The Sambungmacan 3 Homo erectus calvaria: a comparative morphometric and morphological analysis

Area of Science:

• Paleoanthropology
• Human Evolution
• Biometric Analysis

Background:

• The Sambungmacan 3 (Sm 3) calvaria, discovered in Java, is a significant fossil for understanding human evolution.
• Its illegal removal and reappearance in the commercial market highlight the need for secure fossil management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the phylogenetic and systematic position of the Sm 3 calvaria.
• To analyze its morphological characteristics using advanced quantitative methods.

Main Methods:

• Geometric morphometrics applied to sagittal plane landmarks.
• Comparative morphological analysis with Homo erectus and archaic/modern human crania.
• Principal component and canonical discriminant analyses for shape variation.

Main Results:

• Sm 3 exhibits an intermediate position between Homo erectus and modern human groups in morphometric analyses.
• Morphological comparisons show greatest similarity to Ngandong and Sm 1 Homo erectus specimens.
• Distinctive features include a vertical supratoral plane and less projecting glabella, with some resemblances to modern humans.

Conclusions:

• The Sm 3 calvaria occupies an intermediate evolutionary position.
• Its features suggest it may be a female specimen, possibly reflecting individual or local populational variation.
• Geometric morphometrics is a valuable tool for statistically analyzing fossil shapes and evolutionary relationships.