A STUDY OF PYGMY CRANIA, BASED ON 
SKULLS FOUND IN EGYPT. 
By H. DOROTHY SMITH, B.Sc. Crewdson-Benington Student 
in Craniology. 
Among the Egyptian crania of the Third Dynasty now being measured under 
the supervision of Professor Karl Pearson, at University College, London — it was 
found that nine adult specimens were remarkable for their small size. These 
crania present marked feminine characters, and have been sexed definitely as female 
in all cases except one (E 487) which, though exceedingly small, shows certain 
variations from the more usual form, and is more heavily developed than the 
others, being thus more open to question as to sex. 
In Plates VII — XI will be seen this cranium in various aspects. Plate VII shows 
the profile, with some general projection of the glabella, beyond which the line rises 
and slopes somewhat markedly to the bregma. There is some slight post-coronal 
depression, beyond which there is a further slight rise towards the mid-sagittal 
area. Beyond this the line curves first gently downwards towards the lambda, 
where there is an aggregate of ossicles, and then descends almost vertically and 
finally curves in to the under surface of the skull. The orbits are less finely cut 
than is usual among these small crania, and the occipital region is somewhat more 
rugged, while the mastoid processes, though small, are somewhat clumsy, and the 
left process projects rather further than the right. Besides the ossicles of the 
lambda, there are two epipteric bones (16 and 14 mm. long) on the left, and one 
(10 mm. long) on the right, and small ossicles in the lambdoid suture. The 
sutures are somewhat simple. Both zygomatic arches, and the left orbit, and the 
nasal bones have been damaged and only three teeth remain in position. These 
are the first molar on the right side, and the first and second molars on the left 
side, which show considerable signs of wear, but there is no evidence of wisdom 
teeth. There is no sign of any ossification of the coronal, sagittal or lambdoid 
sutures, but the spheno-occipital synchondrosis is obliterated, and the cranium is 
evidently that of a fully grown individual. 
