1
|
Martin N, Thibeault A, Varadzinová L, Ambrose SH, Antoine D, Brukner Havelková P, Honegger M, Irish JD, Osypiński P, Usai D, Vanderesse N, Varadzin L, Whiting RJ, Velemínský P, Crevecoeur I. From hunter-gatherers to food producers: New dental insights into the Nile Valley population history (Late Paleolithic-Neolithic). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24948. [PMID: 38733278 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study presents biological affinities between the last hunter-fisher-gatherers and first food-producing societies from the Nile Valley. We investigate odontometric and dental tissue proportion changes between these populations from the Middle Nile Valley and acknowledge the biological processes behind them. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dental remains of 329 individuals from Nubia and Central Sudan that date from the Late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene are studied. Using 3D imaging techniques, we investigated outer and inner metric aspects of upper central incisors, and first and second upper molars. RESULTS Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic foragers display homogeneous crown dimensions, dental tissue proportions, and enamel thickness distribution. This contrasts with Neolithic trends for significant differences from earlier samples on inner and outer aspects. Finally, within the Neolithic sample differences are found between Nubian and Central Sudanese sites. DISCUSSION Substantial dental variation appears to have occurred around 6000 bce in the Nile Valley, coinciding with the emergence of food-producing societies in the region. Archeological and biological records suggest little differences in dietary habits and dental health during this transition. Furthermore, the substantial variations identified here would have happened in an extremely short time, a few centuries at most. This does not support in situ diet-related adaptation. Rather, we suggest these data are consistent with some level of population discontinuity between the Mesolithic and Neolithic samples considered here. Complex settlement processes could also explain the differences between Nubia and Central Sudan, and with previous results based on nonmetric traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Martin
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| | - Adrien Thibeault
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| | - Lenka Varadzinová
- Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Stanley H Ambrose
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Daniel Antoine
- Department of Egypt and Sudan, The British Museum, London, UK
| | - Petra Brukner Havelková
- Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum, National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matthieu Honegger
- Institut d'Archéologie, University of Neuchâtel, Hauterive, Switzerland
| | - Joel D Irish
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Paleoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Piotr Osypiński
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Donatella Usai
- Centro Studi Sudanesi e Sub-Sahariani ONLUS, Strada Canizzano, Treviso, Italy
| | - Nicolas Vanderesse
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| | - Ladislav Varadzin
- Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Petr Velemínský
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum, National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Isabelle Crevecoeur
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Castillo-Alonso C, Tabilo L, López-Lázaro S. Use of dimensions in posterior dentition for sex estimation in forensic contexts: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Oral Biol 2023; 155:105782. [PMID: 37611493 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2023.105782] [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: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study assessed the validity of dimensions in posterior dentition for sex estimation in forensic contexts. DESIGN A systematic review was established following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). After assessing the risk of bias and methodological quality with the QUADAS-2 system, the data were subjected to statistical tests for a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy and I2 to verify the heterogeneity. RESULTS The search resulted in 15 studies that underwent qualitative testing, all were selected for quantitative analysis. The papers included: the mesiodistal of the upper first molar, lower first molar, and upper second molar, and the buccolingual of the upper first molar and upper second molar. The results showed that sensitivity and specificity rates were lower with the mesiodistal diameter, with rates of 0.577 for the lower first molar, 0.674 for the upper first molar, and 0.698 for the upper second molar, while the rates were higher with the buccolingual diameter, with 0.724 for the upper first molar, and 0.743 for the upper second molar. The power to estimate sex is greater for males than for females. High heterogeneity was detected among the studies of almost all dimensions, except sensibility for the lower first molar and specificity for the upper second molar. CONCLUSIONS None of the dimensions reached an accuracy of ≥80%, however, so they are not a reliable method for sex estimation in forensic practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camila Castillo-Alonso
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Av. Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1045, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luna Tabilo
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Av. Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1045, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sandra López-Lázaro
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Av. Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1045, Santiago, Chile; Forensic Dentistry Lab, Centro de Investigación en Odontología Legal y Forense -CIO, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Nowaczewska W, Górka K, Cieślik A. Assessment of the Relationship between the Total Occlusal Area of the Human Permanent Upper First and Second Molars and the Robusticity of the Facial Skeleton in Sex-Different Cranial Samples of Homo Sapiens: A Preliminary Study. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040566. [PMID: 37106765 PMCID: PMC10136266 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to establish whether there is a significant relationship between the total occlusal area (TOCA) of two types of permanent upper molars (first-M1 and second-M2) and facial robusticity, as well as which of the examined facial regions indicate a relationship concerning the grade of their massiveness with the TOCA of analyzed molars in different sex adult Homo sapiens cranial samples. To obtain the values of the TOCA of the molars (n = 145), a morphometric method was performed based on the calibrated digital images of their occlusal surface using ImageJ software. The grades of the massiveness of six facial regions were assessed using qualitative scales of their expression, and an index of general facial robusticity was calculated. Two types of analyses were performed concerning standardized and non-standardized traits to the facial size, including Spearman's/or Pearson's correlations and partial rank correlations. The obtained results indicated the presence of a positive relationship between the relative TOCA of M2s and the relative general facial robusticity, as well as between the TOCA of both types of molars and the massiveness of trigone region of the facial skeleton in male crania. However, most of the obtained results were not consistent with the assumptions of the "localized masticatory stress hypothesis".
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wioletta Nowaczewska
- Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław, S. Przybyszewskiego 63, 51-148 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Górka
- Department of Anthropology, L. Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Podwale 75, 50-449 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Agata Cieślik
- Department of Anthropology, L. Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Podwale 75, 50-449 Wroclaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
KONDO OSAMU, TASHIRO MEGUMI, MIYAKE YUTAKA. Human skeletal remains from Hasankeyf Höyük, a sedentary hunter-gatherer site in southeast Anatolia. ANTHROPOL SCI 2022. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.220122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- OSAMU KONDO
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
| | - MEGUMI TASHIRO
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Letters, Haccetepe University, Ankara
| | - YUTAKA MIYAKE
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Irish JD, Usai D. The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture in Nubia: dental evidence for and against selection, population continuity and discontinuity. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210969. [PMID: 34102887 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Some researchers posit population continuity between Late Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers of the late Pleistocene and Holocene agriculturalists from Lower (northern) Nubia, in northeast Africa. Substantial craniodental differences in these time-successive groups are suggested to result from in situ evolution. Specifically, these populations are considered a model example for subsistence-related selection worldwide in the transition to agriculture. Others question continuity, with findings indicating that the largely homogeneous Holocene populations differ significantly from late Pleistocene Lower Nubians. If the latter are representative of the local populace, post-Pleistocene discontinuity is implied. So who was ancestral to the Holocene agriculturalists? Dental morphological analyses of 18 samples (1075 individuals), including one dated to the 12th millennium BCE from Al Khiday, near the Upper Nubian border, may provide an answer. It is the first Late Palaeolithic sample (n = 55) recovered within the region in approximately 50 years. Using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System to record traits and multivariate statistics to estimate biological affinities, Al Khiday is comparable to several Holocene samples, yet also highly divergent from contemporaneous Lower Nubians. Thus, population continuity is indicated after all, but with late Pleistocene Upper-rather than Lower Nubians as originally suggested-assuming dental traits are adequate proxies for ancient DNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Irish
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Donatella Usai
- Centro Studi Sudanesi e Sub-Sahariani ONLUS, Strada Canizzano, 128/D, 31100, Treviso, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cheronet O, Ash A, Anders A, Dani J, Domboróczki L, Drozdova E, Francken M, Jovanovic M, Milasinovic L, Pap I, Raczky P, Teschler-Nicola M, Tvrdý Z, Wahl J, Zariņa G, Pinhasi R. Sagittal suture morphological variation in human archaeological populations. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 304:2811-2822. [PMID: 33773064 PMCID: PMC9291749 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24627] [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: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Cranial sutures join the many bones of the skull. They are therefore points of weakness and consequently subjected to the many mechanical stresses affecting the cranium. However, the way in which this impacts their morphological complexity remains unclear. We examine the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of human sagittal sutures by quantifying the morphology from 107 individuals from archaeological populations spanning the Mesolithic to Middle ages, using standardized two‐dimensional photographs. Results show that the most important factor determining sutural complexity appears to be the position along the cranial vault from the junction with the coronal suture at its anterior‐most point to the junction with the lambdoid suture at its posterior‐most point. Conversely, factors such as age and lifeways show few trends in complexity, the most significant of which is a lower complexity in the sutures of Mesolithic individuals who consumed a tougher diet. The simple technique used in this study therefore allowed us to identify that, taken together, structural aspects play a more important role in defining the complexity of the human sagittal suture than extrinsic factors such as the mechanical forces imposed on the cranium by individuals' diet.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Cheronet
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Abigail Ash
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Alexandra Anders
- Institute of Archeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Eva Drozdova
- Department of Experimental Biology, Section of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Biological and Molecular Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk Univerzity, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michael Francken
- Osteology, State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Wuerttemberg, Constance, Germany
| | | | | | - Ildiko Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Pál Raczky
- Institute of Archeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Maria Teschler-Nicola
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zdeněk Tvrdý
- Anthropos Institute, Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Joachim Wahl
- Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie Abteilung Paläoanthropologie, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gunita Zariņa
- University of Latvia, Institute of Latvian History, Riga, Latvia
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Willman JC, Lacy SA. Oral pathological conditions of an Early Epipaleolithic human from Southwest Asia: Ohalo II H2 as a probable case of intentional dental ablation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 30:68-76. [PMID: 32485536 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2020.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the oral pathological conditions of Ohalo II H2, an Early Epipaleolithic human from southwest Asia. MATERIALS The dentognathic skeleton of Ohalo II H2 and relevant comparative data from similar chronological and/or geographic contexts. METHODS Gross and x-ray observations of oral pathological conditions and occlusal wear were made following published protocols. A differential diagnosis of antemortem tooth loss is provided. RESULTS Ohalo 2 has two carious lesions on the right M3, pulpal exposure of left M1, and mild to moderate anterior alveolar bone loss. The right I1 was lost antemortem, and there is probably agenesis of the left M3. CONCLUSIONS The pathological conditions noted are not exceptional for a Late Upper Paleolithic forager. However, the antemortem missing right I1 is most parsimoniously explained by intentional dental ablation. SIGNIFICANCE Ohalo 2 could represent the oldest example of dental ablation from the Late Pleistocene circum-Mediterranean world - predating the earliest examples from both North Africa and southwest Asia by several thousand years. The similarity of the Ohalo 2 ablation pattern with later Natufians provides further evidence of potential long-term behavioral trends related to the embodiment of social identities through international body modification within the Epipaleolithic of southwest Asia. LIMITATIONS The pre-Natufian (∼23,000-14,500 cal BP) human fossil record is relatively sparse, making comparisons with the Natufian (∼14,500-11,500 cal BP) phases of the Epipaleolithic difficult. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Documentation of oral pathological conditions for other pre-Natufian fossils would provide greater resolution of the temporospatial patterning of oral health and embodied social identities during the Epipaleolithic of southwest Asia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John C Willman
- Laboratory of Prehistory, CIAS - Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Sarah A Lacy
- Department of Anthropology, California State University-Dominguez Hills, SBS G323, 1000 E Victoria St, Carson, CA, 90747, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pokhojaev A, Avni H, Sella-Tunis T, Sarig R, May H. Changes in human mandibular shape during the Terminal Pleistocene-Holocene Levant. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8799. [PMID: 31217474 PMCID: PMC6584575 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45279-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition to food production, exploitation of ‘secondary’ products (e.g., milk), and advances in cookware technology have affected all aspects of human life. The aim of the present study was to follow changes in mandibular form and shape throughout the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene Levant. The hemimandibles of four populations were included in this study: Natufian hunter-gatherers (n = 10), Pre-pottery Neolithic early farmers (n = 6), Chalcolithic farmers (n = 9), Roman-Byzantine (n = 16), and modern (n = 63) populations. A surface mesh of each mandible was reconstructed from CT or surface scans. Changes in mandibular form and shape were studied using the Procrustes-based geometric morphometrics method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to examine differences in size and shape between the studied populations. Our results reveal considerable temporal changes in mandibular shape throughout the Holocene Levant, mainly between the pre-agricultural population (the Natufian) and the succeeding ones, and between the post-industrial (the Modern) and the pre-industrial populations. A tendency for a reduction in mandibular size was identified between the pre-agricultural population and the farmers. Most regions of the mandible underwent shape changes. In conclusion, substantial changes in mandibular shape occurred throughout the Holocene Levant, especially following the agricultural revolution. These changes can be explained by the “masticatory-functional hypothesis”.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Pokhojaev
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.,Departments of Orthodontics and Oral Biology, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Hadas Avni
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Tatiana Sella-Tunis
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.,Departments of Orthodontics and Oral Biology, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Rachel Sarig
- Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.,Departments of Orthodontics and Oral Biology, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel. .,Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dykes SJ, Pilbrow VC. A mathematical landmark-based method for measuring worn molars in hominoid systematics. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6990. [PMID: 31198638 PMCID: PMC6535218 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Worn teeth pose a major limitation to researchers in the fields of extinct and extant hominoid systematics because they lack clearly identifiable anatomical landmarks needed to take measurements on the crown enamel surface and are typically discarded from a study. This is particularly detrimental when sample sizes for some groups are already characteristically low, if there is an imbalance between samples representing populations, sexes or dietary strategies, or if the worn teeth in question are type specimens of fossil species or other key specimens. This study proposes a methodology based predominantly on mathematically-derived landmarks for measuring size and shape features of molars, irrespective of wear. With 110 specimens of lower second molars from five species of extant hominoids (Pan troglodytes, P. paniscus, Gorilla gorilla, G. beringei, Homo sapiens), n ≥ 20 per species, n ≥ 10 per subspecies, good species separation in morphospace is achieved in a principal components analysis. Classification accuracy in a discriminant function analysis is 96.4% at the species level and 88.2% at the subspecies level (92.7% and 79.1%, respectively, on cross-validation). The classification accuracy compares favorably to that achieved by anatomically-derived measurements based on published research (94% and 84% at the species and subspecies level respectively; 91% and 76% on cross-validation). The mathematical landmarking methodology is rapid and uncomplicated. The results support the use of mathematical landmarks to enable the inclusion of worn molar teeth in dental studies so as to maximize sample sizes and restore balance between populations and/or sexes in hominoid systematic studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan J. Dykes
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Varsha C. Pilbrow
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Milella M, Betz BJ, Knüsel CJ, Larsen CS, Dori I. Population density and developmental stress in the Neolithic: A diachronic study of dental fluctuating asymmetry at Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7,100-5,950 BC). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:737-749. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Milella
- Department of Anthropology; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
| | - Barbara J. Betz
- Department of Anthropology, 4034 Smith Laboratory; The Ohio State University; Columbus Ohio
| | | | - Clark Spencer Larsen
- Department of Anthropology, 4034 Smith Laboratory; The Ohio State University; Columbus Ohio
| | - Irene Dori
- UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux; Pessac France
- Department of Biology; Laboratory of Anthropology, University of Florence; Florence Italy
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ruff CB. Functional morphology in the pages of the AJPA. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:688-704. [PMID: 29574828 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Measuring the effects of farming on human skull morphology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:8917-8919. [PMID: 28811377 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1711475114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|
13
|
Grine FE, Marean CW, Faith JT, Black W, Mongle CS, Trinkaus E, le Roux SG, du Plessis A. Further human fossils from the Middle Stone Age deposits of Die Kelders Cave 1, Western Cape Province, South Africa. J Hum Evol 2017; 109:70-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 05/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
14
|
Changes in human skull morphology across the agricultural transition are consistent with softer diets in preindustrial farming groups. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:9050-9055. [PMID: 28739900 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1702586114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Agricultural foods and technologies are thought to have eased the mechanical demands of diet-how often or how hard one had to chew-in human populations worldwide. Some evidence suggests correspondingly worldwide changes in skull shape and form across the agricultural transition, although these changes have proved difficult to characterize at a global scale. Here, adapting a quantitative genetics mixed model for complex phenotypes, we quantify the influence of diet on global human skull shape and form. We detect modest directional differences between foragers and farmers. The effects are consistent with softer diets in preindustrial farming groups and are most pronounced and reliably directional when the farming class is limited to dairying populations. Diet effect magnitudes are relatively small, affirming the primary role of neutral evolutionary processes-genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow structured by population history and migrations-in shaping diversity in the human skull. The results also bring an additional perspective to the paradox of why Homo sapiens, particularly agriculturalists, appear to be relatively well suited to efficient (high-leverage) chewing.
Collapse
|
15
|
Morphological change in cranial shape following the transition to agriculture across western Eurasia. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33316. [PMID: 27622425 PMCID: PMC5020731 DOI: 10.1038/srep33316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Neolithic transition brought about fundamental social, dietary and behavioural changes in human populations, which, in turn, impacted skeletal morphology. Crania are shaped through diverse genetic, ontogenetic and environmental factors, reflecting various elements of an individual’s life. To determine the transition’s effect on cranial morphology, we investigated its potential impact on the face and vault, two elements potentially responding to different influences. Three datasets from geographically distant regions (Ukraine, Iberia, and the Levant plus Anatolia) were analysed. Craniometric measurements were used to compare the morphology of pre-transition populations with that of agricultural populations. The Neolithic transition corresponds to a statistically significant increase only in cranial breadth of the Ukrainian vaults, while facial morphology shows no consistent transformations, despite expected changes related to the modification of masticatory behaviour. The broadening of Ukrainian vaults may be attributable to dietary and/or social changes. However, the lack of change observed in the other geographical regions and the lack of consistent change in facial morphology are surprising. Although the transition from foraging to farming is a process that took place repeatedly across the globe, different characteristics of transitions seem responsible for idiosyncratic responses in cranial morphology.
Collapse
|
16
|
11,000 years of craniofacial and mandibular variation in Lower Nubia. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31040. [PMID: 27503560 PMCID: PMC4977491 DOI: 10.1038/srep31040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition to agriculture was a key event in human history. The extent to which this transition is associated with biological changes in different world regions remains debated. Cultural and osteological records in Lower Nubia throughout the Holocene have been interpreted as a result of in situ differentiation or alternatively as migratory events and possible admixture with surrounding populations. Here we investigated the patterns of craniofacial and mandibular variation from Mesolithic hunting-gathering to late farming, a period spanning 11,000 years. We analyzed 102 adult specimens spanning five cultural horizons: Mesolithic, A-group, C-group, Pharaonic and Meroitic, by means of 3D geometric morphometric methods, in order to assess shape variation and diachronic patterns at the transition to farming and in subsequent periods. Our results highlight a strong morphometric distinction between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and farmers as well as differences between transitional and intensive farmers in mandibular variation which is consistent with differential impact of selective pressures on different regions of the skull. This study corroborates a major biological change during the transition from hunting to farming, supporting the masticatory-functional hypothesis for the mandible and suggesting population continuity among farming populations throughout the Holocene based on the overall shape of the cranium.
Collapse
|
17
|
Smith HF, von Cramon-Taubadel N. The relative correspondence of cranial and genetic distances in papionin taxa and the impact of allometric adjustments. J Hum Evol 2016; 85:46-64. [PMID: 26117374 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in the primate fossil record is dependent upon a thorough understanding of the phylogenetic utility of craniodental characters. Here, we test three previously proposed hypotheses for the propensity of primate craniomandibular data to exhibit homoplasy, using a study design based on the relative congruence between cranial distance matrices and a consensus genetic distance matrix ("genetic congruence") for papionin taxa: 1) matrices based on cranial regions subjected to less masticatory strain are more genetically congruent than high-strain cranial matrices; 2) matrices based on cranial regions developing earlier in ontogeny are more genetically congruent than matrices based on regions that develop later; and 3) matrices based on cranial regions with greater anatomical/functional complexity are more genetically congruent than matrices based on anatomically simpler regions. Morphological distance matrices based on the shape of 15 different cranial regions, delineated on the basis of previous catarrhine studies, were statistically compared to a matrix of known genetic distances in papionins. Since sexual dimorphism and allometry are known to characterize this clade, several analytical iterations were conducted: 1) mixed-sex, male-only, and female-only analyses and 2) with and without an allometric scaling adjustment. Across all datasets, the chondrocranium matrix was the most consistently correlated with genetic distances, which is also consistent with previous studies of cercopithecoid taxa; however, there was no support for the internal predictions of the three hypotheses tested. Allometric scaling corrections had the largest impact on the genetic congruence of facial shape matrices, a result consistent with previous studies that have described facial homoplasy in papionin taxa. These findings differ from patterns described for hominoid taxa, suggesting that no single predictive criterion can explain phylogenetic utility of cranial datasets across catarrhine primate taxa. Many of the differences in morphological-genetic matrix correlations could result from different levels of phenotypic integration and evolvability in cercopithecoids and hominoids, suggesting that further study of these phenomena in extant primates is warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heather F Smith
- Department of Anatomy, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, USA; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Paschetta C, De Azevedo S, González M, Quinto-Sánchez M, Cintas C, Varela H, Gómez-Valdés J, Sánchez-Mejorada G, González-José R. Shifts in subsistence type and its impact on the human skull's morphological integration. Am J Hum Biol 2015; 28:118-28. [PMID: 26126704 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Revised: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Here we evaluate morphological integration patterns and magnitudes in different skull regions to detect if shifts in morphological integration are correlated to the appearance of more processed (softer) diets. METHODS To do so, three transitional populations were analyzed, including samples from groups that inhabited the same geographical region and for which the evidence shows that major changes occurred in their subsistence mode. Ninety three-dimensional landmarks were digitized on 357 skulls and used as the raw data to develop geometric morphometric analyses. The landmark coordinates were divided into several different regions of biomechanical interest, following a three-level hierarchically nested scheme: the whole skull, further subdivided into neurocranium (divided into the vault and basicranium), the facial (divided into the lower and upper facial), and the masticatory apparatus (divided into alveolar, temporal, and temporo-mandibular joint). RESULTS Our results indicate that the morphological integration and variability patterns significantly vary across skull regions but are maintained across the transitions. The alveolar border and the lower facial are the regions manifesting greater value of morphological integration and variability, while the upper facial, the temporo-mandibular joint, and the basicranium are highly integrated and poorly variable. CONCLUSIONS The transition to softer diets increased morphological variation across cranial regions that are more exposed to masticatory strains effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Paschetta
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, U9120ACF, Argentina
| | - Soledad De Azevedo
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, U9120ACF, Argentina
| | - Marina González
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, U9120ACF, Argentina
| | - Mirsha Quinto-Sánchez
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, U9120ACF, Argentina
| | - Celia Cintas
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, U9120ACF, Argentina
| | - Hugo Varela
- Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Río Cuarto, 5800, Argentina
| | - Jorge Gómez-Valdés
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F., 04510, México
| | - Gabriela Sánchez-Mejorada
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F., 04510, México
| | - Rolando González-José
- Centro Nacional Patagónico, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Puerto Madryn, U9120ACF, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Mays S. Mandibular morphology in two archaeological human skeletal samples from northwest Europe with different masticatory regimes. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2015; 66:203-15. [PMID: 25724125 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2014.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Mandibular morphology, assessed osteometrically, is studied in two historic human skeletal series (N = 64 individuals) from northwest Europe, one from Zwolle, the Netherlands (19th century CE), the other from Wharram Percy, England (10th-19th century). Both groups show greater dental wear than modern Western populations, but the rate of wear is greater at Wharram Percy than at Zwolle, suggesting a more vigorous masticatory regime. The aim is to evaluate any differences in mandibular morphology between the two groups that might relate to the inferred difference in biomechanical loading upon the chewing apparatus consequent upon the different physical properties of the diets consumed. Results indicate that the mandibles from Zwolle are generally smaller than those from Wharram Percy, especially in the gonial and ramus region and in the height of the post-canine corpus. These differences are consistent with those predicted on biomechanical grounds. That clear differences were observed in two samples whose masticatory regimes were distinct but not very different is an indication of the sensitivity of mandibular morphology to biomechanical input, and supports its value for investigating differences in physical properties of diets in palaeopopulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Mays
- Investigation and Analysis Division, English Heritage, Fort Cumberland, Eastney, Portsmouth PO4 9LD, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Pinhasi R, Eshed V, von Cramon-Taubadel N. Incongruity between affinity patterns based on mandibular and lower dental dimensions following the transition to agriculture in the Near East, Anatolia and Europe. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117301. [PMID: 25651540 PMCID: PMC4317182 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While it has been suggested that malocclusion is linked with urbanisation, it remains unclear as to whether its high prevalence began 8,000 years earlier concomitant with the transition to agriculture. Here we investigate the extent to which patterns of affinity (i.e., among-population distances), based on mandibular form and dental dimensions, respectively, match across Epipalaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic samples from the Near East/Anatolia and Europe. Analyses were conducted using morphological distance matrices reflecting dental and mandibular form for the same 292 individuals across 21 archaeological populations. Thereafter, statistical analyses were undertaken on four sample aggregates defined on the basis of their subsistence strategy, geography, and chronology to test for potential differences in dental and mandibular form across and within groups. Results show a clear separation based on mandibular morphology between European hunter-gatherers, European farmers, and Near Eastern transitional farmers and semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers. In contrast, the dental dimensions show no such pattern and no clear association between the position of samples and their temporal or geographic attributes. Although later farming groups have, on average, smaller teeth and mandibles, shape analyses show that the mandibles of farmers are not simply size-reduced versions of earlier hunter-gatherer mandibles. Instead, it appears that mandibular form underwent a complex series of shape changes commensurate with the transition to agriculture that are not reflected in affinity patterns based on dental dimensions. In the case of hunter-gatherers there is a correlation between inter-individual mandibular and dental distances, suggesting an equilibrium between these two closely associated morphological units. However, in the case of semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers and farming groups, no such correlation was found, suggesting that the incongruity between dental and mandibular form began with the shift towards sedentism and agricultural subsistence practices in the core region of the Near East and Anatolia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ron Pinhasi
- Earth Institute and School of Archaeology, Belfield, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- * E-mail:
| | - Vered Eshed
- Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel
- Department of Anthropology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Noback ML, Harvati K. The contribution of subsistence to global human cranial variation. J Hum Evol 2015; 80:34-50. [PMID: 25661439 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2013] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Diet-related cranial variation in modern humans is well documented on a regional scale, with ample examples of cranial changes related to the agricultural transition. However, the influence of subsistence strategy on global cranial variation is less clear, having been confirmed only for the mandible, and dietary effects beyond agriculture are often neglected. Here we identify global patterns of subsistence-related human cranial shape variation. We analysed a worldwide sample of 15 populations (n = 255) with known subsistence strategies using 3-D landmark datasets designed to capture the shape of different units of the cranium. Results show significant correlations between global cranial shape and diet, especially for temporalis muscle shape and general cranial shape. Importantly, the differences between populations with either a plant- or an animal-based diet are more pronounced than those between agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers, suggesting that the influence of diet as driver of cranial variation is not limited to Holocene transitions to agricultural subsistence. Dental arch shape did not correlate with subsistence pattern, possibly indicating the high plasticity of this region of the face in relation to age, disease and individual use of the dentition. Our results highlight the importance of subsistence strategy as one of the factors underlying the evolution of human geographic cranial variation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlijn L Noback
- Paleoanthropology Section, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, 72070, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Katerina Harvati
- Paleoanthropology Section, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, 72070, Tübingen, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Noback ML, Harvati K. Covariation in the Human Masticatory Apparatus. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2014; 298:64-84. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marlijn L. Noback
- Paleoanthropology Section, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment; Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Katerina Harvati
- Paleoanthropology Section, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment; Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
von Cramon-Taubadel N. The microevolution of modern human cranial variation: implications for hominin and primate evolution. Ann Hum Biol 2014; 41:323-35. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2014.911350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
|
24
|
Holton NE, Franciscus RG, Ravosa MJ, Southard TE. Functional and morphological correlates of mandibular symphyseal form in a living human sample. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 153:387-96. [PMID: 24264260 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Variation in recent human mandibular form is often thought to reflect differences in masticatory behavior associated with variation in food preparation and subsistence strategies. Nevertheless, while mandibular variation in some human comparisons appear to reflect differences in functional loading, other comparisons indicate that this relationship is not universal. This suggests that morphological variation in the mandible is influenced by other factors that may obscure the effects of loading on mandibular form. It is likely that highly strained mandibular regions, including the corpus, are influenced by well-established patterns of lower facial skeletal integration. As such, it is unclear to what degree mandibular form reflects localized stresses incurred during mastication vs. a larger set of correlated features that may influence bone distribution patterns. In this study, we examine the relationship between mandibular symphyseal bone distribution (i.e., second moments of area, cortical bone area) and masticatory force production (i.e., in vivo maximal bite force magnitude and estimated symphyseal bending forces) along with lower facial shape variation in a sample of n = 20 living human male subjects. Our results indicate that while some aspects of symphyseal form (e.g., wishboning resistance) are significantly correlated with estimates of symphyseal bending force magnitude, others (i.e., vertical bending resistance) are more closely tied to variation in lower facial shape. This suggests that while the symphysis reflects variation in some variables related to functional loading, the complex and multifactorial influences on symphyseal form underscores the importance of exercising caution when inferring function from the mandible especially in narrow taxonomic comparisons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan E Holton
- Department of Orthodontics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242; Department of Anthropology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Mays SA. Loss of molar occlusion and mandibular morphology in adults in an ancient human population consuming a coarse diet. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 152:383-92. [PMID: 24104725 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2012] [Revised: 08/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the study is to investigate the link between number of molar teeth retained in occlusion and mandibular morphology in adults in an ancient, high dental wear human population. The study material comprises skeletons from Mediaeval Wharram Percy, England (N = 50 female, 69 male adults). It was hypothesized that adults retaining fewer occluding molars would show reduction in mandibular dimensions, particularly in the ascending ramus and gonial regions where the main muscles of mastication have their insertions. Molar occlusal status is assessed using the concept of functional units. Mandibular morphology is assessed using a suite of ten linear measurements plus the mandibular angle. Results show no evidence for any association between number of molars retained in occlusion and mandibular angle. There was an association between mandibular size and number of molars retained in occlusion, with smaller mandibular dimensions in those retaining fewer occluding molars. Some measurements were affected more than others so that there was also some shape alteration. Alteration of mandibular dimensions was more clearly demonstrable in females than in males. Only in females could significant reduction in the ascending ramus and gonial regions be demonstrated. Reasons for the apparent difference in response to loss of molar occlusion between male and female mandibles are unclear, but sex differences in bony metabolism mediated by hormonal factors may be implicated. Results suggest that care should be exercised when including mandibles from individuals showing loss of molar occlusion in morphological studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon A Mays
- English Heritage Investigation and Analysis Division, Eastney Portsmouth PO4 9LD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Le Cabec A, Gunz P, Kupczik K, Braga J, Hublin JJ. Anterior tooth root morphology and size in Neanderthals: Taxonomic and functional implications. J Hum Evol 2013; 64:169-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2011] [Revised: 08/03/2012] [Accepted: 08/08/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
|
27
|
FERNANDES DANIELM, SILVA ANAM, O’DONNABHAIN BARRA, PINHASI RON. Dental microevolution in Portuguese Neolithic and modern samples using an alternative morphometric analysis. ANTHROPOL SCI 2013. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.120906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- DANIEL M. FERNANDES
- Department of Life Sciences, Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, University of Coimbra, Coimbra
| | - ANA M. SILVA
- Department of Life Sciences, Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, University of Coimbra, Coimbra
| | | | - RON PINHASI
- School of Archaeology, Newman Building, University College Dublin, Dublin
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Pinhasi R, von Cramon-Taubadel N. A craniometric perspective on the transition to agriculture in Europe. Hum Biol 2012; 84:45-66. [PMID: 22452428 DOI: 10.3378/027.084.0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Debates surrounding the nature of the Neolithic demographic transition in Europe have historically centered on two opposing models: a "demic" diffusion model whereby incoming farmers from the Near East and Anatolia effectively replaced or completely assimilated indigenous Mesolithic foraging communities, and an "indigenist" model resting on the assumption that ideas relating to agriculture and animal domestication diffused from the Near East but with little or no gene flow. The extreme versions of these dichotomous models were heavily contested primarily on the basis of archeological and modern genetic data. However, in recent years a growing acceptance has arisen of the likelihood that both processes were ongoing throughout the Neolithic transition and that a more complex, regional approach is required to fully understand the change from a foraging to a primarily agricultural mode of subsistence in Europe. Craniometric data were particularly useful for testing these more complex scenarios, as they can reliably be employed as a proxy for the genetic relationships among Mesolithic and Neolithic populations. In contrast, modern genetic data assume that modern European populations accurately reflect the genetic structure of Europe at the time of the Neolithic transition, while ancient DNA data are still not geographically or temporally detailed enough to test continent-wide processes. Here, with particular emphasis on the role of craniometric analyses, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the cultural and biological nature of the Neolithic transition in Europe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Archaeology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Variability in permanent tooth size of three ancient populations in Xi'an, northern China. Arch Oral Biol 2012; 57:1467-73. [PMID: 22595624 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2011] [Revised: 04/16/2012] [Accepted: 04/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This paper compares permanent dental dimensions between three ancient populations that belonged to the same biological population throughout a temporal range of 2000 years to detect temporal trends and metric variation in dentition. MATERIALS AND METHODS The samples analysed were dental remains of 4502 permanent teeth from 321 individuals, which were excavated from three archaeological sites: Chang'an (1000-1300 years BP), Shanren (2200 years BP) and Shaolingyuan (3000 years BP) in the Xi'an region (northern China). For each tooth three standard measurements were taken: Mesiodistal (MD) diameter of crown, labiolingual or buccolingual (BL) diameter of crown and length of root (LR). RESULTS Three ancient population samples generally displayed the same dental dimensions (p>0.05), whereas some tooth types varied. The Shaolingyuan had larger canine and the smallest maxillary second molars and the Chang'an had the largest mandibular first molars in the MD dimension. The Shanren had the smallest maxillary third molars and mandibular central incisors, and the Chang'an had the smallest maxillary lateral incisors in the BL dimension. In the LR measures, statistically significant differences of five tooth types showed that the Chang'an were smaller than the Shaolingyuan and the Shanren. Comparisons of coefficients of variation for teeth showed that the length of root and third molar usually displayed greater variation. CONCLUSIONS Decreasing or increasing trend for crown size does not occur between the ancient populations, while changes in crown size of a few tooth types fluctuate. The root size is more variable than the crown size and is likely to reflect a degenerated trend in a few tooth types.
Collapse
|
30
|
Global human mandibular variation reflects differences in agricultural and hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:19546-51. [PMID: 22106280 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1113050108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in the masticatory behavior of hunter-gatherer and agricultural populations is hypothesized to be one of the major forces affecting the form of the human mandible. However, this has yet to be analyzed at a global level. Here, the relationship between global mandibular shape variation and subsistence economy is tested, while controlling for the potentially confounding effects of shared population history, geography, and climate. The results demonstrate that the mandible, in contrast to the cranium, significantly reflects subsistence strategy rather than neutral genetic patterns, with hunter-gatherers having consistently longer and narrower mandibles than agriculturalists. These results support notions that a decrease in masticatory stress among agriculturalists causes the mandible to grow and develop differently. This developmental argument also explains why there is often a mismatch between the size of the lower face and the dentition, which, in turn, leads to increased prevalence of dental crowding and malocclusions in modern postindustrial populations. Therefore, these results have important implications for our understanding of human masticatory adaptation.
Collapse
|
31
|
Schmidt C, Ousley S, Schmidt M. Brief communication: correcting overestimation when determining two-dimensional occlusal area in human molars. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2011; 145:327-32. [PMID: 21469080 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2010] [Accepted: 12/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The robustness index (RI) is determined by multiplying dental mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters, and is used to estimate occlusal area. However, because teeth are not rectangular its calculation consistently causes overestimations. Moreover, teeth, in particular molars, are not identically shaped so overestimations vary. The current study seeks to determine the extent to which overestimations are affected by tooth shape and to improve RI's efficacy. Initially, 120 molars were sorted into six shape groups, which were determined by hypocone/hypoconulid expression. Three maxillary and three mandibular shape groups were set using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System. ANOVA results determined that RI overestimations, which averaged around 20%, were not the same for each shape category. Maxillary molars with large hypocones and mandibular molars with no hypoconulids were overestimated significantly less than the other molar groups. Regression-based correction formulae were generated and applied to the original sample. These formulae far more precisely estimated tooth area than RI and there were no differences in estimation based upon tooth shape. A subsequent validation study of 24 additional molars was undertaken to test the formulae on teeth not from the original sample. Overestimation/underestimation averaged 0.5% and was about the same for each of the tooth shape groups. Finally, six new correction formulae were generated using all 144 molars. The correction formulae provide, what is termed here, an adjusted robustness index (ARI), and it is recommended that ARI is used in future studies of molar occlusal area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Schmidt
- Department of Anthropology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46227, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Eshed V, Gopher A, Pinhasi R, Hershkovitz I. Paleopathology and the origin of agriculture in the Levant. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2010; 143:121-33. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
|
33
|
Paschetta C, de Azevedo S, Castillo L, Martínez-Abadías N, Hernández M, Lieberman DE, González-José R. The influence of masticatory loading on craniofacial morphology: A test case across technological transitions in the Ohio valley. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2009; 141:297-314. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|