SKHUL 363
Lower Dentition. Only tooth not present is RP1.
Teeth worn very flat; wear on Mls may have been
exaggerated during preparation. Occlusal surface rises
anteriorly along tooth row, as in upper teeth; much of
root is exposed. As there are no signs of periodontitis,
this suggests that there was continuing tooth eruption
as crowns were worn down.
Lingual surfaces of Is and even Cs worn. P1
crowns supported by very small roots; bear some lin-
gual swelling. In Ms, M3 is large, m/d long; there is
less size disparity between M1 and M2 than in up-
pers. Ml-3 all preserve five cusps. M1 and M2 about
same size; M3 is slightly smaller.
Skhiil VI
Cranial, mandibular, and postcranial fragments.
Cranium. Broken occipital and R mastoid region,
plus a few indeterminate fragments and a partial L
mandible. Extremely broad cranium; bone very thick.
Nuchal region more excavated than in SkhUl V.
Parietomastoid suture (and mastoid region below) not
elongate as in SkhUl V (thus parietal notch closer to
end of temporal bone). Blunt, stubby, not heavily
pneumati-cized mastoid process thicker, more vertical,
and bears an anterior mastoid tubercle lying almost
level with inferior margin of auditory meatus. Meatus
quite large. Suprameatal crest of good size. Mastoid
notch apparently deep and narrow; may have been
carved out by preparator. Notch joined medially by a
rather large occipitomastoid crest. Crest probably ran
along the suture, judging by the internal surface
(suture is not visible externally). Nuchal crest not well
marked except by some scalloping below it. External
occipital pro-tuberance was probably present. Petrosal
broken internally and not highly pneumaticized.
Mundible. Partial L half (N 7374). Heavily
reconstructed. Reportedly has P1-M3, but the only
teeth appropriately associated are M2 and M3. M1 is
actually RM1; P1 and 2 are not emplaced in bone. As
in SkhUl V, corpus is thick m/l below M2 and M3,
thinning markedly posteriorly; a concavity in lower
corpus edge lies behind this thickening. Anterior
border of ramus appears to have risen very vertically;
retromolar space present; condyle broadens sym-
metrically from thin neck and posterior ramal border;
sigmoid notch runs to lateral extremity of condyle;
M3 is m/d long and b/l narrow; M2 and 3 have five
cusps. Fissures between M3 cusps quite deep; some
slight enamel wrinkling is preserved.Skhiil WI
Cranium. Various cranial fragments, partial
mandible, some postcranials. Small individual. Among
best preserved bits are N 7407, which includes lateral
part of R orbit and parietal/sphenoid region behind,
plus part of L temporal with articular fossa, damaged
external auditory meatus, and part of parietal. Lateral
part of orbit is badly prepared and carved up; laterally
are traces of a brow ridge that, as in SkhUl V and VI,
was apparently not bipartite. Posterior root of zygo-
matic arch probably originated above auditory meatus.
Suprameatal crest large. Articular fossa was large.
Petrosal not highly pneumaticized; not displaced from
cranial wall internally.Mandible (N 7407). Very damaged, heavily recon-
structed. Retains M1-3 bilaterally, all heavily worn.
M3s were quite elongate and, as in SkhUl V and VI,
bore five cusps (i.e., have heel). Corpus relatively
shallow, and probably thinned behind M3. No sign
of a concavity on lower margin below anterior border
of ramus, but this could have been carved off.
Retromolar space was substantial. Ramus rose very
vertically. Internal surface badly carved.Skhiil IX
Calotte with facial fragment. Surface of bone appears
“whittled” (bad preparation?); virtually all surface
detail lacking; apparent details not to be trusted. R
frontal has now been reconstructed to be more arcuate
than originally thought. Cranium was distorted and
damaged by a massive blow to L side, which left an
enormous hole. Reconstructed areas have been col-
ored to look like original; entire specimen is covered
with shellac. In current condition of the specimen, it
would be unwise to trust either the fine detail of the
calotte or its general outlines. A detached facial frag-
ment consists of superior margin of R orbit, with
glabella, plus a portion of R maxilla with partial nasal
process. Again, this is heavily reconstructed, and it is
unclear how much bony contact there is between
elements.
Brow ridges are uniformly thick (not bipartite),
rounded, and confluent with preserved part of
glabella. Long, shallow supratoral sulcus flows into an
apparently sloping frontal. Preserved nasal margin
suggests nasal aperture was rather small, with a medial
projection within it.