Anthropology & Archaeology

Complete disarticulated skeleton of an adult male, likely Asian or Native American. This individual was robustly muscular in life and stood somewhere between 5'8" and 6'2" tall. Comes in premium carrying case.

All bones are associated in this skeleton of a documented 41-year-old European female, who stood 5' 6" and weighed 133 pounds at time of death. Cause of death was heart failure due to drug overdose. Information about this individual was documented at the time of her death. The cranial features are consistent with an individual of European ancestry.

Disarticulated left hand of a robust Asian male. Same individual as the complete disarticulated skeleton.

Disarticulated right hand of a robust Asian male, the same individual as the complete disarticulated skeleton.

This Beauchene-style version of a human hand is designed so that the individual bones slide away from one another when one pulls on the nylon wire. This allows for the study of the articulating surfaces of each of the bones, which can be inspected from any angle.

Strategically built-in magnets help guide the assembly as students learn about the intricate features of the individual bones and their articulations. All but the medial/distal phalanges are completely separable in the Magnetic Hand.

This skull is finely detailed, showing all the foramina, canals, sutures and minute details of a real skull.

Certain features of the skull may be informative in differentiating geographical ancestral groups for purposes of forensic investigation. In this skull, the nasal root is prominent and the nasal angle is acute. The nasal spine is short and the lower part of the nostrils has a sharp nasal sill with a very vague impression of bilateral gutters. The upper dental arcade is somewhat V-shaped. The incisors in the upper jaw are blade-like.

The identity of the individual bones and their intricate relationships to one another are quickly learned while mastering the assembly of this Magnetic Osteological Teaching Skull. The assembly is made easy with the aid of built-in magnets and push-fit mating surfaces that help guide the connections of its 22 separate bones. The library has two of these available.

The teeth are displayed in a portion of the mandible and maxilla to permit a more convenient study of the dental area. Each tooth may be individually extracted and examined.

Cast from real bones, these 53 postcranial skeletal elements are excellent representations of human osteology during fetal development. They can easily be utilized as reference material by laboratories that study subadult remains; alternatively, they can be evaluated by students as part of their hands-on training in human fetal osteology.

ll paired bones are from the left side of the skeleton. In addition to these associated bones, the bone box also provides an exceptionally detailed skull featuring a removable calvarium and spring hinged jaw. The bones (some with epiphyses and diaphyses separated) may be used for understanding bone formation and growth, noting differences in the child and adult skeletons, and recognizing juvenile bones for forensic purposes (as well as differentiating them from non-human animals of similar size).

With the selected skulls one could examine the range of features that are relevant when attempting to determine sex or ancestry. The postcranial bones selected for inclusion here can be used to discuss sexual dimorphism and estimation of stature. Two trauma pieces have also been included. The exit wound of the gunshot wound skull provides an excellent example of the characteristic beveling of the bone in the direction of the projectile. The rib with the embedded bullet shows evidence of new bone growth, making clear that the wound was non-fatal.

Human female Asian pelvis (KO-193) -- Human male African skull, Homo sapiens (BC-110) -- Human female European skull, Homo sapiens (BC-133) -- Human female Asian humerus (COMP-102-H) -- Human female Asian femur (COMP-102-F).

A collection of cast osteological replicas made from polyurethane resin and colored to replicate the originals that represent skulls of chimpanzees, gorillas and the human male. Includes chimpanzee female skull (BC-248) -- Human male asian, Homo sapiens (BC-016) -- Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes (BC-003) -- Western lowland gorilla, Male (BC-001) -- Western lowland gorilla, Female (BC-035)

A collection of cast osteological replicas made from polyurethane resin and colored to replicate the original skulls that represent important finds and time periods of hominid evolution. Includes: Homo erectus, Peking man (BH-038) -- Human male asian, Homo sapiens (BC-016) -- Australopithecus afarensis (BH-001) -- Australopithecus boisei, Nutcracker man (also known as Paranthropus boisei) (BH-015) -- Homo neanderthalensis La Ferrassie (BH-019) -- Ardipithecus ramidus, Ardi (BH-039)

The Homo habilis Skull KNM-ER 1813 was discovered by K. Kimeu in 1973 at Koobi Fora, Kenya, and described by R. Leakey in Nature in 1973. It dates from about 1.9 million years ago.

Type specimen for Homo rudolfensis. KNM-ER 1470 was discovered by B. Ngeneo in 1972 at Koobi Fora in Kenya and described by R. Leakey in Nature in 1973, classifying it as Homo habilis. Some time after its discovery, Bernard Wood argued that this was a separate species, later named Homo rudolfensis. Comparison of KNM-ER-1470 and KNM-ER-1813 can help to clarify the differences based on which rudolfensis was split from habilis.

600,000 YA. This cranium known as “Bodo” was discovered by Asfaw, Whitehead and Wood in 1976 in Bodo D'ar, in the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia. The taxonomic designation of Homo heidelbergensis, particularly with respect to African forms, is a topic of considerable debate. With a mosaic of features, its morphology is considered “intermediate” with greatest resemblance to the younger specimens from Kabwe (Broken Hill) and Petralona. The cranium of this presumed male is massive with a broad face (one of the largest among fossil hominins) and a very thick cranial vault. The thick bones, angular torus, midline keel and low cranial vault, are reminiscent of H. erectus while derived features include an increased cranial capacity (1250 cc), the shape of the nasal bones and a browridge that, while thick, is composed of separate and slightly arched supraorbital tori. Interestingly, Bodo has cut marks on the vault, face, and even within the eye orbit, indicating that it was intentionally defleshed.