Homo cepranensis
Encyclopedia
Homo cepranensis is a proposed name for a human species
, known from only one skull cap discovered in 1994. The fossil was discovered by archeologist Italo Biddittu and was nicknamed "Ceprano
Man" after a nearby town in the province of Frosinone
, 89 kilometers Southeast of Rome
, Italy
.
The age of the fossil is estimated to be between 350,000 to 500,000 years old. An adjacent site, Fontana Ranuccio, was dated to 487,000 +/- 6000 years and Muttoni et al. suggest that Ceprano is most likely 450,000 years old. The cranial features on the bone seem to be intermediate between those found on Homo erectus
and those of later species such as Homo heidelbergensis
which dominated Europe
long before Homo neanderthalensis. A 2011 study suggested it was ancestral to Homo neanderthalensis. There is not yet enough material to make a complete analysis of the individual.
Homo
Homo may refer to:*the Greek prefix ὅμο-, meaning "the same"*the Latin for man, human being*Homo, the taxonomical genus including modern humans...
, known from only one skull cap discovered in 1994. The fossil was discovered by archeologist Italo Biddittu and was nicknamed "Ceprano
Ceprano
Ceprano is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in Ciociaria traditional area, part of the Lazio region of central Italy.It is located south of Rome, and c. 127 km north of Naples.-History:...
Man" after a nearby town in the province of Frosinone
Province of Frosinone
The Province of Frosinone is a province in the Lazio region of Italy, with 91 comuni . Its capital is the city of Frosinone. It has an area of 3,244 km², and a total population of 489,042 .The Province was established by Royal Decree on 6 December 1926 with territories belonging to Lazio...
, 89 kilometers Southeast of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The age of the fossil is estimated to be between 350,000 to 500,000 years old. An adjacent site, Fontana Ranuccio, was dated to 487,000 +/- 6000 years and Muttoni et al. suggest that Ceprano is most likely 450,000 years old. The cranial features on the bone seem to be intermediate between those found on Homo erectus
Homo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
and those of later species such as Homo heidelbergensis
Homo heidelbergensis
Homo heidelbergensis is an extinct species of the genus Homo which may be the direct ancestor of both Homo neanderthalensis in Europe and Homo sapiens. The best evidence found for these hominins date between 600,000 and 400,000 years ago. H...
which dominated Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
long before Homo neanderthalensis. A 2011 study suggested it was ancestral to Homo neanderthalensis. There is not yet enough material to make a complete analysis of the individual.