and glaciers receded.

Interglacial:

Period during the Pleistocene when temperature ameliorated.

Acheulean Handaxe:

Bifacially flaked, teardrop-shaped all-purpose handaxe dating to as much as 1.76 million years ago in Africa. There and after about 1.0 million years ago in Europe,the handaxe was manufactured by members ofthe species Homo erectus.

Acheulean Tradition

The stone-tool tradition is associated with Homo erectus. The best-known Acheulean tool type is the symmetrical handaxe, now dating back to 1.76 million years ago at the Kokiselei site in Kenya. Handaxes were multipurpose tools— the Swiss Army rocks of the Paleolithic.

Cortex

The exterior surface or rind of a core, usually removed in the process of stone-tool manufacturing.

Preform:

Partially worked core, flake, or blade.

Tibia:

The larger of the two long bones making up the lower leg. The shin bone.

Microcephaly:

A congenital condition characterized by a very small head and incomplete development of the brain.

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography:

technique for producing a three dimensional virtual image

Altricial

The condition of being born at an immature stage of development. The term is used here to describe hominin species both ancient and modern.

Secondarily Altricial:

Human infants are born at an advanced—precocial— state in terms of sensory and brain development, but at an immature and dependent—altricial — state physically.

Neoteny

Literally means “holding on to youth.” The cranial morphology of modern adult human beings is more similar to that of subadult chimpanzees than it is to adults of that ape species. Compared to chimps, therefore, we exhibit neotony.