MELKA KONTOURE (MELKA KUNTUR~~) 173
referred to Homo sp. (Chavaillon et al., 1977), while
the Garba 111 frontal fragment “may be a late H. erec-
tu~” (White, 2000). Clearly, reappraisal of this
heterogeneous assemblage is in order.
MORPHOLOGY
Five cranial fragments, not all from same individual,
plus fragment of R mandibular corpus with dml and
2 in place, alveoli for di2-dc, partial alveolus for 11;
M1 in crypt. Also distal L humerus and distal part of
phalanx (? hominid).
Gombore I1 Specimens
MK 76 GOM II 576 (1). Subtriangular piece of R
frontal that fans out backward from region of zygomatic
process toward coronal suture. Extraordinarily thick
boned, especially over small preserved portion of orbital
cone. No clear differentiation of diploe from outer
tables. Orienting specimen with orbital roof horizontal
posteriorly, frontal presents a long, gently rising frontal
slope from supraorbital region, with little indication of
any posttoral sulcus laterally. Frontal may have been
gently domed more medially. Temporal line thick but
very low; emerges somewhat behind preserved zygo-
matic process; rises only gently as it runs back.
Postorbital constriction was apparently quite marked; R
orbital margin would have been strongly flared laterally.
R frontal lobe terminated well behind what had been
anterior part of orbital cone. Orbital roof appears to
have been vaulted (would thus have cornered back quite
acutely onto anterior surface of supraorbital margin).
Preserved inner table of bone somewhat corrugated;
bears half-dozen small impressions of anterior branches
of middle meningeal artery.
MK 73 GOM I1 6769. Part of parietd, most edges
smooth and rolled, unlike the above, preserving part
of superior sagittal sinus and sagittal suture. There is a
smaller segment of another suture at right angles to
sagittal; probably but not certainly lambdoid suture
(in which case it is L side). Bone very thick, with very
thin inner and outer tables and black diploe
(reminiscent of burned dry bone). Inner surface quite
undulating, bearing many meningeal impressions.
Garba 111 SpecimensMK 78 GAR III 1918. Fragment of cranial vault,
thin boned, weathered, definitely different individual
from any of the above. Rather flat contour.MK 78 GAR III 1919.13. Small cranial fragment
preserving part of a suture. Very thin boned, some
curvature. Not associated with thick fragments.Garba IV SpecimenMK 81 GAR IV (2). Partial subadult R mandibular
corpus with two tooth crowns, preserved from just
lateral to symphysis to anterior root of ramus. Corpus
quite shallow, but thick from side to side. Preserved
lateral symphyseal region is smooth. Internal arc would
have been moderately tight. Inferior margin below dml
is swollen downward into low tubercle. Posterior to
tubercle, inferior margin rises gently up and back; may
have turned down again toward gonial region. Bone
above inferior margin and below dml damaged; must
have been where mental foramen was. Internally there
was apparently a long, fairly steep postincisal plane to at
least halfway down the internal symphysis. Low down,
just posterior to dm2, is a shallow submandibular fossa.
Crowns of R12 and RC still embedded in their
crypts. I1 was probably quite compressed m/d at the
neck. RC was somewhat ovoid. dml has very worn
crown, leaving little morphology; an m/d narrow,
quite deep, lingually oriented, closed off trigonid basin
is indicated. Tooth somewhat ovoid in outline, taper-
ing slightly mesially, where buccal wall was sloping.
Buccally, but not lingually, evidence of root bifurca-
tion far below neck.
dm2 is minimally worn; much longer m/d and
wider b/l than dml. It bears a well-developed trigonid
basin in front of metaconid and protoconid bases;
the basin is enclosed by a somewhat thick, beaded
paracristid. Thin enamel extension from metaconid
flows into middle of basin. Metaconid much taller
than protoconid; its base extends further toward mid-
line of crown. Hypoconid subequal in size to proto-
conid; lies immediately behind it. Entoconid lies
somewhat distal to hypoconid; swells a bit more lin-
gually than protoconid. Hypoconulid small; lies just
buccal to midline of crown; is separated from
hypoconid by distinct notch. Fairly thick cristid
connects hypoconulid and entoconid across occlusal
M-78 GAR III A4- W9 191 7. Very rolled small cranial surface of tooth, truncating fairly large talonid basin
fragment, probably parietal. Different color and obliquely. Another cristid between these two cusps arcs
mineralization from above. Relatively thick boned. along perimeter of crown; encloses a well-developed,