Agamenón, also known as Agamemnon, is a fossil

calvarium The calvaria is the top part of the skull. It is the superior part of the neurocranium and covers the cranial cavity containing the brain. It forms the main component of the skull roof. The calvaria is made up of the superior portions of the f ...

belonging to an early Neanderthal that lived at the site of Atapuerca around 430,000 years ago. The crania recovered from

Sima de los Huesos The Sima de los Huesos hominins are a 430,000 year old population of "pre-Neanderthals" from the archaeological site of Atapuerca, archeological site of Atapuerca, Spain. They are in the "Neanderthal clade", but fall outside of ''Homo neanderthal ...

have multiple specimen catalogues including Sima de los Huesos 4, SH 4, Cranium 4, Cr4, and Skull 4. Original analyses of the specimen concluded that the individual was

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

, although further study has proven that this is not the case. It is now held at the

Museum of Human Evolution The Museum of Human Evolution (Spanish: ''Museo de la Evolución Humana - MEH'') is situated on the south bank of the river Arlanzón, in the Spanish city of Burgos. It is located roughly 16 kilometers west of the Sierra de Atapuerca, the loca ...

History

The specimen was discovered by

paleontologists Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

in 1992 and was catalogued as Skull 4. In 1997, the hearing capacity of the individual was evaluated and determined to be deaf based on a singular tomographic image, contrary to more recent advances. It was discovered alongside

Miguelón Miguelón is the popular nickname for a human skull of the Sima de los Huesos hominins, classified as belonging to the "Neanderthal clade". One of the best preserved skulls in the human fossil record, it has been estimated to date to 430,000 ye ...

, SH 5.

Description

Agamenón is one of the most complete skulls for its

chronological Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the deter ...

age of 430,000 years. In life, the Sima de los Huesos

hominins The Hominini (hominins) form a taxonomic tribe of the subfamily Homininae (hominines). They comprise two extant genera: ''Homo'' (humans) and '' Pan'' (chimpanzees and bonobos), and in standard usage exclude the genus ''Gorilla'' (gorillas), ...

had a hearing capacity that was very similar from ''

Homo sapiens Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'', but not identical. They were able to hear the majority of sounds that comprise human

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

with precision. In this individual, the canals of the ear were quite inhibited by a case of

exostosis An exostosis, also known as a osteochondroma, is a benign chondrogenic lesions derived from aberrant cartilage from the perichondral ring. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to moderate, but rarely severe, depending on the shape, s ...

. However, contrary to previous belief, the individual was fully capable of hearing. Similar cases of exostosis are seen in recent skeletons, but also in European and Middle Eastern Neanderthals as well. The inner orbital edge differences (38 mm) are alike to Bilzingsleben. This skull and Miguelón differ in their

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosur ...

shape, which is likely caused by

allometry Allometry (Ancient Greek "other", "measurement") is the study of the relationship of body size to shape, anatomy, physiology and behaviour, first outlined by Otto Snell in 1892, by D'Arcy Thompson in 1917 in ''On Growth and Form'' and by Jul ...

. The cranial capacity is 1390 squared centimeters, which is very large for

Middle Pleistocene The Chibanian, more widely known as the Middle Pleistocene (its previous informal name), is an Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale or a Stage (stratigraphy), stage in chronostratigraphy, being a division of the Pleistocen ...

Homo ''Homo'' () is a genus of great ape (family Hominidae) that emerged from the genus ''Australopithecus'' and encompasses only a single extant species, ''Homo sapiens'' (modern humans), along with a number of extinct species (collectively called ...

'' of such antiquity.

Pathology

SH 4 was originally suggested to have been deaf in life due to the strange shape of the cochlear bones. Previous research found that the irregularities blocked the

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

, and as such classified the pathology as exostosis ('

surfer's ear Surfer's ear is the common name for an exostosis or abnormal bone growth within the ear canal. They are otherwise benign hyperplasias (growths) of the tympanic bone thought to be caused by frequent cold-water exposure. Cases are often asymptomat ...

'). People who suffer from this condition may have episodic

otitis externa Otitis externa, also called swimmer's ear, is inflammation of the ear canal. It often presents with ear pain, swelling of the ear canal, and occasionally decreased hearing. Typically there is pain with movement of the outer ear. A high fever ...

, characterized by sensationalized plugging, pain, and purulent discharge from the ear. Exostosis is common in people who regularly contact with cold water, strong winds, and

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

, or due to genetic heritability. Renewed study in 2019 suggests that the conclusions reached in 1997 are untrue, that the auditory canals were not sealed shut. Despite irregularity, three dimensional models of the bone indicates that the individual was able to hear. The 2019 study agrees, however, that the individual had exostosis, but not to a degree that caused deafness, as none of the other crania have the cochlear irregularities. They suggested that because of this, it was not caused by environmental factors that the entire

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

would have experienced, and infection may be a possible cause.

References

{{Reflist Neanderthal fossils 1992 in paleontology 1992 archaeological discoveries Individual human heads, skulls and brains