Sicily
"Thea"
Homo sapiens
Skeleton of a female human
Description
“Thea” is the most important fossil on display in the Hall of Man at the Gemmellaro Geological Museum, which is part of the University of Palermo’s Museum System.
This is the skeleton of a female, who was approximately 1.65 meters tall and estimated to be about 30 years old, and who lived about 14.500 years ago. The skeleton is exceptionally well-preserved: it is nearly complete, and the bones show no particular signs of wear or evidence of specific trauma or diseases that may have caused her death. This, combined with her nearly perfect dentition, has led some scholars to hypothesise that she was a woman of high social standing.
The name Thea derives from the site where she was found, the Cave of San Teodoro, where the skeleton was discovered in 1937. The remains of seven other individuals (three females and four males) were found in the same cave, all associated with evidence of inhumation, that is, the funerary practice of burying the deceased in pits dug into the ground. Artefacts constituting a burial offering: stone tools and twelve deer canines, likely part of a necklace.
To date, Thea’s skeleton is also the oldest evidence for the reconstruction of Homo sapiens in Sicily, and for this reason it is a key piece in reconstructing the early stages of the island’s settlement by our ancestors.
Classification and size comparison
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo sp.
Species: Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758
Figura umana tratta dalla placca Pioneer 10 (immagine NASA, pubblico dominio).
Geologic Time Scale
- ERA: Cenozoic
- PERIOD: Quaternary
- EPOCH: Pleistocene
- ETÀ: Pleistocene Superiore (0.13-0.012 Ma)
Site of discovery
Display location
Museo Geologico Gemmellaro, Sistema museale dell'Università di Palermo
Catalogue number:
MGUP-ST1
Gallery
Follow the steps that led to the reconstruction of Thea's appearance, made possible by 3D forensic anthropology techniques.
Step 1: the skeleton is reconstructed in three dimensions based on the existing bones.
Step 2: the missing skeletal parts are added.
Step 3: muscles and soft tissues are also included.
Step 4: the reconstruction is completed with skin, hair, and clothing.
Bibliography:
- Aimar A. & Giacobini G. (1989). A new Upper Paleolithic human skull from the cave of San
Teodoro (Messina, Sicily). In Giacobini G. (ed), Hominidae. Proceedings of the 2nd International
Congress of Human Paleontology, Jaca Books: 495-499. - Alciati G., Pesce Delfino V. & Vacca E. (2005). Catalogue of Italian fossil human remains from the
Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, 84: 1-184. - Bigazzi R., D’Amore, G., Tartarelli, G., Di Patti, C., Burgio, V. & Sineo, L. (2001). Analisi antropologica
di reperti scheletrici da depositi paleolitici in provincia di Palermo. In Tagarelli A. (ed), Lo studio
dell’uomo verso il Terzo Millennio. Riassunti, Pubblisfera: 203-204. - D’Amore G., Di Marco S., Tartarelli G., Bigazzi R. & Sineo L. (2009). Late Pleistocene human
evolution in Sicily: comparative morphometric analysis of Grotta di San Teodoro craniofacial
remains. Journal of Human Evolution, 56: 537-550. - Fabbri P.F. (1993). Nuove determinazioni del sesso e della statura degli individui 1 e 4 del
Paleolitico Superiore della grotta San Teodoro. Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche, 45: 219-232. - Graziosi P. (1947). Gli uomini paleolitici della Grotta di S. Teodoro (Messina). Rivista di Scienze
Preistoriche, 3: 123-223. - Graziosi P. & Maviglia C. (1946). La Grotta di San Teodoro (Messina). I primi fossili umani paleolitici
rinvenuti in Sicilia. Notizia preliminare. Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche, 1: 277-283. - Mallegni F. (2005). Vado all’Arancio. In Alciati G., Pesce Delfino V. & Vacca E. (eds), Catalogue of
Italian Human Remains from the Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic. Journal of Anthropological
Sciences, 83 (Suppl.): 150-151.
Credits and acknowledgments
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Carolina D’Arpa and Dr. Carolina Di Patti of the Gemmellaro Geological Museum, part of the University of Palermo’s Museum System, for sharing the multimedia material used on this page.
Reproduction, distribution, or any other use is prohibited without prior authorization from the rights holders.