Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of text-figures
- List of plates
- List of tables
- Introductory Note
- Foreword
- Editor's Note
- Acknowledgements
- I Introduction
- II Preservation and reconstruction of the cranium
- III The cranial vault
- IV The basis cranii externa
- V Certain critical angles and indices of the cranium
- VI The interior of the calvaria
- VII The thickness of the cranial bones
- VIII The endocranial cast of Zinjanthropus
- IX Metrical characters of the calvaria as a whole
- X The structure of the face
- XI The pneumatisation of the Zinjanthropus cranium
- XII The dental arcade and the palate
- XIII The pattern of dental attrition and occlusion, with comments on enamel hypoplasia
- XIV The size of individual teeth, absolute and relative
- XV The size of the dentition as a whole
- XVI The crown shape index of the teeth
- XVII The morphology of the teeth
- XVIII Summary of cranial and dental features of Zinjanthropus
- XIX The taxonomic status of Zinjanthropus and of the australopithecines in general
- XX The cultural and phylogenetic status of Australopithecus boisei and of the australopithecines in general
- References
- Index of persons
- Index of subjects
- Plate section
XII - The dental arcade and the palate
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of text-figures
- List of plates
- List of tables
- Introductory Note
- Foreword
- Editor's Note
- Acknowledgements
- I Introduction
- II Preservation and reconstruction of the cranium
- III The cranial vault
- IV The basis cranii externa
- V Certain critical angles and indices of the cranium
- VI The interior of the calvaria
- VII The thickness of the cranial bones
- VIII The endocranial cast of Zinjanthropus
- IX Metrical characters of the calvaria as a whole
- X The structure of the face
- XI The pneumatisation of the Zinjanthropus cranium
- XII The dental arcade and the palate
- XIII The pattern of dental attrition and occlusion, with comments on enamel hypoplasia
- XIV The size of individual teeth, absolute and relative
- XV The size of the dentition as a whole
- XVI The crown shape index of the teeth
- XVII The morphology of the teeth
- XVIII Summary of cranial and dental features of Zinjanthropus
- XIX The taxonomic status of Zinjanthropus and of the australopithecines in general
- XX The cultural and phylogenetic status of Australopithecus boisei and of the australopithecines in general
- References
- Index of persons
- Index of subjects
- Plate section
Summary
Although over fifteen partial or complete australopithecine maxillae have thus far been described from Africa, Zinjanthropus is only the second australopithecine specimen to have presented the world with a complete adult maxillary dentition. The first was a fine Australopithecus maxilla from Sterkfontein, Sts 52a. The presence of all sixteen teeth in the alveolar process of the Olduvai specimen, as well as of almost the entire palate, has made possible a very detailed study of the teeth and supporting structures. In the present chapter, the following aspects will be treated: the shape of the dental arcade and related features of the palate; the arrangement of the teeth in the arcade.
The shape of the dental arcade, alveolar process and palate
The maxillary dental arcade of Zinjanthropus presents an evenly arched, parabolic curve (pls. 20 and 29). The incisors and medially-placed canines are arranged in a low arch, extending between the right and left anteriorpremolars. From immediately behind the canines, the premolar–molar series continues with no trace of a diastema. The premolarmolar teeth lie in two slightly diverging rows, which are nearly straight save that the distal ends of the series are somewhat inturned. In other words, the arcade is very similar in shape to those of other australopithecines and of the Homininae (Le Gros Clark, 1955; Robinson, 1956). It differs markedly from the typical pongid pattern, in which the canine and post-canine teeth form approximately straight rows, parallel or even slightly divergent anteriorly, and separated from the anterior teeth by a distinct diastemic interval in the overwhelming majority of instances (Le Gros Clark, 1952b).
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- Information
- Olduvai Gorge , pp. 132 - 138Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1967