The Human Fossil Record. Volume 2 Craniodental Morphology of Genus Homo (Africa and Asia)

SALDANHA

(Elandsfontein, Hopefield)

LOCATION
Open-air site some 24 km E of Saldanha Bay, North-
ern Cape, South Africa.

DISCOVERY
K. Jolly and R. Singer, 1953.

MATERIAL

SAM-PQ-EH 1: Calvaria and fragment of R mandibu-

lar ramus.

DATING AND STRATIGRAPHIC CONTEXT
The calvaria was a fragmented surface find, eroded
out of shifting dune sands, with no clear provenance;
mandible found some distance away. Fauna from the
same general site is usually considered to be of Early
Middle Pleistocene aspect (Cooke, 1963; Klein,
1973). Absolute age estimates are guesses, mostly
lying around 0.5 Ma.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT

Stone tools from the same general area said to be Late

Acheulean in aspect (Singer, 1954).

PREVIOUS DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES

First reported by Drennan (1953), who later assigned

the cranial specimen to Homo saldanensis (Drennan,

1955). Close resemblances both to Kabwe and to

Ngandong were noted by Singer (1954). A few years

later this latter author revisited the question. He

rejected Drennan’s new species, and concluded that

both Kabwe and Saldanha represented a distinctive

population that was quite different from the European

Neanderthals (Singer, 1958). Since that time the

Saldanha calvaria has regularly been been likened to

Kabwe. The mandibular fragment was separately re-

ported by Drennan and Singer in 1955. Holloway

(2000) gives a cranial capacity of 1225 ml. for the

calvaria.

MORPHOLOGY

Calotte in fragments, rejoined. Quite heavily weathered.

Braincase large, long, low, and moderately thick

boned; widest posteriorly in suprameatal region. In

side view, a distinct postglabellar plane flows into a

moderate frontal rise that curves smoothly and con-

tinuously to its highest point just behind bregma.

Posterior to bregma, profile curves quite strongly

back and down to lambda. Below lambda, profile is a

little straighter to highest nuchal line, below which is

a shallow but wide horizontal sulcus. Below sulcus,

bone is somewhat posteriorly distended. Occipital

and nuchal planes form an angle at this distension.

Viewed from rear, skull very wide, with walls in-

wardly sloping; curve across top is shallow, smooth,

with a barely perceptible peak at sagittal suture. Seen

from above, skull tapers forward to a distinct but not

exaggerated postorbital constriction; brows curve

strongly and smoothly back from midline (glabella

missing).

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