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5. NEANDERTHALS IN ALTAI HIGHLAND AND THEIR MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERNS

NEANDERTHALS IN ALTAI HIGHLAND AND THEIR MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERNS

Mednikova Maria

Institute of archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Mednikova Maria, e-mail: medma_pa@mail.ru.

Abstract

Neanderthal remains in Altai are identified in locations subdivided by hundreds of kilometers. The purpose of this study is to considertheir postcranial morphological patterns. Okladnikov Cave. Several specimens shared a combination of archaic and unique characteristics. While the totality of postcranial morphological traits suggests that those humans were Neanderthals, certain archaic traits link them with Homo erectus (Mednikova, 2011a). They were least similar to early anatomically modern humans of the Skhul and Qafzeh group and most similar to Near Eastern Neanderthals such as Tabun C1 and partly Shanidar. Denisova Cave. Recently studied high-quality genome sequence of a woman indicated Neanderthal presence in “home cave” of Denisovans (Prufer et al., 2014). The proximal pedal phalanx of DNA owner from Denisova Cave is broad relative to its height (Mednikova, 2011b). This opposes the Denisova individual to most modern members of the genus Homo. The specimen is even broader and more robust than the phalanges of Neanderthals or early modern humans. The extraordinary inner robusticity of that bone was atypical even for many Neanderthals.A distal phalanx of the left (?) hand of Homo, found in level 12 of Denisova Cave in 2011, resembles Neanderthal phalanges in terms of length, width of apical tuft, and relative flattening, differing from them by a somewhat greater transversal hypertrophy of the shaft (Mednikova, 2013a). Recent finds from Chagyrskaya cave were more “Neanderthal-like”. E.g., based on dimensions, proportions, pathological changes, and indicators of habitual activity of ulnaits owner was apparently a Neanderthal – a robust male similar to certain Near Eastern Neanderthals such as Shanidar (Mednikova, 2013b). Altai caves became homeland for Neanderthals who seemed to be various from morphological point of view. The results can reflect different waves of Neanderthal migration or/and different level of hybridization with another inhabitants of Central Asia, like Denisovans. The study was supported by RFBR ofi-m 13-06-1224.

Keywords

Altai Neanderhals, postcranial morphology, Chagyrskaya, Okladnikov, Denisova caves

Цит.: Mednikova Maria NEANDERTHALS IN ALTAI HIGHLAND AND THEIR MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERNS // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2014; 3/2014; с. 93-93