Tooth grooves, occlusal striations, dental calculus, and evidence for fiber processing in an Italian eneolithic/bronze age cemetery

Sperduti, Alessandra; Giuliani, M.R.; Guida, Giuseppe; Petrone, Pierpaolo; Rossi, Paola Francesca; Vaccaro, Serena; Frayer, David W.; Bondioli, Luca

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23619

Cited by 23 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Hemp fibers, obtained by maceration and consequent desiccation of Cannabis L. phloem, were used in the Roman period to produce clothes, canvasses, bags, and tough ropes (e.g., for hunting nets) [59–61]. The presence of hemp fibers in the ancient dental calculus might be justified by (i) inhalation during its processing activity [62], (ii) ingestion of food and beverages preserved by hemp sacks [52], and (iii) intake of hemp exudates and extracts for therapeutic purposes. In the second century AD, Galen mentioned the use of sweets containing Cannabis to induce hilarity [63].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifestyle of a Roman Imperial community: ethnobotanical evidence from dental calculus of the Ager Curensis inhabitants

D’Agostino

Gismondi

Marco

et al. 2019

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundThe analysis of ancient calcified dental plaque is a powerful archaeobotanical method to elucidate the key role of the plants in human history.MethodsIn this research, by applying both optic microscopy and gas chromatography mass spectrometry on this matrix, a detailed qualitative investigation for reconstructing the lifestyle of a Roman imperial community of the Ager Curensis (Sabina Tiberina, Central Italy) was performed.ResultsThe detection of animal micro-remains and molecules (e.g., hairs, feather barbules, markers of dairy products), starch granules of several cereals and legumes, pollen (e.g., Juglans regia L., Hedera sp. L.) and other plant micro-debris (e.g., trichome of Olea sp., hemp fibers), and phytochemicals (e.g., Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae herbs, Ferula sp., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., wine, and Humulus lupulus L.) in the dental calculus sample demonstrated that plant-derived foods were regularly consumed together with animal resources.ConclusionsThis nutritional plan, consistent with the information reported in ancient written texts, suggested that the studied population based its own subsistence on both agriculture and husbandry, probably also including beekeeping and hunting activities. All together, these results represent proofs for the comprehension of food habits, phytotherapeutic practices, and cultural traditions of one of the first Roman settlements in the Sabina Tiberina area.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifestyle of a Roman Imperial community: ethnobotanical evidence from dental calculus of the Ager Curensis inhabitants

D’Agostino

Gismondi

Marco

et al. 2019

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…Occlusal and nonocclusal grooves on the anterior dentition in bioarchaeological assemblages are often interpreted as evidence for the habitual manipulation of various forms of cordage, sinew, thread, yarn and other fibrous materials of plant or animal origin (Bocquentin, Sellier, & Murail, 2005; Cybulski, 1974; Erdal, 2008; Frayer, 2004; Frayer & Minozzi, 2003; Larsen, 1985; Lorkiewicz, 2011; Minozzi, Manzi, Ricci, di Lernia, & Borgognini Tarli, 2003; Molleson, 2016; Pedersen & Jakobsen, 1989; Ravy, Clère, & Puech, 1996; Schulz, 1977; Scott & Jolie, 2008; Sperduti et al, 2018; Vogeikoff‐Brogan & Smith, 2010; Waters‐Rist, Bazaliiskii, Weber, Goriunova, & Katzenberg, 2010). Such interpretations generally rely on the numerous ethnohistoric and clinical examples that detail the nonmasticatory uses of the dentition for weaving, cutting, wetting, plucking and hand spinning of fibre and cordage (Crowfoot, 1931; Cybulski, 1974; Erdal, 2008; Fidalgo, Silva, & Porfírio, 2020; Larsen, 1985; Powers, 1875; Prpić‐Mehičić, Buntak‐Kobler, Jukić, & Katunarić, 1998; Schulz, 1977; Scott & Jolie, 2008; Vogeikoff‐Brogan & Smith, 2010; Wheat, 1967).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insights into the nondietary, or nonmasticatory, use of the anterior dentition for manipulative behaviours (use of ‘teeth as tools’) are increasingly well‐documented in the later prehistory of the Western Mediterranean and Iberia through the analysis of dental wear features (Carrasco, Bonilla, Mateo, & Sanjuán, 2017; Fidalgo, Silva, & Porfírio, 2020; Lozano et al, 2020; Lozano, Bermúdez de Castro, Arsuaga, & Carbonell, 2017; Marado et al, 2017; Pereira et al, 2017a, 2017b; Silva, Gil, Soares, & da Silva, 2016; Sperduti et al, 2018; Tanga, Quintili, Tinarelli, D'Anastasio, & Viciano, 2016; Willman, Lozano, Hernando, & Vergès, 2020b). In this context, we contribute an analysis of two incisors from a Bronze Age context at the site of Monte do Vale do Ouro 2 that exhibit an exceptional case of dental wear grooves on their lingual surfaces (Pereira et al, 2017a, 2017b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The embodiment of craft production in Bronze Age Portugal: Exceptional dental wear grooves in an individual from Monte do Vale do Ouro 2 (Ferreira do Alentejo, Portugal)

Willman

Valera

Silva

2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Two human lateral mandibular incisors exhibiting exceptional dental wear in the form of lingual surface grooves along the cementoenamel junction were recovered from the superficial levels of a pit grave attributed to the Bronze Age at the archaeological site of Monte do Vale do Ouro 2 (Ferreira do Alentejo, Beja, Portugal). Although a number of analyses of dental wear features acknowledge the relatively common use of the dentition for nondietary purposes (using the ‘teeth as tools’) during the Early/Middle Bronze Age (2200–1200 BC) of southwest Iberia, the form of dental wear documented at Monte do Vale do Ouro 2 is not only a novel finding in this region but also has seldom been described in any bioarchaeological context. The present study provides a macroscopic and low‐magnification description of the atypical dental wear for this individual. Results indicate that the incisors are likely antimeres. In addition to the deep lingual grooves, asymmetrical wear removed a substantial portion of the laterolingual crown volume of each tooth. Occlusal and lingual surface wear accumulated slowly enough for tertiary dentin to form. An occlusal groove is also present on the right I2. A review of ethnohistoric and bioarchaeological literature suggests that some form of craft production involving the manipulation of cordage or fibre with the mouth and teeth can account for the unique wear patterns from Monte do Vale do Ouro 2. The hand‐spinning of flax requires wetting which can be accomplished by passing flax fibres through the mouth in a mediolateral direction while using a hand spindle. Similar habitual behaviours were probably practiced by the Bronze Age individual from Monte do Vale do Ouro 2. The wear grooves represent the embodiment of aspects of craft production and maintenance activities that occurred during this individual's lifecourse.

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“…The literature concerning crania and dentition studies of historical populations usually brings forward specimens presenting with severe dental wear, alveolar resorbtion, caries, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) and ante mortem tooth loss (AMTL) which are all quite common. There are still a number of dental pathologies that arise more frequently in more distant periods, such as excessive tooth wear and alveolar bone resorbtion, whereas in more recent times, probably because of the impact of agriculture and a softer diet, caries tend to be more frequent, as well as periapical lesions and AMTL [46,[64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71]. To our knowledge, so far, the oldest specimen of a human jaw presenting a mesiodens is that of a 13,000 year old skull with a mesiodens present in the vault of the palate [72].…”

Section: The "Individual 1" Casementioning

confidence: 99%

An Ancient Mesiodens Investigated by Cone Beam CT

et al. 2021

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This article presents the complex case study of an ancient skeleton presenting a maxillary supernumerary tooth (mesiodens). The skeleton was found in an archaeological site in the western part of Romania and was dated back to the Eneolithic period, some 5500 years ago. The aim of this article is to analyze the mesiodens and the jaws in light of current knowledge regarding anomalies of dental development of past and present-time populations. The cranial remains were investigated from an orthodontic perspective through inspection and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan. The occlusion was analyzed according to Angle’s classification and observations were made regarding the presence of calculus, dental wear, presence of caries, bone loss and ante-mortem tooth loss. Observations were made regarding tooth dimensions and comparisons were made with modern population. In this specific case, the mesiodens caused minimum disruption within the upper dental arch and the occlusion. Additionally, it did not have any negative impact on the adjacent teeth or cause any other complication. Judging by the analysis of the jaws, the presence of the mesiodens had little impact on the overall oral health of the person. As suggested by other findings in the scientific literature, the mesiodens is an anomaly found throughout all historical periods, from the oldest archaeological sites to present day.

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Tooth grooves, occlusal striations, dental calculus, and evidence for fiber processing in an Italian eneolithic/bronze age cemetery

Abstract: This study found the co-occurrence of tooth AIDMs and the actual fibers preserved in the dental calculus. As more work is done analyzing dental calculus in a variety of humans, it is apparent that this biological material holds rich resources documenting non-dietary habits.

Cited by 23 publications

References 58 publications

Lifestyle of a Roman Imperial community: ethnobotanical evidence from dental calculus of the Ager Curensis inhabitants

Lifestyle of a Roman Imperial community: ethnobotanical evidence from dental calculus of the Ager Curensis inhabitants

The embodiment of craft production in Bronze Age Portugal: Exceptional dental wear grooves in an individual from Monte do Vale do Ouro 2 (Ferreira do Alentejo, Portugal)

An Ancient Mesiodens Investigated by Cone Beam CT

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