Digital Facial Approximation of Jebel Irhoud Composite Skull (~315,000 BP) Dr. Michael E . Habicht 2026, Heritage

https://www.academia.edu/176287284/Digital_Facial_Approximation_of_Jebel_Irhoud_Composite_Skull_315_000_BP_ https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9090369 The archeological site of Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, houses the oldest fossils attributed to Homo sapiens, dated to approximately 315,000 years before present (BP). This study presents a forensic facial approximation based on data from a three-dimensional composite skull derived from Layer 7 of the site, with structural predominance of the Irhoud 1 fossil. The methodology employed open-source software tools, combining anatomical projections and the constrained anatomical deformation technique. Endocast segmentation yielded a volume of 1364 mL, a result fully compatible with measurements and segmentations obtained in previous studies directly from the fossil, while also aligning with the variation observed in modern populations. Two sets of images were produced: an objective approximation in grayscale, focused on osteological correspondence, and a colored artistic version featuring skin pigmentation and facial hair for scientific communication. The results reinforce the feasibility and reproducibility of open-access methodologies applied to paleoanthropology, offering an anatomically coherent representation of this Middle Pleistocene hominin. Keywords: forensic facial approximation; Jebel Irhoud; Homo sapiens; 3D reconstruction; anatomical deformation; paleoanthropology; open-source software https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/9/9/369#article-metrics-statistics-views