Steinheim skull

Steinheim skull
Original skull and holotype of the obsolete "H. steinheimensis"
Common nameSteinheim skull
SpeciesNeanderthal or Homo heidelbergensis
Age300,000 years
Place discoveredGermany
Date discovered24 July 1933
Replica of the Steinheim skull. Note that the skull's brow ridges and slope of the forehead are not visible from this front angle.

The Steinheim skull is a fossilized skull of a Homo neanderthalensis[1] or Homo heidelbergensis found on 24 July 1933 near Steinheim an der Murr, Germany.[2]

It is estimated to be between 250,000 and 350,000 years old. The skull is slightly flattened and has a cranial capacity between 950 and 1280 cc.[3] Sometimes referred to as Homo steinheimensis in older literature, the original fossil is housed in the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany. Some believe that the Steinheim skull may have belonged to an adult female due to its gracile nature.[4]

  1. ^ Stringer, Chris (2016-07-05). "The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 371 (1698). doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0237. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 4920294. PMID 27298468.
  2. ^ "Steinheim skull | hominin fossil". Retrieved 2015-09-04.
  3. ^ Prossinger, Hermann; Seidler, Horst; Wicke, Lothar; Weaver, Dave; Recheis, Wolfgang; Stringer, Chris; Müller, Gerd B. (2003). "Electronic removal of encrustations inside the Steinheim cranium reveals paranasal sinus features and deformations, and provides a revised endocranial volume estimate". The Anatomical Record. 273B (1): 132–42. doi:10.1002/ar.b.10022. PMID 12833273.
  4. ^ "Homo heidelbergensis - Australian Museum". australianmuseum.net.au. Retrieved 2015-09-04.