Heidelberg jaw

[ hahyd-l-burg jaw ]

noun

1. a nearly complete primitive human mandible of the middle Pleistocene Epoch found in 1907 near Heidelberg, Germany: before this specimen was discovered and classified as Homo heidelbergensis, all early human fossils with traits shared by Homo erectus and modern humans were collectively called archaic Homo sapiens .

Word History and Origins

Origin of Heidelberg jaw¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Still more fascinatingly enigmatical are the remains of a creature found at Piltdown in Sussex in a deposit that may indicate an age between a hundred and a hundred and fifty thousand years ago, though some authorities would put these particular remains back in time to before the Heidelberg jaw- bone.

From Project Gutenberg

The Heidelberg Jaw was also found in the sand, and is guessed to be 700,000 years old.

From Project Gutenberg

Hence, it is called the Mauer jaw, or the Heidelberg Jaw, or Heidelberg man, or the high sounding Latin name of Homo Heidelbergensis.

From Project Gutenberg

Since a modern Eskimo skull has been shown by a distinguished scientist to have the same appearance and peculiarities as the Heidelberg jaw, it is easy to believe that this jaw can be duplicated in many graveyards.

From Project Gutenberg

If the Heidelberg jaw was found in sand 69 ft. deep, what would be its maximum age, estimated in the same way?

From Project Gutenberg