The Krapina Scapulae

The early Neandertal sample from Krapina preserves twenty partial scapulae, from immature and mature individuals, males and females. Their relatively broad scapulae and narrow glenoid fossae, similar to those of most Neandertals and contrasting with those of most early and recent modern humans, appear to be characteristic of archaic Homo generally, and they are therefore a retained ancestral configuration that persists through the terminal Middle Pleistocene time of the Krapina sample. Their axillary borders, with a considerable range of variation but showing a slight predominance of the dorsal sulcus pattern, are similar to Middle and Late Pleistocene archaic Homo, but they contrast with those of Early Pleistocene Homo and most recent humans, suggesting that the dorsal sulcus pattern and the less pronounced bisulcate arrangement are derived among at least western Old World late archaic humans. The functional significances of these variations remain unclear, although it is unlikely that the axillary border pattern reflects muscular hypertrophy.