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The Steinheim skull is a fossilized skull of a ''Homo heidelbergensis'' found in 1933 near Steinheim an der Murr (20 km north of Stuttgart, Germany). It is estimated to be 250,000–350,000 years old. The skull is slightly flattened and has a cranial capacity from 1110–1200 cc. Others give volumes of (950), 1179±30 and 1270±10 cc. Sometimes referred to as ''Homo steinheimensis'', the original fossil is housed in the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany. Some believe that the Steinheim skull may have belonged to an adult female due to its gracile nature. ==Classification== The "primitive man of Steinheim" is a single find. The designation Steinheim skull can be seen as a mere reference to the location of the fossil, but in no way identifies with a certain taxon. The skull shows characteristics of both ''Homo heidelbergensis'' and Neanderthals. It is therefore classified by most paleoanthropologists to ''Homo heidelbergensis'' and is believed to be a transitional form of ''Homo heidelbergensis'' to Neanderthals. This has sometimes been referred to as "pre-Neanderthal.” 〔Jean-Jacques Hublin: ''Die Sonderevolution der Neandertaler.'' Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Juli 1998, Seite 56 ff.〕〔Reinhard Ziegler: ''4 Millionen Jahre Mensch.'' Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Mai 1999, Seite 130 ff.〕 The inner ear of the fossil has a feature in which Neanderthals and Homo sapiens differ. The location of the semicircular canals of the inner ear in the temporal bone of the skull base is similar to the situation in Neanderthals, while the semicircular canals of the older ''Homo erectus,'' which ''Homo sapiens'' are closer.〔Chris Stringer: ''The Origin of Our Species.'' Until the late 1980s, the fossil was sometimes referred to as ''Homo sapiens steinheimensis''. During this time Neanderthals were also referred to as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. Today, however, paleoanthropologists assume that Neanderthals and humans emerged independently from a common ancestor, usually this is called ''Homo erectus,'' and therefore as two distinct species are to be considered: ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and ''Homo sapiens.'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Steinheim skull」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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