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How Many Epidermal Ridges per Linear Centimeter? Comments on Possible Pre-Clovis Human Friction Skin Prints from Pendejo Cave

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Brian S. Shaffer  and
Barry W. Baker
Brian S. Shaffer
Affiliation:
Zooarchaeology Laboratory, Institute of Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 13078, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-6078
Barry W. Baker
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4352
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Abstract

The identification of human friction prints by Chrisman et al. (1996) from Pendejo Cave, New Mexico, some dating more than 36,000 years B.P., is tenuous given the incongruence between data presented in the text and data illustrated in the figures. The identification of these structures as human friction prints hinged largely on the frequency of epidermal ridges per linear centimeter. As such, the validity of this evidence to justify the presence of humans at Pendejo Cave at this early date is questioned.

La identificación de huellas humanas de frictión realizada por Chrisman et. al. (1996) en Cueva de Pendejo, Nuevo Mexico, algunas de las cuales tienen unafecha de más de 36,000 años, es débil dada la incongruencia entre los datos presentados en el texto y los datos ilustrados en las figuras. La identificación de estas estructuras como huellas de frictión humana está basada en la frecuencia de contornos epidérmicos por centímetre lineal. Por lo tanto, la validez de la evidencia usadu para sostener la presencia humana en un contexte muy temprano en la Cueva Pendejo es discutible.

Type
Comments
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 62 , Issue 3 , July 1997 , pp. 559 - 560
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1997

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References

References Cited

Chrisman, D., MacNeish, R. S., Mavalwala, J., and Savage, H. 1996 Late Pleistocene Human Friction Skin Prints from Pendejo Cave, New Mexico. American Antiquity 61: 357–376.Google Scholar
Cummins, H., Waits, W. J., and McQuitty, J. T. 1941 The Breadths of Epidermal Ridges on the Finger Tips and Palms: A Study of Variation. American Journal of Anatomy 68: 127–150.Google Scholar