1
|
Decaup PH, Garot E, Vanderesse N, Couture C. How geographical origin and dietary habits interact with the shape of cortical mandibular sections? A geometric morphometrics study in an archaeological context. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 161:105938. [PMID: 38430644 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.105938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mandibular shape is strongly influenced by biomechanics, particularly during dietary shifts that often occurred in past populations. The relationship is considered extremely complex as development of the mandible is a multifactorial process. Since cortical bone distribution is purportedly more biomechanically sensitive than external shape, comparison of its distribution in past populations can provide new input to understand this complex relationship. The present study examined the effects of geographical origin and dietary habits on the internal anatomy of the mandibular corpus and symphysis. DESIGN A morphometric analysis was conducted on 72 mandibles from different populations, sampled by their geographical origin and subsistence strategies. Procrustes ANOVAs were performed to test the impact of section-plane location, geographical origin, and dietary habits on the groups' shapes. RESULTS The specimens' geographical origin and dietary habits had a significant effect on the shapes of the sections (Generalized Goodall F-test, F = 3.2745, df = 6, 304: p < 0.001 and F = 3.7007, df = 4, 306: p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Geographical origin and dietary habits influenced the shape of the mandibular sections in our sample. These relationships become more complex when analysed in isolated sections. Indeed, this study revealed that symphysis sections could be predominantly influenced by individual variables, whereas intermediate sections of the corpus could be predominantly influenced by populational variables. Future studies could focus on specific sections to better identify the specific "rules of dependence" in each cross-section.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Hadrien Decaup
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France; Université de Bordeaux, UFR des sciences odontologiques, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Elsa Garot
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France; Université de Bordeaux, UFR des sciences odontologiques, Bordeaux, France
| | - Nicolas Vanderesse
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France
| | - Christine Couture
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rmoutilová R, Brůžek J, Gómez-Olivencia A, Madelaine S, Couture-Veschambre C, Holliday T, Maureille B. Sex estimation of the adult Neandertal Regourdou 1 (Montignac, France): Implications for sexing human fossil remains. J Hum Evol 2024; 189:103470. [PMID: 38552260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Sex is a biological trait fundamental to the study of hominin fossils. Among the many questions that can be addressed are those related to taxonomy, biological variability, sexual dimorphism, paleoobstetrics, funerary selection, and paleodemography. While new methodologies such as paleogenomics or paleoproteomics can be used to determine sex, they have not been systematically applied to Pleistocene human remains due to their destructive nature. Therefore, we estimated sex from the coxal bone of the newly discovered pelvic remains of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal (Southwest France, MIS 5) based on morphological and metric data employing two methods that have been recently revised and shown to be reliable in multiple studies. Both methods calculate posterior probabilities of the estimate. The right coxal bone of Regourdou 1 was partially reconstructed providing additional traits for sex estimation. These methods were cross validated on 14 sufficiently preserved coxal bones of specimens from the Neandertal lineage. Our results show that the Regourdou 1 individual, whose postcranial skeleton is not robust, is a male, and that previous sex attributions of comparative Neandertal specimens are largely in agreement with those obtained here. Our results encourage additional morphological research of fossil hominins in order to develop a set of methods that are applicable, reliable, and reproducible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebeka Rmoutilová
- Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic; University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France; Hrdlicka Museum of Man, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Jaroslav Brůžek
- Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic; University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Asier Gómez-Olivencia
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain; Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigacion Sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Stéphane Madelaine
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France; Musée National de Préhistoire, 1 Rue Du Musée, 24620, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac Sireuil, France
| | | | - Trenton Holliday
- Tulane University, Department of Anthropology, 101 Dinwiddie Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA; Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050, RSA, South Africa
| | - Bruno Maureille
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Evidence of habitual behavior from non-alimentary dental wear on deciduous teeth from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic Cantabrian region, Northern Spain. J Hum Evol 2021; 158:103047. [PMID: 34403991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of 'teeth as tools' (non-masticatory or cultural-related dental wear) has largely been employed as a proxy for studying of past human behavior, mainly in permanent dentition from adult individuals. Here we present the analysis of the non-masticatory dental wear modifications on the deciduous dentition assigned to eight Neanderthal and anatomically modern human subadult individuals from Mousterian to Magdalenian technocultural contexts in the Cantabrian region (Northern Spain). Although preliminary, we tentatively suggest that these eight subadults present activity-related dental wear, including cultural striations, chipped enamel, toothpick grooves, and subvertical grooves. We also found evidence of habitual dental hygienic practices in the form of toothpicking on a deciduous premolar. Orientation of the cultural striations indicates similar handedness development as in modern children. Taken together, these dental wear patterns support the participation of young individuals in group activities, making them potential contributors to group welfare. This study potentially adds new evidence to the importance of the use of the mouth in paramasticatory activities or as a third hand throughout the Pleistocene, which can be confirmed with a more specific reference sample.
Collapse
|
4
|
Fuentes A. Searching for the “Roots” of Masculinity in Primates and the Human Evolutionary Past. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/711582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
5
|
Riga A, Boggioni M, Papini A, Buzi C, Profico A, Di Vincenzo F, Marchi D, Moggi-Cecchi J, Manzi G. In situ observations on the dentition and oral cavity of the Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura (Italy). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241713. [PMID: 33264306 PMCID: PMC7710085 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The Neanderthal specimen from Lamalunga Cave, near Altamura (Apulia, Italy), was discovered during a speleological survey in 1993. The specimen is one of the most complete fossil hominins in Europe and its state of preservation is exceptional, although it is stuck in calcareous concretions and the bones are mostly covered by calcite depositions. Nevertheless, it is possible to carry out some observations on craniodental features that have not previously been described. In this work, we present an account of the oral cavity, made possible by the use of a videoscope, which allowed us to reach some hidden parts of the mandible and palate. This is the first detailed overview of the teeth and maxillary bones of the Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura. The dentition is almost complete. However, two teeth (upper right P3 and upper left M1) were lost ante mortem and four teeth (lower right I1 and P3 and lower left I1 and I2) were lost most probably post mortem. Dental wear is marked. The erupted M3s and the inversion of the compensating curve of Wilson in the M1s and M2s but not in the M3s suggest that the individual is fully adult, but not old. Although most of the teeth have their roots exposed for several millimeters, the periodontal bone appears to be in good condition overall, except in correspondence of the two ante-mortem tooth losses. X-rays of the anterior teeth show a periapical lesion, probably linked to the advanced dental wear. We also observed a weak expression of taurodontism in the posterior dentition and the presence of a retromolar space, features consistent with an attribution to the Neanderthal hypodigm; this attribution is also supported by aspects of the cranial morphology, the morphometric analysis of the scapula and preliminary mtDNA data. There is also a well-developed palatine torus, to the best of our knowledge a feature not previously described in Neanderthals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Riga
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Laboratory of Archaeoanthropology, SABAP-FI, Scandicci (FI), Italy
| | | | | | - Costantino Buzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Profico
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
- Natural History Museum, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Damiano Marchi
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Giorgio Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
- Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Anagni, Roma, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Belcastro MG, Mariotti V, Pietrobelli A, Sorrentino R, García-Tabernero A, Estalrrich A, Rosas A. The study of the lower limb entheses in the Neanderthal sample from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain): How much musculoskeletal variability did Neanderthals accumulate? J Hum Evol 2020; 141:102746. [PMID: 32163763 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Entheses have rarely been systematically studied in the field of human evolution. However, the investigation of their morphological variability (e.g., robusticity) could provide new insight into their evolutionary significance in the European Neanderthal populations. The aim of this work is to study the entheses and joint features of the lower limbs of El Sidrón Neanderthals (Spain; 49 ka), using standardized scoring methods developed on modern samples. Paleobiology, growth, and development of both juveniles and adults from El Sidrón are studied and compared with those of Krapina Neanderthals (Croatia, 130 ka) and extant humans. The morphological patterns of the gluteus maximus and vastus intermedius entheses in El Sidrón, Krapina, and modern humans differ from one another. Both Neanderthal groups show a definite enthesis design for the gluteus maximus, with little intrapopulation variability with respect to modern humans, who are characterized by a wider range of morphological variability. The gluteus maximus enthesis in the El Sidrón sample shows the osseous features of fibrous entheses, as in modern humans, whereas the Krapina sample shows the aspects of fibrocartilaginous ones. The morphology and anatomical pattern of this enthesis has already been established during growth in all three human groups. One of two and three of five adult femurs from El Sidrón and from Krapina, respectively, show the imprint of the vastus intermedius, which is absent among juveniles from those Neanderthal samples and in modern samples. The scant intrapopulation and the high interpopulation variability in the two Neanderthal samples is likely due to a long-term history of small, isolated populations with high levels of inbreeding, who also lived in different ecological conditions. The comparison of different anatomical entheseal patterns (fibrous vs. fibrocartilaginous) in the Neanderthals and modern humans provides additional elements in the discussion of their functional and genetic origin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giovanna Belcastro
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Valentina Mariotti
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pietrobelli
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rita Sorrentino
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Dept. of Cultural Heritage (campus Ravenna), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Krueger KL, Willman JC, Matthews GJ, Hublin JJ, Pérez-Pérez A. Anterior tooth-use behaviors among early modern humans and Neandertals. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224573. [PMID: 31774826 PMCID: PMC6880970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Early modern humans (EMH) are often touted as behaviorally advanced to Neandertals, with more sophisticated technologies, expanded resource exploitation, and more complex clothing production. However, recent analyses have indicated that Neandertals were more nuanced in their behavioral adaptations, with the production of the Châtelperronian technocomplex, the processing and cooking of plant foods, and differences in behavioral adaptations according to habitat. This study adds to this debate by addressing the behavioral strategies of EMH (n = 30) within the context of non-dietary anterior tooth-use behaviors to glean possible differences between them and their Neandertal (n = 45) counterparts. High-resolution casts of permanent anterior teeth were used to collect microwear textures of fossil and comparative bioarchaeological samples using a Sensofar white-light confocal profiler with a 100x objective lens. Labial surfaces were scanned, totaling a work envelope of 204 x 276 μm for each individual. The microwear textures were examined for post-mortem damage and uploaded to SSFA software packages for surface characterization. Statistical analyses were performed to examine differences in central tendencies and distributions of anisotropy and textural fill volume variables among the EMH sample itself by habitat, location, and time interval, and between the EMH and Neandertal samples by habitat and location. Descriptive statistics for the EMH sample were compared to seven bioarchaeological samples (n = 156) that utilized different tooth-use behaviors to better elucidate specific activities that may have been performed by EMH. Results show no significant differences between the means within the EMH sample by habitat, location, or time interval. Furthermore, there are no significant differences found here between EMH and Neandertals. Comparisons to the bioarchaeological samples suggest both fossil groups participated in clamping and grasping activities. These results indicate that EMH and Neandertals were similar in their non-dietary anterior tooth-use behaviors and provide additional evidence for overlapping behavioral strategies employed by these two hominins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin L. Krueger
- Department of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - John C. Willman
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Gregory J. Matthews
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Pérez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Garralda MD, Maureille B, Le Cabec A, Oxilia G, Benazzi S, Skinner MM, Hublin JJ, Vandermeersch B. The Neanderthal teeth from Marillac (Charente, Southwestern France): Morphology, comparisons and paleobiology. J Hum Evol 2019; 138:102683. [PMID: 31765984 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Few European sites have yielded human dental remains safely dated to the end of MIS 4/beginning of MIS 3. One of those sites is Marillac (Southwestern France), a collapsed karstic cave where archeological excavations (1967-1980) conducted by B. Vandermeersch unearthed numerous faunal and human remains, as well as a few Mousterian Quina tools. The Marillac sinkhole was occasionally used by humans to process the carcasses of different prey, but there is no evidence for a residential use of the site, nor have any hearths been found. Rare carnivore bones were also discovered, demonstrating that the sinkhole was seasonally used, not only by Neanderthals, but also by predators across several millennia. The lithostratigraphic units containing the human remains were dated to ∼60 kyr. The fossils consisted of numerous fragments of skulls and jaws, isolated teeth and several post-cranial bones, many of them with traces of perimortem manipulations. For those already published, their morphological characteristics and chronostratigraphic context allowed their attribution to Neanderthals. This paper analyzes sixteen unpublished human teeth (fourteen permanent and two deciduous) by investigating the external morphology and metrical variation with respect to other Neanderthal remains and a sample from modern populations. We also investigate their enamel thickness distribution in 2D and 3D, the enamel-dentine junction morphology (using geometric morphometrics) of one molar and two premolars, the roots and the possible expression of taurodontism, as well as pathologies and developmental defects. The anterior tooth use and paramasticatory activities are also discussed. Morphological and structural alterations were found on several teeth, and interpreted in light of human behavior (tooth-pick) and carnivores' actions (partial digestion). The data are interpreted in the context of the available information for the Eurasian Neanderthals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Dolores Garralda
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Bruno Maureille
- UMR5199 PACEA: de la préhistoire à l'actuel: culture, environnement et anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux, bât. B8. Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire - CS 50023, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany
| | - Gregorio Oxilia
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany; Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany
| | - Bernard Vandermeersch
- UMR5199 PACEA: de la préhistoire à l'actuel: culture, environnement et anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux, bât. B8. Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire - CS 50023, 33615 Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Reconstructing sexual divisions of labor from fingerprints on Ancestral Puebloan pottery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:12220-12225. [PMID: 31160450 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901367116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
An understanding of the division of labor in different societies, and especially how it evolved in the human species, is fundamental to most analyses of social, political, and economic systems. The ability to reconstruct how labor was organized, however, especially in ancient societies that left behind few material remains, is challenged by the paucity of direct evidence demonstrating who was involved in production. This is particularly true for identifying divisions of labor along lines of age, sex, and gender, for which archaeological interpretations mostly rely upon inferences derived from modern examples with uncertain applicability to ancient societies. Drawing upon biometric studies of human fingerprints showing statistically distinct ridge breadth measurements for juveniles, males, and females, this study reports a method for collecting fingerprint impressions left on ancient material culture and using them to distinguish the sex of the artifacts' producers. The method is applied to a sample of 985 ceramic sherds from a 1,000-y-old Ancestral Puebloan community in the US Southwest, a period characterized by the rapid emergence of a highly influential religious and political center at Chaco Canyon. The fingerprint evidence demonstrates that both males and females were significantly involved in pottery production and further suggests that the contributions of each sex varied over time and even among different social groups in the same community. The results indicate that despite long-standing assumptions that pottery production in Ancient Puebloan societies was primarily a female activity, labor was not strictly divided and instead was likely quite dynamic.
Collapse
|
10
|
Schmidt CW, Remy A, Van Sessen R, Willman J, Krueger K, Scott R, Mahoney P, Beach J, McKinley J, D'Anastasio R, Chiu L, Buzon M, De Gregory JR, Sheridan S, Eng J, Watson J, Klaus H, Da-Gloria P, Wilson J, Stone A, Sereno P, Droke J, Perash R, Stojanowski C, Herrmann N. Dental microwear texture analysis of Homo sapiens sapiens: Foragers, farmers, and pastoralists. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:207-226. [PMID: 30888064 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The current study seeks to determine if a sample of foragers, farmers, and pastoralists are distinguishable based on their dental microwear texture signatures. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included a sample of 719 individuals from 51 archeological sites (450 farmers, 192 foragers, 77 pastoralists). All were over age 12 and sexes were pooled. Using a Sensofar® white-light confocal profiler we collected dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) data from a single first or second molar from each individual. We leveled and cleaned data clouds following standard procedures and analyzed the data with Sfrax® and Toothfrax® software. The DMTA variables were complexity and anisotropy. Statistics included ANOVA with partial eta squared and Hedges's g. We also performed a follow-up K-means cluster analysis. RESULTS We found significant differences between foragers and farmers and pastoralists for complexity and anisotropy, with foragers having greater complexity than either the farmers or the pastoralists. The farmers and pastoralists had greater anisotropy than the foragers. The Old World foragers had significantly higher anisotropy values than New World foragers. Old and New World farmers did not differ. Among the Old World farmers, those dating from the Neolithic through the Late Bronze Age had higher complexity values than those from the Iron Age through the medieval period. The cluster analysis discerned foragers and farmers but also indicated similarity between hard food foragers and hard food farmers. DISCUSSION Our findings reaffirm that DMTA is capable of distinguishing human diets. We found that foragers and farmers, in particular, differ in their microwear signatures across the globe. There are some exceptions, but nothing that would be unexpected given the range of human diets and food preparation techniques. This study indicates that in general DMTA is an efficacious means of paleodietary reconstruction in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley Remy
- Fluorescence Microscopy and Cell Imaging Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Rebecca Van Sessen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - John Willman
- IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Tarragona, Spain.,Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Kristin Krueger
- Department of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Rachel Scott
- Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy Beach
- Department of Anthropology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | | | - Ruggero D'Anastasio
- Department of Anthropology, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Laura Chiu
- Department of Anthropology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Michele Buzon
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | | | - Susan Sheridan
- Department of Anthropology, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
| | - Jacqueline Eng
- Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
| | - James Watson
- School of Anthropology University of Arizona, Arizona State Museum, Tuscon, Arizona
| | - Haagen Klaus
- Sociology and Anthroplogy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.,Museo Nacional Sicán, Ferreñafe, Peru
| | - Pedro Da-Gloria
- Graduate Program in Anthropology, Federal University of Para, Belém, Brazil
| | - Jeremy Wilson
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Abigail Stone
- Department of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Paul Sereno
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jessica Droke
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Rose Perash
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
| | | | - Nicholas Herrmann
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ríos L, Kivell TL, Lalueza-Fox C, Estalrrich A, García-Tabernero A, Huguet R, Quintino Y, de la Rasilla M, Rosas A. Skeletal Anomalies in The Neandertal Family of El Sidrón (Spain) Support A Role of Inbreeding in Neandertal Extinction. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1697. [PMID: 30737446 PMCID: PMC6368597 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38571-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neandertals disappeared from the fossil record around 40,000 bp, after a demographic history of small and isolated groups with high but variable levels of inbreeding, and episodes of interbreeding with other Paleolithic hominins. It is reasonable to expect that high levels of endogamy could be expressed in the skeleton of at least some Neandertal groups. Genetic studies indicate that the 13 individuals from the site of El Sidrón, Spain, dated around 49,000 bp, constituted a closely related kin group, making these Neandertals an appropriate case study for the observation of skeletal signs of inbreeding. We present the complete study of the 1674 identified skeletal specimens from El Sidrón. Altogether, 17 congenital anomalies were observed (narrowing of the internal nasal fossa, retained deciduous canine, clefts of the first cervical vertebra, unilateral hypoplasia of the second cervical vertebra, clefting of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, diminutive thoracic or lumbar rib, os centrale carpi and bipartite scaphoid, tripartite patella, left foot anomaly and cuboid-navicular coalition), with at least four individuals presenting congenital conditions (clefts of the first cervical vertebra). At 49,000 years ago, the Neandertals from El Sidrón, with genetic and skeletal evidence of inbreeding, could be representative of the beginning of the demographic collapse of this hominin phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Ríos
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Zientzia Elkartea, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014, Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - T L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - C Lalueza-Fox
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Carrer Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Estalrrich
- Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria IIIPC (Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Gobierno de Cantabria), Avda. de los Castros 52, 39005, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - A García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Huguet
- IPHES, Institut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avda. Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.,Unidad asociada al CSIC, Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Calle José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Y Quintino
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Dpto. de Ciencias Históricas y Geografía, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain
| | - M de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Teniente Alfonso Martínez s/n, 33011, Oviedo, Spain
| | - A Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Pleistocene dental calculus: Recovering information on Paleolithic food items, medicines, paleoenvironment and microbes. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:234-246. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
|
13
|
Tooth fractures in the Krapina Neandertals. J Hum Evol 2018; 123:96-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
|
14
|
Hoover KC, Berbesque JC. Early Holocene morphological variation in hunter-gatherer hands and feet. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5564. [PMID: 30202658 PMCID: PMC6129140 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Windover mortuary pond dates to the Early Archaic period (6,800–5,200 years ago) and constitutes one of the earliest archaeological sites with intact and well-preserved human remains in North America. Unlike many prehistoric egalitarian hunter-gatherers, the Windover people may not have practiced a sex-based division of labor; rather, they may have shared the load. We explore how mobility and subsistence, as reconstructed from archaeological data, influenced hand and foot bone morphology at Windover. Methods We took length and width measurements on four carpal bones, four tarsal bones, and load-bearing tarsal areas (calcaneus load arm, trochlea of the talus). We analyzed lateralization using side differences in raw length and width measurements. For other hypothesis testing, we used log transformed length-width ratios to mitigate the confounding effects of sexual dimorphism and trait size variation; we tested between-sex differences in weight-bearing (rear foot) and shock-absorbing (mid foot) tarsal bones and between-sex differences in carpal bones. Results We identified no significant between-sex differences in rear and midfoot areas, suggesting similar biomechanical stresses. We identified no significant between-sex differences in carpal bones but the test was under-powered due to small sample sizes. Finally, despite widespread behavioral evidence on contemporary populations for human hand and foot lateralization, we found no evidence of either handedness or footedness. Discussion The lack evidence for footedness was expected due its minimal impact on walking gait but the lack of evidence for handedness was surprising given that ethnographic studies have shown strong handedness in hunter-gatherers during tool and goods manufacture. The reconstructed activity patterns suggested both sexes engaged in heavy load carrying and a shared division of labor. Our results support previous findings—both sexes had stronger weight-bearing bones. Male shock-absorbing bones exhibited a trend towards greater relative width (suggesting greater comparative biomechanical stress) than females which may reflect the typical pattern of male hunter-gatherers engaging in walking greater distances at higher speeds than females. While there were no significant between-sex differences in carpal bones (supporting a shared work load model), females exhibited greater variation in index values, which may reflect a greater variety of and specialization in tasks compared to males. Because carpals and tarsals are so well-preserved at archaeological sites, we had surmised they might be useful proxies for activity in the absence of well-preserved long bones. Tarsals provide a stronger signal of past activity and may be useful in the absence of, or in addition to, preferred bones. Carpals, however, may not be useful as the effect size of biomechanical stress (in this study at least) is low and would require larger samples than may be possible at archaeological sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kara C Hoover
- Department of Anthropology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, United States of America
| | - J Colette Berbesque
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Inter-Disciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Willoughby PR, Compton T, Bello SM, Bushozi PM, Skinner AR, Stringer CB. Middle Stone Age human teeth from Magubike rockshelter, Iringa Region, Tanzania. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200530. [PMID: 30063742 PMCID: PMC6067719 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2006, six isolated hominin teeth were excavated from Middle Stone Age (MSA) deposits at the Magubike rockshelter in southern Tanzania. They comprise two central incisors, one lateral incisor, one canine, one third premolar, and one fourth premolar. All are fully developed and come from the maxilla. None of the teeth are duplicated, so they may represent a single individual. While there is some evidence of post-depositional alteration, the morphology of these teeth clearly shares features with anatomically modern Homo sapiens. Both metric and non-metric traits are compared to those from other African and non-African dental remains. The degree of biological relatedness between eastern and southern African Stone Age hunter-gatherers has long been a subject of interest, and several characteristics of the Magubike teeth resemble those of the San of southern Africa. Another notable feature is that the three incisors are marked on the labial crown by scratches that are much coarser than microwear striations. These non-masticatory scratches on the Magubike teeth suggest that the use of the front teeth as tools included regularly repeated activities undertaken throughout the life of the individual. The exact age of these teeth is not clear as ESR and radiocarbon dates on associated snail shells give varying results, but a conservative estimate of their minimum age is 45,000 years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tim Compton
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia M. Bello
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pastory M. Bushozi
- Department of History and Archaeology, College of Humanities, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Anne R. Skinner
- Department of Chemistry, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Chris B. Stringer
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Rosas A, Ríos L, Estalrrich A, Liversidge H, García-Tabernero A, Huguet R, Cardoso H, Bastir M, Lalueza-Fox C, de la Rasilla M, Dean C. The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidrón (Spain). Science 2018; 357:1282-1287. [PMID: 28935804 DOI: 10.1126/science.aan6463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Ontogenetic studies help us understand the processes of evolutionary change. Previous studies on Neandertals have focused mainly on dental development and inferred an accelerated pace of general growth. We report on a juvenile partial skeleton (El Sidrón J1) preserving cranio-dental and postcranial remains. We used dental histology to estimate the age at death to be 7.7 years. Maturation of most elements fell within the expected range of modern humans at this age. The exceptions were the atlas and mid-thoracic vertebrae, which remained at the 5- to 6-year stage of development. Furthermore, endocranial features suggest that brain growth was not yet completed. The vertebral maturation pattern and extended brain growth most likely reflect Neandertal physiology and ontogenetic energy constraints rather than any fundamental difference in the overall pace of growth in this extinct human.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Luis Ríos
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Society of Sciences, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Franckfurta, Germany
| | - Helen Liversidge
- Queen Mary University of London, Institute of Dentistry, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Huguet
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social-Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Campus Sescelades (Edifici W3), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carrer Marcel.lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Hugo Cardoso
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A1S6, Canada
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carles Lalueza-Fox
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Carrer Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Teniente Alfonso Martínez s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Christopher Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lozano M, Estalrrich A, Bondioli L, Fiore I, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Arsuaga JL, Carbonell E, Rosas A, Frayer DW. Right-handed fossil humans. Evol Anthropol 2017; 26:313-324. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Lozano
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) and University Rovira i Virgili (URV); Tarragona Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC); Madrid Spain
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Sezione di Bioarchaeologia at the Museo delle Civiltà, Servizio di Bioarcheologia; Rome Italy
| | - Ivana Fiore
- Museo delle Civiltà, Servizio di Bioarcheologia; Rome Italy
| | - José-Maria Bermúdez de Castro
- Paleobiology of Hominins Program at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH); Burgos Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- University Complutense de Madrid and Centro UCM-ISCIII of Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos; Madrid Spain
| | - Eudald Carbonell
- University Rovira i Virgili (URV) and Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES); Tarragona Spain
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Department of Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Group at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC); Madrid Spain
| | - David W. Frayer
- Department of Anthropology; University of Kansas; Lawrence KS
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Trinkaus E, Villotte S. External auditory exostoses and hearing loss in the Shanidar 1 Neandertal. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186684. [PMID: 29053746 PMCID: PMC5650169 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Late Pleistocene Shanidar 1 older adult male Neandertal is known for the crushing fracture of his left orbit with a probable reduction in vision, the loss of his right forearm and hand, and evidence of an abnormal gait, as well as probable diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. He also exhibits advanced external auditory exostoses in his left auditory meatus and larger ones with complete bridging across the porus in the right meatus (both Grade 3). These growths indicate at least unilateral conductive hearing (CHL) loss, a serious sensory deprivation for a Pleistocene hunter-gatherer. This condition joins the meatal atresia of the Middle Pleistocene Atapuerca-SH Cr.4 in providing evidence of survival with conductive hearing loss (and hence serious sensory deprivation) among these Pleistocene humans. The presence of CHL in these fossils thereby reinforces the paleobiological and archeological evidence for supporting social matrices among these Pleistocene foraging peoples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erik Trinkaus
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Sébastien Villotte
- UMR5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux–CNRS, Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, Pessac cedex, France
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hardy K, Buckley S. Earliest evidence of bitumen fromHomosp. teeth is from El Sidrón. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:212-213. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen Hardy
- ICREA; Pg. Lluís Companys 23 08010 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
- Departament de Prehistòria; Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
| | - Stephen Buckley
- Department of Archaeology; University of York; The King's Manor York UK
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Krueger KL, Ungar PS, Guatelli-Steinberg D, Hublin JJ, Pérez-Pérez A, Trinkaus E, Willman JC. Anterior dental microwear textures show habitat-driven variability in Neandertal behavior. J Hum Evol 2017; 105:13-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
21
|
Estalrrich A, El Zaatari S, Rosas A. Dietary reconstruction of the El Sidrón Neandertal familial group (Spain) in the context of other Neandertal and modern hunter-gatherer groups. A molar microwear texture analysis. J Hum Evol 2017; 104:13-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
22
|
Nakahashi W. The effect of trauma on Neanderthal culture: A mathematical analysis. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2017; 68:83-100. [PMID: 28238406 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic lesions are often observed in ancient skeletal remains. Since ancient medical technology was immature, severely traumatized individuals may have frequently lost the physical ability for cultural skills that demand complex body movements. I develop a mathematical model to analyze the effect of trauma on cultural transmission and apply it to Neanderthal culture using Neanderthal fossil data. I estimate from the data that the proportion of adult individuals who suffered traumatic injuries before death was approximately 0.79-0.94, in which 0.37-0.52 were injured severely and 0.13-0.19 were injured before adulthood. Assuming that every severely traumatized individual and a quarter to a half of the other traumatized individuals lost the capacity for a cultural skill that demands complex control of the traumatized body part, I estimate that if an upper limb is associated with a cultural skill, each individual had to communicate closely with at least 1.5-2.6 individuals during adulthood to maintain the skill in Neanderthal society, and if a whole body is associated, at least 3.1-11.5 individuals were necessary. If cultural transmissions between experts and novices were inaccurate, or if low frequency skills easily disappeared from the population due to random drift, more communicable individuals were necessary. Since the community size of Neanderthals was very small, their high risk of injury may have inhibited the spread of technically difficult cultural skills in their society. It may be important to take this inhibition into consideration when we study Neanderthal culture and the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W Nakahashi
- School of Advanced Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies) Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Estalrrich A, Alarcón JA, Rosas A. Evidence of toothpick groove formation in Neandertal anterior and posterior teeth. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:747-756. [PMID: 28035661 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES During the microscopic examination of the Neandertal dentitions from El Sidrón (Spain) and Hortus (France), we found unusual fine parallel microstriations on the mesial and distal sides of all tooth types, near the cervix. As its appearance was similar to toothpick grooves described in other Homo species, it could correspond to early stages on its formation. To test this hypothesis we developed an experimental replication of a groove using grass stalks. MATERIALS AND METHODS Comparisons between 204 isolated Neandertal teeth and the two experimental dental specimens corroborate that the marks correspond to initial stages of toothpick groove formation, and we propose a five-grade recording scale that summarized the groove formation process. RESULTS Using this new recording procedure, we found that Hortus individuals have higher incidence of this trait (eight individuals out of nine) than the El Sidrón individuals (nine out of 11). Toothpick grooves from El Sidrón show the earliest stages of development, whereas the grooves found on Hortus Neandertals were well-developed. Toothpick grooves were also found in 21 incisors and canines. CONCLUSIONS These differences could be due to the more advanced occlusal dental wear in Hortus individuals, maybe age-related and with a more meat-based diet maybe favoring the inclusion of food debris and thus probing as the cleaning methodology. Our results allow the identification and characterization of incipient toothpick grooves on the human fossil record and contribute to increase our knowledge on Neandertals behavioral and oral care habits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Almudena Estalrrich
- Department of Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, 28006, Spain.,Sections Paleoanthropology and Tertiary Mammals, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany
| | - José Antonio Alarcón
- Department of Stomatology, Section of Orthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, University of Granada, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Department of Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, 28006, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Masotti S, Bogdanic N, Arnaud J, Cervellati F, Gualdi-Russo E. Tooth wear pattern analysis in a sample of Italian Early Bronze Age population. Proposal of a 3-D sampling sequence. Arch Oral Biol 2016; 74:37-45. [PMID: 27871014 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2016.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence, distribution and intensity of tooth wear in a sample of an ancient Italian population in order to explain the pattern in terms of dietary habits and/or non-dietary tooth-use behaviors during the Early Bronze Age, with a focus on possible age-group and sex differences. DESIGN Well-preserved permanent teeth of individuals from the Bronze Age site of Ballabio (Lecco) in northern Italy were examined for tooth wear by different methods. Eight 3D models of teeth at increasing severity of wear were created. RESULTS In total, 357 permanent teeth belonging to male and female individuals were included in the study. Dental wear was present in 96.6% of the total sample. Males showed significantly greater levels of wear than females in the mandibular teeth. Both sexes exhibited a significantly different wear direction between the anterior (oblique and flat) and posterior (oblique and concave) teeth. Significant age differences were observed in the direction and level of wear in the incisors, canines and premolars, with higher wear in the older group. Complete and rotatable virtual 3D images of different wear patterns are proposed. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the present study confirm the data from archaeological studies on this site and on northern Italian habits during the Early Bronze Age suggesting a diet rich in vegetables. The observed wear patterns can be related both to the diet of this Bronze age population, based on hard and abrasive food requiring vigorous mastication, and to sex differences in cultural practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Masotti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgical Specialties, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy.
| | - Nika Bogdanic
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgical Specialties, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Julie Arnaud
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Franco Cervellati
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, via Luigi Borsari, 46, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| | - Emanuela Gualdi-Russo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgical Specialties, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D'Este, 32, Ferrara 44121, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Janz L. Fragmented Landscapes and Economies of Abundance: The Broad-Spectrum Revolution in Arid East Asia. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1086/688436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
26
|
Churchill SE, Walker CS, Schwartz AM. Home-range size in large-bodied carnivores as a model for predicting neandertal territory size. Evol Anthropol 2016; 25:117-23. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
27
|
Trumble BC, Gaulin SJC, Dunbar MD, Kaplan H, Gurven M. No Sex or Age Difference in Dead-Reckoning Ability among Tsimane Forager-Horticulturalists. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2015; 27:51-67. [DOI: 10.1007/s12110-015-9246-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
28
|
Possible Further Evidence of Low Genetic Diversity in the El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) Neandertal Group: Congenital Clefts of the Atlas. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136550. [PMID: 26418427 PMCID: PMC4587856 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
We present here the first cases in Neandertals of congenital clefts of the arch of the atlas. Two atlases from El Sidrón, northern Spain, present respectively a defect of the posterior (frequency in extant modern human populations ranging from 0.73% to 3.84%), and anterior (frequency in extant modern human populations ranging from 0.087% to 0.1%) arch, a condition in most cases not associated with any clinical manifestation. The fact that two out of three observable atlases present a low frequency congenital condition, together with previously reported evidence of retained deciduous mandibular canine in two out of ten dentitions from El Sidrón, supports the previous observation based on genetic evidence that these Neandertals constituted a group with close genetic relations. Some have proposed for humans and other species that the presence of skeletal congenital conditions, although without clinical significance, could be used as a signal of endogamy or inbreeding. In the present case this interpretation would fit the general scenario of high incidence of rare conditions among Pleistocene humans and the specific scenariothat emerges from Neandertal paleogenetics, which points to long-term small and decreasing population size with reduced and isolated groups. Adverse environmental factors affecting early pregnancies would constitute an alternative, non-exclusive, explanation for a high incidence of congenital conditions. Further support or rejection of these interpretations will come from new genetic and skeletal evidence from Neandertal remains.
Collapse
|