RT Journal Article
T1 A Late Pleistocene human pedal phalanx from the Pinnacle Point PP5-6N Rock-Shelter, Western Cape Province, South Africa
A1 Pablos Fernández, Adrián
A1 Grine, Frederick E.
A1 Cleghorn, Naomi
A1 Elmes, Katherine
A1 Mongle, Carrie S.
A1 Marean, Curtis W.
AB ObjectivesThis study provides the description and comparative morphometric analysis of a non-hallucial distal pedal phalanx (PP 654270) excavated from near the base of the LBSR Stratigraphic Aggregate in the Pinnacle Point PP5-6N rock-shelter. It derives from a thin combustion feature (probably an in situ hearth) at the contact of two major stratigraphic aggregates, the transition of which has a modeled age range of 91.9–86.0 ka, which places this fossil in MIS 5b.Material and MethodThis phalanx (PP 654270) is assessed as representing a distal phalanx probably from the right side of Ray II or III. This bone adds to the very meager sample of pedal phalanges from the late Pleistocene of southern Africa. We compared the metric variables of this phalanx to several fossil and recent Homo samples.ResultsThe bone has a comparatively thin cortex and a diffuse trabecular network in the proximal and especially the distal ends. The phalanx is long, narrow, and relatively gracile in comparison to Neandertal homologues.DiscussionThe phalanx PP 654270 displays similarities with penecontemporaneous Eurasian Middle Paleolithic and recent modern humans, although it tends to be comparatively long for Ray II and III homologues in these samples.
PB Wiley
YR 2025
FD 2025-06-28
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124611
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124611
LA eng
NO Pablos, A., Grine, F. E., Cleghorn, N., Elmes, K., Mongle, C. S., & Marean, C. W. (2025). A late pleistocene human pedal phalanx from the pinnacle point pp5 ‐ 6n rock‐shelter, western cape province, south africa. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 187(3), e70086. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70086
NO National Science Foundation
NO Hyde Family Foundations
NO Institute of Human Origins
NO John Templeton Foundation
NO MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER
NO Junta de Andalucía
NO MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
DS Docta Complutense
RD 19 dic 2025