Cro-Magnon Skull

Online Biology Dictionary

The original Cro-Magnon Skull, the "old man," shown here in lateral and anterior aspect, was found in Périgord (a former province occupying roughly the same region as today's department of Dordogne) in southwestern France in 1868. During the removal of talus for use in road construction, a cave or rock shelter, which became known as the Cro-Magnon Cave, was exposed at the base of a cliff near the village of Les Eyzies (modern Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil). The skeletons of an old man and four other individuals were collected from the site by French geologist and prehistorian Éduoard Lartet. Much of the facial surface of the skull is roughened by the calcareous drip to which it was exposed while lying in the cave. The Cro-Magnon Cave lies in the Vézère Valley, site of many other prehistorically occupied caves and rock shelters. Return to Human Evolution Timeline → Return to Human Evolution Chart → Return to Online Biology Dictionary → Cro-Magnon skull, lateral view

Anterior aspect