First Advisor

Marc R. Feldesman

Term of Graduation

Winter 2001

Date of Publication

2-23-2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Anthropology

Department

Anthropology

Language

English

Subjects

Extremities (Anatomy), Physical anthropology, Neanderthals

Physical Description

1 online resource (v, 84 pages)

Abstract

The oldest, and most intractable, problem in paleoanthropology is "What happened to the Neandertals?" Were they replaced by anatomically modern humans, or did they evolve into anatomically modern humans? The two models that currently express these opposing views are regional continuity and replacement, Craniometric studies have not resolved the problem, and DNA studies are still in their infancy. However, limb proportions may provide a solution through analysis of variance.

Humans, like other homeothermic species, respond to ecogeographical pattering in their limb proportions. Allen's (1877) Rule predicts Neandertals should have shorter limbs, in order to conserve heat, than groups from lower latitudes or warmer climates. Regional continuity predicts that anatomically modern humans from the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP), the period immediately after the Neandertals, should also have shorter limbs. Although humans are highly variable species, limb proportion differences between these groups should not be significant.

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparison procedures were used to test for differences between these and other human groups. Nine ecogeographically significant variables, in eleven temporo-spatial groups of fossil and recent humans, were tested by one-way fixed affects ANOVA and multiple comparison procedures. Four of the nine variables showed significant differences between Neandertals and the earliest anatomically modern humans in Europe, contrary to the regional continuity model. Although fossil sample sizes in this critical time period are small, robust statistical procedures invalidate the regional continuity model. The most likely scenario then becomes replacement of Neandertals by anatomically modern humans from a warmer climate.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45344

Download

Share

COinS