Analytical morphies on mid-sagittal craniograms glabella-opisthocranion of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis: Fourier parameters and synthesis of mean craniograms.

Among mathematic procedures used in morphological description, Fourier analysis was indicated as extremely effective in obtaining numerical representations of shape. In order to fully exploit its potentiality in morphology the worked data have to be referred exclusively to the shape of the investigated object and the application of suitable procedures of dimensional normalization are necessary, moreover the significance of the parameters obtained from the analysis must be referable univocally to the morphological datum. In these conditions the numerical characterization of shapes and the relations detectable from different parameters obtained from the description assume the significance of real "analytical morphies". These statements were verified by performing morphological description and comparison, by means of the Fourier harmonic analysis on two groups of mid-sagittal glabella-opisthocranIon craniograms to point out their possible distinctive analytical characteristics: the first group relates to classical neanderthalian group, the second one is made up of asiatic samples of Homo erectus. Some typical patterns of the obtained parameters were discussed and explained in terms of analytical morphies characterizing the given specimens, the traditional morphological classifications were verified and, above all, a numerical description of these samples was obtained.