A comparison of hominin teeth from Lincoln Cave Sterkfontein L63 and Dinaledi Chamber South Africa

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dc.citation.doi10.17159/SAJS.2019/5739en_ZA
dc.citation.issue5-6en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBrophy, J.K.
dc.contributor.authorIrish, J.
dc.contributor.authorChurchill, S.E.
dc.contributor.authorde Ruiter, D.J.
dc.contributor.authorHawks, J.
dc.contributor.authorBerger, L.
dc.date.accessioned2019-10-17T09:08:18Z
dc.date.available2019-10-17T09:08:18Z
dc.date.issued2019-05
dc.description.abstractPrior to the recovery of Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star Cave system, the Middle Pleistocene fossil record in Africa was particularly sparse. With the large sample size now available from Dinaledi, the opportunity exists to reassess taxonomically ambiguous teeth unearthed at the nearby site of Sterkfontein. Teeth recovered from Lincoln Cave South and area L/63 at Sterkfontein have been considered ‘most probably Homo ergaster’ and ‘perhaps Archaic Homo sapiens’, respectively. Given the similarities shared between Lincoln Cave, area L/63, and the Dinaledi Chamber with regard to climatic/geologic depositional context and age, two teeth from the former sites, StW 592 and StW 585 respectively, were compared with corresponding tooth types of H. naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber. The results of our study indicate that the Lincoln Cave and area L/63 teeth are morphologically inconsistent with the variation recognised in the H. naledi teeth. Significance: • The similar age and climatic/geologic depositional and post-depositional circumstances at Lincoln Cave South, area L/63 at Sterkfontein and the Dinaledi Chamber, Rising Star raise the possibility that these fossils might represent the same species. • The teeth StW 592 and StW 585 are not consistent with the variation evident in the known H. naledisample. • The results of the study do not add to the question of the existence of at least two species of the genus Homo living in close proximity to each other in South Africa at approximately the same time.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianSP2019en_ZA
dc.funderThis research was funded by the Summer Stipend Research Fund from Louisiana State University and the University of the Witwatersrand.en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBrophy, J.K. et al. 2019. A comparison of hominin teeth from Lincoln Cave Sterkfontein L63 and Dinaledi Chamber South Africa. South African Journal of Science 115 (5/6), Article number 5739en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0038-2353 (Print)
dc.identifier.issn1996-7489 (Online)
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/28285
dc.journal.titleSOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCEen_ZA
dc.journal.volume115en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherAcademy of Science of South Africaen_ZA
dc.rights© 2019. The Author(s). Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.en_ZA
dc.subjectHomo naledien_ZA
dc.subjectArchaic Homo sapiensen_ZA
dc.subjectRising Star Caveen_ZA
dc.titleA comparison of hominin teeth from Lincoln Cave Sterkfontein L63 and Dinaledi Chamber South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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