The Allometry of the Palate of Archaic Homo sapiens and Modern Homo sapiens

This research examines several aspects of allometry in the palate of archaic Homo sapiens and modern Homo sapiens. The allometry of the modern human palate is described. Comparisons between quantitative methods and comparisons between different types of samples are undertaken. Additionally, the allometry of the archaic Homo sapiens palate is described and analyzed. Finally, allometric comparisons between these groups are made.

The samples employed in this study consist of 132 Amerindian (Arikara) crania and 21 archaic Homo sapiens (primarily Neandertal) crania. Quantitative methods used for analyzing these groups include least-squares regression, reduced major axis regression, and principal components analysis. Analysis of covariance and principal components analysis are used to compare allometric relationships between the groups.

The results of this research indicate that least-squares regression techniques supply information which is generally substantiated by principal components analysis. Comparisons between samples indicate that static samples (samples derived from a single age group) do not provide the same information as ontogenetic samples (derived from several different age classes. These results are similar in both groups.

The most important aspect of this study concerns the allometric relationships between modern and archaic Homo sapiens. Comparisons suggest that archaic Homo sapiens begin growth at larger sizes than modern Homo sapiens, and that this difference holds throughout the growth period. Complementary multivariate analyses indicate that the pattern or general size increase between these two groups is very similar.