title: Peştera cu Oase 2 and the cranial morphology of early modern Europeans.
abstract: Between 2003 and 2005, the Peştera cu Oase, Romania yielded a largely complete early modern human cranium, Oase 2, scattered on the surface of a Late Pleistocene hydraulically displaced bone bed containing principally the remains of Ursus spelaeus. Multiple lines of evidence indicate an age of approximately 40.5 thousand calendar years before the present (approximately 35 ka 14C B.P.). Morphological comparison of the adolescent Oase 2 cranium to relevant Late Pleistocene human samples documents a suite of derived modern human and/or non-Neandertal features, including absence of a supraorbital torus, subrectangular orbits, prominent canine fossae, narrow nasal aperture, level nasal floor, angled and anteriorly oriented zygomatic bones, a high neurocranium with prominent parietal bosses and marked sagittal parietal curvature, superiorly positioned temporal zygomatic root, vertical auditory porous, laterally bulbous mastoid processes, superiorly positioned posterior semicircular canal, absence of a nuchal torus and a suprainiac fossa, and a small occipital bun. However, these features are associated with an exceptionally flat frontal arc, a moderately large juxtamastoid eminence, extremely large molars that become progressively larger distally, complex occlusal morphology of the upper third molar, and relatively anteriorly positioned zygomatic arches. Moreover, the featureless occipital region and small mastoid process are at variance with the large facial skeleton and dentition. This unusual mosaic in Oase 2, some of which is paralleled in the Oase 1 mandible, indicates both complex population dynamics as modern humans dispersed into Europe and significant ongoing human evolution once modern humans were established within Europe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Campus Box 1114, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. hrougier@artsci.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rougier
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Milota
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gherase
authors.forename: Laurentiu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sarcina
authors.forename: Oana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Moldovan
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zilhão
authors.forename: Silviu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Constantin
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Franciscus
authors.forename: Christoph P E
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Zollikofer
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponce de León
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trinkaus
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005060:Europe; D005580:Fossils; D006801:Humans; D010163:Paleontology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012383:Romania; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*