Ternifine

Ternifine, site of paleoanthropological excavations located about 20 km (12 miles) east of Mascara, Algeria, known for its remains of Homo erectus. Ternifine was quarried for sand in the 19th century, and numerous fossilized animal bones and stone artifacts were recovered. Realizing the potential significance of these finds, paleontologists carried out systematic excavations in 1954–55. Their efforts produced much additional material, including three human mandibles (jawbones). Digging was stopped because of flooding, but subsequent lowering of the water table permitted detailed studies of the sediment layers. The Ternifine deposits consist of layers of hard grayish clays and sands of a small lake or swamp. The surrounding environment of this area was probably treeless and rather arid, as inferred from the types of animals present. The fossils of those animals along with geologic evidence date Ternifine to about 700,000 years ago.

The first mandible, found in 1954, is mostly complete, although its rami (ascending portions) are damaged on both sides. The jaw is heavy, and at the front the profile is smooth and receding. There is no sign of a chin. The teeth are very large by modern standards. The second specimen consists of the left half of a mandible, while the third is virtually intact. The latter is the largest of the Ternifine individuals. The development of bony ridges present on the body and along the base of the jaw, along with other features, suggests that this individual is male. One of the smaller mandibles is likely to be female. In addition to the mandibles, a hominin parietal bone (the side wall of the cranium) was recovered, as were some isolated teeth. This material was compared with the remains of other archaic humans, and resemblances to Peking man were observed. Initially the Ternifine group was considered sufficiently different to justify a new genus and species (Atlanthropus mauritanicus). However, later it was recognized that the fossils from Algeria and China, along with similar specimens from Java, could all be classified together in one species, which is now called Homo erectus. The hominins at Ternifine were found with stone tools of the Acheulean industry. Some other populations of H. erectus in Africa are known to have manufactured Acheulean implements, but approximately contemporary representatives of this species in China produced chopping tools comparable to those of the earlier Oldowan industry.