386 ASIA, WESTERN
Palate broad, steep sided at Ms, sloping at front.
Incisive foramen large and ovoid. Medial and lateral
pterygoid plates converge on maxillary tuberosity,
which is very close to M3.
Internally, there is a strong, tall frontal crest. Ap-
pears that frontal lobes came fairly far forward over
orbital cones and were separated by a wide, deep de-
pression in the region of the missing cribriform plate.
R transverse sinus is much larger than the L, and
appears to have diverged higher. Sigmoid sinuses are
deep and run behind and below petrosals. They appar-
ently did not cross the parietomastoid suture. L
petrosal is fairly broad, and both petrosals have a very
low, broad rise in the region of the arcuate eminence.
Subarcuate fossa appears closed over.
Anterior teeth heavily worn; cheek teeth moderately
worn. 11s were longer m/d and more spatulate than 12s.
Judging from R canine, crown of this tooth was small
but longer m/d than the premolars. In general, the cheek
teeth appear small. As seen on the R, P1 is slightly larger
than P2, especially on buccal side m/d. P1 is longer m/d
on buccal side than lingually. P2 shows less disparity. On
both premolars, protocone apex was slightly mesial to
paracone apex; it appears on P1 that paracone and pro-
tocone were more peripherally placed than in P2, with a
wider basin between. As seen on the L, M1 and 2 are
subsquare and subequal in size, with large, distally ex-
panded hypocones; M3 is very small and lacks hypocone
region development altogether. On M1, hypocone is also
slightly more lingually distended than on M2; on both
teeth a large protocone is slightly mesially positioned
opposite the large paracone. Appears that protocone on
M1 and 2 was internally placed, thereby truncating
trigon basin. On both M1 and 2, metacone is much
smaller than paracone, and lies close to it; also, a thick,
probably beaded postcingulum descends from distal side
of metacone to hypocone, enclosing a small basin. M3 is
very rounded buccally and lingually, and is longest m/d
close to its buccal side. The large protocone lies opppo-
site the smaller and peripherally placed paracone; the
basin between these cusps is thickly wrinkled.
Mandible. Lightly built, s/i short, and m/l thin
corpora are very slightly taller in the symphyseal
region than at M3s. In profile, symphyseal region
straight, slopes down and back, but roots of anterior
teeth curve anteriorly over bone below, and crowns are
angled back on them. From above, symphyseal region
broadly arced across; bone of region is essentially
featureless except around tooth roots. From below,bone is uniformly thick across symphyseal region and
slightly thinner than bone behind. Postincisal plane
curves down to small genial tubercle flanked by small
pits, with slightly thickened bone below. There is a
very slight upward inflection of the inferior margin of
the symphyseal region around the region of the m/l
wide, short a/p, deep and backwardly facing digastric
fossae, separated by a small peak of bone. No inferior
marginal tubercles. Two small mental foramina on the
R, below P2 and P2-Ml. Anterior root of ramus
takes origin well behind M3, and curves back and
then forward to form a preangular notch and a long
retromolar space. Coronoid process as indicated on
the L was large and long a/p, and probably subequal
in height with condyle (L condyle broken, R missing).
Sigmoid notch was apparently deepest posteriorly at
base of condyle. Sigmoid notch crest apparently ran to
middle of condyle. External gonial surface is smooth.
Gonial curvature is difficult to determine because of
breakage, but angle is inwardly inflected. A large
medial pterygoid tubercle lies high up, with rugosities
below. L mandibular foramen is slightly incomplete,
with mylohyoid groove beneath. R mandibular fora-
men compressed; opens posteriorly with no lingula.
Mylohyoid line slopes only slightly downward, with
large submandibular fossa beneath.
Lower anterior teeth heavily worn; cheek teeth mod-
erately. 12s were longer m/d and more flaring distally than
11s. Canines were apparently longer m/d than Pls, and
flared more mesially than distally. P1 is much longer m/d
than P2, especially buccally: the latter is much wider b/l.
On P1 is a small lingual swelling opposite the protoconid,
with grooves on either side. In occlusal outline, P1 is
roundedly triangular and apparently had a lingual notch
on mesial side of tubercle. Distolingual corner of P2
markedly distended lingually. Ml and M2 subequal in
size, and much larger than M3. Ml and M2 relatively
narrow b/l and long m/d, with fairly large hypoconulids
that lie slightly buccal to midline of tooth. As seen on the
R, M2 hypoconid extends across midline of crown. On
M1 and 2, protoconid and metaconid lie opposite one
another, while the entoconid lies slightly distal to
hypoconid. Relatively little worn LM3 is ovoid, and pre-
serves a small trigonid and distinct crests running from
protoconid and metaconid into trigonid basin.Tabun I1 Mandible (BMNH RM 47.H856)
Relatively large, robust mandible, lacking only L
condyle and part of symphysis, which has been
reconstructed.