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Homo erectus: cranium

Object Details

Is this an original object?
No
Age
About 1.8 million years old
Summary
When fossil hunter Bernard Ngeneo came across the remains of this fossil, only the upper portion of the orbits were protruding from the ground. Excavation revealed one of the best preserved skulls of this time period, and one of the most striking early human fossils of any age.
KNM-ER 3733 represents a mature female of the early human species Homo erectus. The sex identification comes from a comparison of the anatomical features of her face with several other crania from Koobi Fora: KNM-ER 3883 (male), and KNM-WT 15000 (also male), found on the opposite side of Lake Turkana. The features of KNM-ER 3733 are markedly less robust. It's known to be an adult on the basis of the cranial sutures (which were fully closed), the extent of the wear on the teeth, and the eruption of the third molars before the individual's death.
Date of discovery
1975
Discovered by
Bernard Ngeneo
Site
Koobi Fora, Kenya
Location of Discovery
Koobi Fora, Kenya
Original Object Holding Institution
National Museums of Kenya (Kenya)
Data Source
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
Original Object Identifier
KNM-ER 3733
Species
Homo erectus
Record ID
dpo_3d_200047
Metadata Usage
CC0

Related Object Groups

  • hominin fossil thumbnail

    Hominin Fossils

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These files consist of 3D scans of historical objects in the collections of the Smithsonian and may be downloaded by you only for non-commercial, educational, and personal uses subject to this disclaimer (https://3d.si.edu/disclaimer) and in accordance with the Terms of Use (https://3d.si.edu/termsofuse).
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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