Artificial grooves on the Krapina Neanderthal teeth

Frayer, David W.; Russell, Mary Doria

doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330740311

Cited by 82 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The sample has been noted for the presence of idiopathic grooves on interproximal surfaces of several teeth [20], including a lower lateral incisor. In total, 14 teeth representing 10 individuals have such grooves located on the mesial or distal side of the tooth at the cement-enamel junction.…”

Section: Krapina Anterior Dental Wearmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anterior dental microwear texture analysis of the Krapina Neandertals

Krueger¹,

Ungar

2012

Open Geosciences

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Some Neandertal anterior teeth show unusual and excessive gross wear, commonly explained by non-dietary anterior tooth use, or using the anterior dentition as a tool, clamp, or third hand. This alternate use is inferred from aboriginal arctic populations, who used their front teeth in this manner. Here we examine anterior dental microwear textures of the Krapina Neandertals to test this hypothesis and further analyze tooth use in these hominins. Microwear textures from 17 Krapina Dental People were collected by white-light confocal profilometry using a 100x objective lens. Four adjacent scans were generated, totaling an area of 204x276 µm, and were analyzed using Toothfrax and SFrax SSFA software packages. The Neandertals were compared to six bioarchaeological/ethnographic samples with reported variation in diet, abrasive load, and non-dietary anterior tooth use. Results indicate that Krapina anterior teeth lack extreme microwear textures expected of hominins exposed to heavy abrasives or those that regularly generated high stresses associated with intense use of the front teeth as tools. Krapina hominins have microwear attributes in common with Coast Tsimshian, Aleut, and Puye Pueblo samples. Collectively, this suggests that the Krapina Neandertals faced moderate abrasive loads and only periodically used their anterior teeth as tools for non-diet related behaviors. Keywords

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Section: Krapina Anterior Dental Wearmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anterior dental microwear texture analysis of the Krapina Neandertals

Krueger¹,

Ungar

2012

Open Geosciences

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“…The specimens from Sima del Elefante (estimated to 1.3 MA) and Sima de los Huesos (0.3 MA) display a wide diversity of pathologies such as alveolar lytic lesions, hypercementosis and dental calculus (Martinon-Torres et al 2011), as well as periodontal disease, periapical infections, and even osteitis ). The Broken Hill maxillary dentition (0.3-0.125 MA) displays hypercementosis, multiple lesions of cariogenic origin, periodontal disease, and possible effects of hyposalivation (Koritzer and St Hoyme 1979;Puech et al 1980;Bartsiokas and Day 1993;Lacy 2014b).In mid-to-late Pleistocene hominins such as the Neanderthals, dental pathologies are comparatively well documented (Smith 1976;Trinkaus 1978;Trinkaus 1985;Frayer and Russell 1987;Lalueza et al 1993;Tillier et al 1995;Skinner 1996;Trinkaus et al 2000;Lebel and Trinkaus 2002;Guatelli-Steinberg et al 2004;Walker et al 2011;Topić et al 2012;Lozano et al 2013;Lacy 2014a). A wide range of pathological features has been reported, from developmental defects such as linear enamel hypoplasia, to antemortem tooth loss, and in-vivo effects such as interproximal grooves reflecting the habitual use of toothpicks.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In mid-to-late Pleistocene hominins such as the Neanderthals, dental pathologies are comparatively well documented (Smith 1976;Trinkaus 1978;Trinkaus 1985;Frayer and Russell 1987;Lalueza et al 1993;Tillier et al 1995;Skinner 1996;Trinkaus et al 2000;Lebel and Trinkaus 2002;Guatelli-Steinberg et al 2004;Walker et al 2011;Topić et al 2012;Lozano et al 2013;Lacy 2014a). A wide range of pathological features has been reported, from developmental defects such as linear enamel hypoplasia, to antemortem tooth loss, and in-vivo effects such as interproximal grooves reflecting the habitual use of toothpicks.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Margvelashvili

Zollikofer

Lordkipanidze

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: Due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in-vivo changes in the dentognathic system of early Homo are typically documented at the level of individual fossil specimens, and it remains difficult to draw population-level inferences about dietary habits, diet-related activities and lifestyle from individual patterns of dentognathic alterations. The Plio-Pleistocene hominin sample from Dmanisi (Georgia), dated to 1.77 million years ago, offers a unique opportunity to study in-vivo changes in the dentognathic system of individuals belonging to a single paleodeme of early Homo. Materials and Methods: We analyze dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi sample, and in comparative samples of modern Australian and Greenlander hunter-gatherer populations, applying clinical protocols of dentognathic diagnostics. Results: The Dmanisi hominins exhibit a similarly wide diversity and similar incidence of dentognathic pathologies as the modern human hunter-gatherer population samples investigated here. Dmanisi differs from the modern population samples in several respects: At young age tooth wear is already advanced, and pathologies are more prevalent. At old age, hypercementosis is substantial. Discussion: Results indicate that dentognathic pathologies and disease trajectories are largely similar in early Homo and modern humans, but that the disease load was higher in early Homo, probably as an effect of higher overall stress on the dentognathic system. Key words: aging, tooth wear, caries, periodontitisThe Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi has yielded a large sample of hominin fossils associated with abundant and diverse faunal remains and Mode I stone artifacts (Gabunia et al. 2001;Ferring et al. 2011;Mgeladze et al. 2011). Occupation of the site began shortly after 1.85 Ma. The fossil hominin finds are dated to 1.77 Ma (Ferring et al. 2011). Dmanisi thus represents the earliest evidence of Homo outside of Africa. The well-preserved cranial, mandibular and postcranial remains of five individuals are unique in offering detailed insights into patterns of morphological variation within a paleodeme of early Homo, and into patterns of growth and aging Margvelashvili et al. 2013;Zollikofer et al. 2014). The craniomandibular morphology of the Dmanisi paleodeme has been described previously (Gabunia and Vekua 1995;Gabunia et al. 2000;Gabunia et al. 2001;Gabounia et al. 2002;Lordkipanidze et al. 2005;Lordkipanidze et al. 2006;Rightmire et al. 2006;Rightmire and Lordkipanidze 2010;Lordkipanidze et al. 2013;Margvelashvili et al. 2013). Cranial and mandibular morphological variation within the Dmanisi paleodeme is wide, but well within the range of variation seen in modern humans populations, and in populations of chimpanzee subspecies (Skinner et al. 2006;Lordkipanidze et al. 2013;Margvelashvili et al. 2013;Zollikofer et al. 2014). Variation in size, shape and dentognathic features among the Dmanisi mandibles has received special attention and has been studied to address questions of phylogeny, taxonomy, sexual dimorphism, die...

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“…Frayer and Russell's (1987) study of artificial grooves on Krapina Neanderthal teeth led to interpretations connected to dental hygiene. Little variability was evident in the Krapina sample, with grooves consistently appearing on the mesial and distal root walls of permanent molar and premolar teeth (Frayer and Russell 1987: 393).…”

Section: C) Habitually Caused Morphological Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Deliberate ante-mortem dental modification and its implications in archaeology, ethnography and anthropology

Mower¹

1999

Papers From the Institute of Archaeology

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This paper will focus on the variation in deliberate ante-mortem tooth modification through archaeological, anthropological and ethnographic examples. Non-deliberate dental alteration will be discussed as a means of differentiating deliberate, culturally driven modifications, from accidental or occupationally related change. Teeth will often survive better than bone in archaeological contexts. With this in mind, this work will consider the classification and appearance of dental modification and the motivations for such practices. This study will also attempt to highlight the potential in dental anthropology for the identification of status indicators, cultural markers and other indications of past human behaviour in archaeological dental remains. Suggestions will be made for the possibilities of future studies in this area

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Artificial grooves on the Krapina Neanderthal teeth

Cited by 82 publications

References 17 publications

Anterior dental microwear texture analysis of the Krapina Neandertals

Anterior dental microwear texture analysis of the Krapina Neandertals

Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles

Deliberate ante-mortem dental modification and its implications in archaeology, ethnography and anthropology

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