Human mandibular incisors from the late Middle Pleistocene locality of Hoedjiespunt 1, South Africa

The Hoedjiespunt 1 locality is an archaeological and palaeontological site located on the Hoedjiespunt Peninsula at Saldanha Bay, South Africa. In 199 6 two human teeth, a left central mandibular incisor a. nd a left lateral m andibular incisor, were discovered during excavations in the late Middle Pl eistocene palaeontological layers. These teeth are described and are found to belong to a single subadult individual. Despite their developmental stag e, these incisors already display early signs of wear. Their crown diameter s are larger than modern and archaeological African comparative material an d are most closely comparable with crown diameters of an early Middle Pleis tocene and late Middle Pleistocene dental sample from Africa,. Europe and A sia. In the light of this metrical evidence, data on two previously excavat ed maxillary molars, most probably belonging to the same individual, were r e-examined. It was found that the Hoedjiespunt 1 hominid possessed dental m etrical features (large anterior teeth and small molars) comparable with ot her African and European hominids referred to the Middle Pleistocene. (C) 2 001 Academic Press.