Estimation of stature from the skeletal reconstruction of an immature Neandertal from Dederiyeh Cave, Syria

Skeletal reconstruction of a child Neandertal unearthed at Dederiyeh Cave, Syria in 1993, is undertaken and the acquired stature discussed. Although t he skeletal remains were well preserved, the reconstruction required severa l assumptions to be made because of the immature status of the specimen. Th e assumptions were mainly concerned with distances between bones in the int er-vertebral spaces and in the joints of the hip, knee, and ankle. These we re estimated from X-ray films of modern children and data from previous stu dies. Stature was directly measured on the reconstruction, and found to be 79.2 cm. After corrections for soft tissue thickness and shrinkage of the c asts, the stature became 81.7 cm. This estimate is consistent with estimate s based on regression equations of long bone lengths, especially from those of the lower extremity. In comparison with longitudinal data for white Ame rican boys, the assessment of stature for Dederiyeh varied according to the estimated age. For a younger estimated age, the stature falls in the lower half of the white American range of variation, but with an older estimated age, it falls below the lower limit of the range of variation. Other immat ure Neandertals including two European specimens, Roc de Marsal and La Ferr assie 6, fall below the lower limit of the 5th to 95th percentile range bas ed on the estimated statures from their long bone lengths. More comprehensi ve age assessment covering both fossil and modern humans is required before accurate conclusions in relation to Neandertal growth can be drawn. (C) 20 00 Academic Press.