Cranial Form of the Hofmeyr Skull: Comparative 3D Geometric Morphometrics

Abstract

Statistical shape analysis (geometric morphometrics) is used to compare cranial form among a worldwide sample of recent humans and fossil humans from Africa, Europe, and Asia. We show that evolutionary changes in cranial size had a major impact on cranial shape. We identify the morphology of the Late Pleistocene Hofmeyr skull from South Africa as typical of the population from which the Eurasian Upper Paleolithic modern humans descended. Moreover, we show that in addition to the Hofmeyr skull several Middle and Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens fossils resemble the Khoesan from South Africa when differences in cranial size are considered.