Abstract:

The temporal lines are muscle attachment marks bilaterally on the surface of the skull. Their morphological variations are meaningful to study the physical features and masticatory function in human evolution. In order to know the temporal line classifications and variations in modern populations, 278 adult skulls from Asia, Africa and Europe were selected to observe and analyze. Based on the arc trend, line width, development degree, roughness and terminal position, the temporal lines are classified into various types, and their identifications are standardly defined and established. The database of various temporal line types in sides, sexes and regions were obtained, that can be used for additional studies in physical anthropology. The primary results of this study show that: 1) there is no significant differences between left and right skull; 2) there were no significant differences in arc trend types and development degree between male and female, or among different regions; 3) There are sex difference in the width and roughness types, showing males have higher percentages than females; 4) There are spatial significant differences in the width and roughness types: Super-wide striped type was only found in the specimens from Yunnan and northern China. The Europeans have a high proportion of ridged type and rough types. The Africans have a high proportion of ridged type and a low proportion of rough type; 5) The specimens of temporal line ending in the occipital bone are very few; 6) The width on the frontal and parietal bones were significantly correlated with each other, as well as with the temporal line arc type; the development degree types on the frontal and parietal bones were significantly correlated with each other, too.

Key words: Temporal line, Human skull, Morphological variation, Recent populations, Non-metric traits