nuchal crest. Entire nuchal plane is rather featureless;
no medial crest or lateral depressions, although asym-
metric low eminences are present bilaterally.
Lambdoid suture narrow and tall; peaks at
lambda. No anterior lambdoid suture. Occipital plane
slightly swollen. Juncture of occipital and nuchal
planes angled (no pronounced occipital torus); nuchal
plane notably undercuts juncture. Rather than dip-
ping down toward midline in a bow shape, region of
superior nuchal is horizontal and oriented straight
across midsection of occiput, curving forward as faint
muscle scars that partially delineat a pair of broad,
shallow, scallop-shaped depressions. No trace of an
external occipital crest or an external occipital protu-
berance.
Foramen magnum is fairly long a/p, narrow. Pre-
served L occipital condyle is tiny, very far forward on
foramen; lies opposite mastoid process. Basiocciput
short and very broad. Alae of vomer lie up against
sphenooccipital synchondrosis. Medial and lateral
pterygoid plates are missing bilaterally but would have
been very tall and vertical s/i. On the L, medial and
lateral plates would have been confluent at maxillary
tuberosity. On the R, they may have stayed separate at
cranial base.
Palate very deep, with steep sides; lots of bone
posterior to M3s. Difficult to say exactly how much
original bone is preserved in palate, but probably quite
a lot; some bone is showing through areas of plaster.
Externally, anterior root of zygomatic arch is low, but
extensive a/p; it lies under M1 and 2 bilaterally (no
asymmetry here).
Mandible. Corpus deep, very narrow from side to
side, especially anteriorly. There is a distinct, teardrop-
shaped swelling in symphyseal region in midline and
above the dp thinner inferior margin (but no mental
trigon, central keel, mental tubercles). Above this
swelling is a slight subalveolar depression caused by an
overhanging of the symphyseal region by anteriorly
arcing anterior tooth roots (some of this may be
exaggerated by reconstruction). Postincisal plane was
apparently quite vertical, descending to a relatively
broad genial pit that is embraced from below by a rather
s/i tall, but not very wide, thickening of bone just above
the inferior margin. Below this thickening lie
moderately well-excavated, somewhat posteriorly
pointing digastric fossae that are separated at the
midline of inferior margin by a posteriorly peaking
elevation of bone. Seen from below, mandible is almost
V shaped. Also from below, bone of symphyseal region
is thickest in midline (in region of mound but not at
inferior margin); behind, bone of corpora is thinner. In
profile, there is a small concavity in the inferior margin
of the mandible below M3 and back to under center of
the coronoid process. Bilaterally, bone is swollen just
above the anterior margins of these concavities. Ramus
is extremely vertical; it is narrow a/p, especially infe-
riorly. Distinct retromolar space is present. Coronoid
process is very tall s/i, short a/p, and prominent. Process
is as tall as condyle. In rear view, condyles have distinctly
convex superior profile and flare out bilaterally from the
posterior rim of ramus. On both sides, the sigmoid
notch crest runs up to the lateral extremity of condyle.
Greatest depth of sigmoid notch lies either at midpoint
or just posterior to it. Gonial angle tapers to nothing
(lacks ridge along border). On the L, gonial region
inflects outward; on the R, inward. Impossible to tell if
asymmetry is natural or due to reconstruction or
distortion. Little masseter scarring on external surface of
rami. Mandibular foramen large and square; lies above
occlusal plane (well above on L). Internally, a thick
internal alveolar crest rises from behind M3 and
continues posteriorly as crest that runs right up center of
coronoid process; another crest courses from it from
above the mandibular foramen to the condyle. There
was probably no lingula. No mylohyoid line.Upper Dentition. All teeth present; quite worn,
especially from Is to Mls. Some polish-like wear on
lingual surface of Is (may or may not have been
shoveled; some hint of former shoveling on 12s). Cs
appear to have been slenderly rooted. Both Pls have
double roots on buccal side. Cheek teeth were quite
large. Most crown morphology removed by flat wear.
Paracones and protocones were apparently closer
together on P1 and slightly further apart on P2.
Extensive interstitial wear between P2 and M1. M2s
markedly smaller than Mls, and M3s markedly
smaller than M2s (thus marked size decrease
MI-M3). Diminution in size is due to miniatur-
ization of entire tooth (not just to diminution of
metacone and hypocone regions, as is typical of Homo
sapiens). M1 protocone is quite far lingually dis-
placed. Distally, the hypocone region is more swollen
than metacone. M2s have rather small hypocone
regions. M2 paracone distended (probably due to
hyperamelogenesis in parastylar region). M3s have
sizeable hypocones. LM3 has bilobed enamel
excrescences in parastylar region.