The skull suggests an extremely robust individual with the comparatively largest brow-ridges of any known hominin. It was described as having a broad face similar to that of "Homo neanderthalensis" (i.e. large nasal bones and thick protruding brow ridges). The skull has cavities in ten of the upper teeth and is considered one of the oldest known occurrences of cavities. Pitting indicates significant infection before death and implies that the cause of death may have been due to dental disease infection or possibly chronic ear infection. Initially, the skull was classified as belonging to a novel species, "Homo rhodesiensis", which is now generally classified as a synonym for African subspecies of "Homo heidelbergensis". While the cranial volume overlaps with the range of "Homo sapiens", other features such as the brain case morphology and prominent brow ridges are suggestive of older species. These features have led some scientists to the conclusion that "Homo heidelbergensis" represents a transitional phase between the earlier "Homo erectus" and modern humans and Neanderthals. As of 2019, no attempts to extract DNA or sequence a genome from the Kabwe skull have been successful. Results of radiometric dating of matrix associated with Kabwe 1 place the age estimate of Kabwe 1 at 299,000 years old, virtually about the same age as the earliest "Homo sapiens". Since the 1970s, the government of Zambia has petitioned the United Kingdom for custody of the Kabwe skull, citing a number of international laws and treaties on cultural artifacts as well as colonial-era laws made by the United Kingdom. According to the interpretation of the 1912 Bushman Relics Proclamation offered by the Zambian government, it was unlawful in 1921 to remove cultural relics from Northern Rhodesia without a permit from the British South Africa Company, which it maintains was not issued to the Broken Hill mining company prior to its donation of the skull to the British Museum. In May 2018, at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, British delegates agreed to negotiations with Zambia regarding eventual repatriation of the artifact, accompanied by agreements regarding access to the skull and associated scans and digital data by researchers.