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Dmanisi Skull Essay

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The Dmanisi skull 4, also known as D3444 with its mandible D3900, is one of five Homo erectus skulls discovered in Dmanisi, Georgia. Described in a publication in October 2006, it is believed to be about 1.8 million years old. Dmanisi D3444/D3900 is believed to be a Homo erectus adult female with a marked edentulous (toothless) grin. The cranium (D3444) was found first in 2002 and the mandible (D3900) was found later in 2004, immediately adjacent to the spot the cranium was found. The brain has an endocranial capacity of 650 cm. It is difficult to determine if tooth loss was a result of either advancing age or pathology. However, due to substantial bone resorption (bone loss) of both the mandible and maxilla, tooth loss occurred years before death. It is hypothesized that this individual either was able …show more content…

It is quite interesting, because before this discovery, it was thought that the first humans only left Africa 1 million years ago. However, archaeological evidences show that there were already Dmanisi hominids in Dmanisi 1.77 million years ago. It was also thought that the first humans out of Africa were tall, big-brained, and well-developed stone tools. However, the Dmanisi hominids were small, had small brains, and used primitive tools. The Dmanisi also provided paleoanthropologists with a new site to discover. In the exhibit for The Humans Outside of Africa, there were different skull fossils that were studied and categorized as potentially male or female. However, it is also notable that there were fossils (D2700 and D2735) that were examined to be that of an adolescent. Therefore, this provides paleoanthropologists with a basis for studying the Dmanisi hominids on a generational basis, from adolescent to old

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