An Upper Paleolithic Human Mandible and a First Cervical Vertebra from Afontova Gora II

An Upper Paleolithic Human Mandible and a First Cervical Vertebra
from Afontova Gora II

DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2016.44.3.150-157

T.A. Chikisheva¹, S.M. Slepchenko², A.V. Zubova¹, V.S. Slavinsky¹, A.A. Tsybankov¹, N.I. Drozdov¹, and D.N. Lysenko^3
1Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
²Institute of Northern Development, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Malygina 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russia
³OOO “Krasnoyarsk Geoarchaeology”, Pr. Mira 25, bldg. 1, Krasnoyarsk, 660049, Russia

The remains (a mandible and an atlas) of two individuals, from the stratified Upper Paleolithic site Afontova Gora II, dating to 16–12 ka BP, are described. The mandible was from a 14–15-year-old female. Certai n nonmetric traits indicate its anatomical modernity, and the dimensions are closer to those of modern adolescents than to those of Upper Paleolithic individuals of similar age. In com parison, the mandible of the Predmosti-5 female, while being close in biological age, shows a much greater projective length and a higher and wider ramus. Mandibles of Upper Paleolithic children from Sungir are more robust and show a larger intercondylar width and a higher and wider ramus. The modernity of the dimensions of the Afontova Gora mandible may be due to a diachronic tendenc y toward gracilization.The dimensions of the atlas suggest that it belonged to a female aged 20–25. However, the paucity of data on first cervical vertebrae from Upper Paleolithic humans makes it impossible to evaluate the taxonomic status of that find.

Keywords: Mandible, atlas, morphology, Upper Paleolithic, Afontova culture, Afontova Gora II.