360 AS I A, WEST E KN
alveolar region around it. Overall, in comparable parts,
this element looks like a smaller version of SkhUl V.
Teeth. There are seven isolated teeth numbered N- They are short rooted and too worn for analysis.
Skhiil IV
Quasi-complete skull and skeleton. Calvaria (severely
weathered and partially distorted), lower face, and
crushed mandible are preserved. Burial is on display;
only skull was removed for close examination.
Cranium. Badly crushed, poorly prepared, and
abominably reconstructed, with no effort made to
discriminate reconstruction from original bone.
Bilaterally enough of superciliary area is preserved
to show there was some projection of moderately
thick supraorbital ridges at midpoint of orbit.
Laterally, superciliary area flattens out somewhat.
Frontal starts to rise quite steeply just behind orbital
margins. Temporal lines quite faint. Posterior root
of zygomatic arch originates at anterior margin of
auditory meatus. L mastoid process quite thin
laterally; vertical orientation is difficult to estimate.
Mastoid notch very broad and may have been
carved out during preparation. Virtually no other
morphological detail is preserved on the calvaria,
but general curvature, especially of occiput, appears
to resemble that of Skhiil V.
Lower face has lots of matrix and reconstruction.
Nasal aperture was evidently tall s/i and quite broad.
Faint anterior crest ran from lateral crest (nasal mar-
gin) to fade out toward midline below anterior nasal
spine. Spine was probably prominent and relatively
vertical. Behind this is a narrow shelf and a steep de-
scent toward depressed nasal cavity floor. No medial
projection from lateral nasal wall. On the L is hint of
concha1 crest (may be artifact). Nasoalveolar clivus
very long, slightly forwardly inclined.
Infraorbital neurovascular bundle would have
emerged at about midpoint of orbit. Infraorbital fora-
men points more forward than down. Canine fossa
broad and shallow. Zygoma faces forward and a bit
down. It bulges and thickens laterally below inferior or-
bital margin, bringing zygomatic arch widely out as it
arcs backward. Seen from front, inferior margin of ante-
rior root of zygomatic arch curves smoothly up and out.
Palate very deep, with steep sides and sloping
front. Incisive fossae lie very far forward.
Of upper teeth, RP2 missing, possibly ante-
mortem. Other teeth present but highly worn. LP2 is
rotated out of normal alignment. Cs lack lingual em-
bellishment. P1 larger than P2. Ms decrease in size
from M1-3. Ml and M2 have modest hypocones. M2
lacks talon basin. M3 has a constricted trigon basin
and no hypocone.Mandible. Crushed, but with all teeth except LM3.
Corpus quite deep throughout, but front of jaw is quite
narrow overall. As in SkhUl V, there is a retromolar
space; the mental foramen lies under Ml; externally
there is some bulging of alveolar margin between
P1-I1 on L (missing on R), but no true subalveolar
depression. In midline is a tall, narrow, smoothly
contoured, teardrop-shaped mound. Ramus thins out
posteriorly. Gonial region angled but not inflected.
Internally, there is some pterygoid roughening, but
very low down. Mandibular foramen has been
modified. Most mandibular teeth are heavily worn or
damaged. RC has no lingual development. P2 larger
than P1. Pls have enclosed anterior and posterior
foveae. Ms decrease in size from M1-3.Skhiil v
Fairly complete skull, although extensively recon-
structed, missing most of midfacial and subnasal re-
gions (but preserving R and L zygomatic regions and
maxilla), part of adjacent L orbital and glabellar
region, L pterygoid plates, some of adjacent L parietal
and squamosal, parts of both mastoid processes, part
of R occipital near foramen magnum, and anterior as-
pect of foramen magnum, including most of both
condyles. Upper tooth row complete, although only
RI1-2 and LI1 are not set in bone; all teeth quite
worn. Heavily reconstructed mandible missing sub-
alveolar region under anterior teeth, most of corpus
under region of RC-P2, part of R ramus, and some of
posterior gonial margin on both sides. No RP1. All
teeth very worn; R and LI1-12s switched. Often diffi-
cult to tell reconstruction from actual bone. Bone also
bears scarring all over from poor preparation; the
exterior surface is extensively chipped and modeled.
Interior surface inaccessible and apparently largely
covered by reconstruction material.Cranium. Neurocranium fairly long, moderately
rounded, with good frontal and parietal eminences. In
profile, the somewhat tall frontal rises almost vertically
from the relatively long, sloping postglabellar plane and
curves up and back broadly and smoothly to the highest
point (above mastoid region), after which it curves
down somewhat steeply. Region of glabella is bar-like,