A new early Holocene human skeleton from Brazil: implications for the settlement of the New World

Author(s)

Alves Neves, Walter ; Okumura, Maria Mercedes M. ; González-José, Rolando ; Figuti, Levy ; Eggers, Sabine ; Blasis, Paulo Antonio Dantas de ; Hubbe, Mark Oliver Rohrig ^[7]

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Human Evolution; v. 48, n. 4, p. 403-411, Apr. 2005.
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology

Abstract

Increasing skeletal evidence from the U.S.A., Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil strongly suggests that the first settlers in the Americas had a cranial morphology distinct from that displayed by most late and modern Native Americans. The Paleoamerican morphological pattern is more generalized and can be seen today among Africans, Australians, and Melanesians. Here, we present the results of a comparative morphological assessment of a late Paleoindian/early archaic specimen from Capelinha Burial II, southern Brazil. The Capelinha skull was compared with samples of four Paleoindian groups from South and Central America and worldwide modern groups from W.W. Howells' studies. In both analyses performed (classical morphometrics and geometric morphometrics), the results show a clear association between Capelinha Burial II and the Paleoindians, as well as Australians, Melanesians, and Africans, confirming its Paleoamerican status. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 98/14254-2 - The Human Genome Research Center
• Grantee: Mayana Zatz
• Support type: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 99/00670-7 - Origins and microevolution of man in the Americas: a paleoantrhopological approach
• Grantee: Walter Alves Neves
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 99/12684-2 - Archaeological and geophysical investigations in fluvial sambaquis of the Valley of the Ribeira de Iguape, State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Levy Figuti
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants