HUMAN EVOLUTION Vol. 4 - N. 4 (283-305) - 1989 J. Gibert F. Ribot C. Ferrandez B. Martinez & R. Caporicci Institut de Paleontologia r Crusafont~. Sabadell. Barcelona, (Spain) D. Campillo Institut de Paleoantropologia i Paleopatologia del Museu Arqueolfgic de Barcelona. Barcelona, (Spain) Key words: Hominid, Skull of Orce, Mammals. Anatomical study: comparison of the cranial fragment from Venta Micena, (Orce; Spain) with fossil and extant mammals The fragment of the skull of Orce attributed to the genus Homo is compared with fossil and extant mammals. The anatomical analysis supports the idea of ascribing it to an infantile individual of the genus Homo, close to the primitive Turkana specimens. Introduction In 1983 a fragment of the occipital region of a skull was found at the site of Venta Micena (Orce, Granada; Spain). It was initially assigned to the genus Homo by GmERT, (1984). The presence of a small ridge on the inner surface of the occipital upper squame, and the morphology of the digital impressions, made some authors doubt its human affinities. In 1987, CalviVILLO,(in press), showed that digital impressions are usual among children. According to SHAVmO& JAraZEN, (1960), the digital impressions are absent when the child is born, but appear before the anterior fontanelle closes (14 months), and become more marked upto the age of 6, remaining stationary till the age of 10, and from this age onwards will weaken (Graphic 1). The reason for their appearance is not yet clear, although it is generally accepted that they are due to cerebral growth. One of us (GIBERT et al., 1988), has found Neolithic human occipital fragments with similar impressions to those of the skull from Orce. The presence of a sagittal crest which originates at the apex of the squama occipitalis does not weaken the diagnosis, as is pointed out later in the text. GARcm-OLIvARES et al. (1986), detected human albumin in the skull of Orce, and these results were also obtained by LOWENSTEIN(in GIBERT et al., 1987, in press), when analysing a sample of the skull. The human-like features of the skull of Orce are the amplitude of the longitudinal and transversal curvatures, the sagittal arch length, the $4 suture, the morphology of the sagittal and lambdoid sutures, the superior occipital angle and the distribution and shape of the digital impressions. Venta Micena age The paleomagnetic campaigns carried out in the Orce region allowed us to date the localities of Orce 1, Orce 2 and Orce 3. The Orce 2 fauna is characterized by the presence 9 Editrice I1 Sedicesimo - Firenze ISSN 0393-9375