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Gough's Cave 1 (Somerset, England): an assessment of body size and shape

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2004

TRENTON W. HOLLIDAY
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans LA 70118, USA
STEVEN E. CHURCHILL
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, Durham NC 27710, USA
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Abstract

Stature, body mass, and body proportions are evaluated for the Cheddar Man (Gough's Cave 1) skeleton. Like many of his Mesolithic contemporaries, Gough's Cave 1 evinces relatively short estimated stature (ca. 166.2 cm [5′ 5′]) and low body mass (ca. 66 kg [146 lbs]). In body shape, he is similar to recent Europeans for most proportional indices. He differs, however, from most recent Europeans in his high crural index and tibial length/trunk height indices. Thus, while Gough's Cave 1 is characterized by a total morphological pattern considered ‘cold-adapted’, these latter two traits may be interpreted as evidence of a large African role in the origins of anatomically modern Europeans.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Natural History Museum, 2003

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