Abstract: The impressions of middle meningeal arteries were observed and compared to study the morphological variation and temporal changes. The specimens used include either skull or endocasts of 45 Homo erectus, 15 archaic Homo sapiens, 18 Late Homo sapiens and 62 modern humans. The results obtained are asfollows. Form Homo erectus to modern humans the diameter of middle meningeal arteries decreased, the pattern of ramifications becames more complex, the diameter anterior branch of the middle meningeal artery tends to increase and posterior branch tends to decrease. So, from the early hominids to modern humans the ramification of middle meningeal arteries becomes gradually shrink on the area other than the parietals. The present study also indicate that the morphological characteristics of human middle meningeal arteries have certain geographical variations. The anthor believes that the morphological patterns of the middle meningeal arteries found in present study reflect the increasing of blood requirements of different brain components in changing proportion and sophistication of cerebral function during the evolutionary process from Homo erectus to modern humans. The middle meningeal artery plays important role in the study of relationship between skull and brain, and brain evolution.

Key words: Middle meningeal artery; Morphological variations; Homo erectus; Archaic Homo sapiens; Late Homo sapiens