ABSTRACT
The base of the cranium in modern humans has frequently been regarded as a “ stable” part of the skull since Huxley (1863, 1867) focused attention upon it. The implication has been that, although situated between the face and the neurocranium, the basicranium is less variable than either, although this is not true in a comparative context: Major variations in the cranial base viewed in norma basilaris have been useful in phylogenetic analysis (Dean and Wood, 1981, 1982; Dean 1986). The endocranial aspects of the cranial base are profoundly influenced by the growth and development of the brain; indeed, the cranial fossae are a near perfect mold of the undersurface of the brain. Other extracranial aspects of the cranial base are greatly influenced by the masticatory system (Weidenreich, 1943, 1951) or the prevertebral and nuchal musculature (Dean, 1985a,b). It is increasingly important in studies of fossil hominids to try to distinguish between characters that are shared-derived (synapomorphic) and those that appear similar through convergent or parallel evolution. Resolving the factors that underlie or control morphological variation can assist in distinguishing these.
