The Epipalaeolithic (Iberomaurusian) at Grotte des Pigeons (Taforalt), Morocco: A preliminary study of the land Mollusca

Taylor, Vanessa; Barton, Nick; Bell, Martin; Bouzouggar, Abdeljalil; Collcutt, S. N.; Black, Stuart; Hogue, Joshua T.

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.04.041

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The late Iberomaurusian inhabitants of Taforalt were complex hunter-gatherers as demonstrated by the formation of rich cultural deposits, elaborate burials within a demarcated area, the potential use of grindstones in food preparation, and abundant evidence of systematic harvesting and processing of wild food resources, including acorns, pine nuts, and molluscs (26). The presence of rhizome fragments of esparto grass suggests that they were equipped with baskets and other plant fiber-made tools that could be used to collect, store, and process food plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Carbohydrates from other identified food plants, including wild pulses and wild oats, may have contributed to the high caries prevalence at Taforalt. Land snails were intensively collected and consumed during the Iberomaurusian (26), and although these are not known to be cariogenic, abrasive particles present within the snails may contribute to tooth wear (29) and, hence, influence the location of carious lesions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Morocco

Humphrey

Groote

Morales

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

139

128

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Significance We present early evidence linking a high prevalence of caries to a reliance on highly cariogenic wild plant foods in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from North Africa. This evidence predates other high caries populations and the first signs of food production by several thousand years. We infer that increased reliance on wild plants rich in fermentable carbohydrates caused an early shift toward a disease-associated oral microbiota. Systematic harvesting and processing of wild food resources supported a more sedentary lifestyle during the Iberomaurusian than previously recognized. This research challenges commonly held assumptions that high rates of caries are indicative of agricultural societies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Morocco

Humphrey

Groote

Morales

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

139

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This species is one of the most common land snails in northern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean and one of the most abundant species in Mediterranean archaeological sites (e.g. Lubell et al 1975Lubell et al , 1976Barker et al 2010;Taylor et al, 2011). It therefore offers the possibility of long-term environmental reconstruction in northern Africa, a region that has thus far received little attention in the palaeoclimate literature, yet holds great promise for assessing the relationship between the Late Pleistocene to Holocene environmental change and human behavioural evolution (Barker et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen isotope signatures from land snail ( Helix melanostoma ) shells and body fluid: Proxies for reconstructing Mediterranean and North African rainfall

et al. 2015

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“…The Iberomaurusian and Capsian people consumed snails frequently (Lubell, 2004a, b;Taylor et al, 2011), and may have been exposed to tetanus spores from soil. The existence of a gap in the dentition due to evulsion would have enabled affected individuals to drink water and other liquids while presenting 16 lockjaw.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing evulsion in the Later Stone Age Maghreb: Age, sex and effects on mastication

Groote

Humphrey

2016

Quaternary International

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Abstract:This paper assesses the earliest evidence for widespread dental modification in Northwest Africa. The intentional modification of teeth has implications for an individual's appearance, sense of identity and perceived status. The range of modifications reported varies from alterations of shape or color to the complete removal of healthy teeth (evulsion or ablation). The availability of well-dated collections reveals that Northwest Africa was the first region where the custom of tooth evulsion was widely practiced.Analysis of Iberomaurusian (Late Stone Age, n=77) and Capsian dental material (n=12) shows that evulsion was present in most male and female individuals (>94%). The most common Iberomaurusian practice involved removal of both upper central incisors (around 65%) although removal of fewer, none and more teeth was also recorded. Observations of the extent of alveolar remodeling of different sockets revealed that teeth were frequently removed at different ages, suggesting that the cultural significance was age transgressive and may have related to an event that individuals experienced more than once. During the Capsian period the prevalence of evulsion was lower in males than in females, but when present more teeth were removed with evulsion frequently involving both mandible and maxilla. Tooth wear analysis shows that evulsion affected not only the appearance of the individual but also the functioning of the masticatory complex.3

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The Epipalaeolithic (Iberomaurusian) at Grotte des Pigeons (Taforalt), Morocco: A preliminary study of the land Mollusca

Cited by 35 publications

References 25 publications

Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Morocco

Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Morocco

Oxygen isotope signatures from land snail ( Helix melanostoma ) shells and body fluid: Proxies for reconstructing Mediterranean and North African rainfall

Characterizing evulsion in the Later Stone Age Maghreb: Age, sex and effects on mastication

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