Publications [#337876] of Herman Pontzer

Journal Articles

1. Lordkipanidze, D; Jashashvili, T; Vekua, A; Ponce de León, MS; Zollikofer, CPE; Rightmire, GP; Pontzer, H; Ferring, R; Oms, O; Tappen, M; Bukhsianidze, M; Agusti, J; Kahlke, R; Kiladze, G; Martinez-Navarro, B; Mouskhelishvili, A; Nioradze, M; Rook, L, Postcranial evidence from early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia., Nature, vol. 449 no. 7160 (September, 2007), pp. 305-310 [doi]
   (last updated on 2024/04/23)

   Abstract:
   The Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi, Georgia, has yielded a rich fossil and archaeological record documenting an early presence of the genus Homo outside Africa. Although the craniomandibular morphology of early Homo is well known as a result of finds from Dmanisi and African localities, data about its postcranial morphology are still relatively scarce. Here we describe newly excavated postcranial material from Dmanisi comprising a partial skeleton of an adolescent individual, associated with skull D2700/D2735, and the remains from three adult individuals. This material shows that the postcranial anatomy of the Dmanisi hominins has a surprising mosaic of primitive and derived features. The primitive features include a small body size, a low encephalization quotient and absence of humeral torsion; the derived features include modern-human-like body proportions and lower limb morphology indicative of the capability for long-distance travel. Thus, the earliest known hominins to have lived outside of Africa in the temperate zones of Eurasia did not yet display the full set of derived skeletal features.