The premaxilla in Neandertal and early modern children: ontogeny and morphology
Abstract
This comparative study of maxillae in Neandertals, Qafzeh, and extant children examines two specific traits: the premaxillary suture (sutura incisiva) and the interincisive sinuses, proposing a new hypothesis about some features of the Neandertal mid-face. Morphologic study of the premaxillary suture at its different borders (i.e. the nasal aspect of the frontal process, nasal and palatal aspects of the palatal process of the maxilla) indicates a persistence of the suture among very young Neandertal children in comparison to the condition in extant ones. This suggests a longer independence of some parts of the premaxilla in Neandertals. To further examine this possibility, CT scans of two Neandertal children were analyzed: Roc de Marsal, estimated to be about 3 years, and Engis 2, estimated to be about 5-6 years. The results are quite different between the fossils. In the older, the premaxillary suture is represented only by a deep groove. In the younger it extends deep to the surface of the nasal process reaching the Parinaud's canal. Synostosis of the premaxillary suture was found to occur later in Neandertal children than in modern ones. Moreover, we observed the existence of two interincisive sinuses in the fossil children, whereas this is rare in modern children (present on only 2% of our sample of 0-6 year-old infants, n = 247). Persistence of an open premaxillary suture represents the potential for an extended period of growth of the Neandertal mid-face. Although no trace of the premaxillary suture remains in adult Neandertals, Neandertals present many features classically considered as consequences of this persistence. The two interincisive sinuses could be a consequence of the labio-lingual diameter of the incisors. The results presented here can be further investigated by additional studies on the cranial sutural system and by precise morphologic observations and CT scans of the mid-face of a larger sample of fossil children.
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Prognathism is significantly reduced in anatomically modern humans compared to Neanderthals.
“It is well-established that prognathism is significantly reduced in our species [19, 20].”
From Self-domestication in Homo sapiens: Insights from comparative genomics (2017) · cites this paper as [20]
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- Authors
- Maureille, B., & Bar, D.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- ORCID
- Maureille, Bruno
- Venue
- Journal of Human Evolution
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1999-08
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 137-152
- ISSN
- 0047-2484 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2009222617
- Cited by
- 54
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 7.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Human Evolution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Geometry and Topology › Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Keywords
- premaxilla, ontogeny, cranial sutures, maxilla, craniofacial morphology
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Animals, Bone Development, Child, Child, Preschool, Biological Evolution, Fetus, Fossils, Humans, Maxilla, Osteogenesis, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Hominidae
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