For Whom the Coin Tolls: Green Stained Teeth and Jaws In Medieval and Post-Medieval Spanish Burials (original) (raw)
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HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology, 2017
Occlusal characteristics, fundamental to assess the presence of malocclusion, have been often unexplored in bioarchaeological analyses. This is largely due to the fragmented condition of the skeletal remains. By applying a method that considers dental and maxillary features useful to evaluate occlusion in ancient fragmentary material, the purpose of this work is to define the occlusal features and explore the causes of malocclusion in a medieval population from Mallorca. The findings of this study suggest that normocclusion was present in ca. 60% of the individuals (N=31), and that some characteristics, such as molar relationship, were slightly different from those of modern populations. The analysis of the occlusal features revealed for example that open-bite was absent in 85% of the sample, posterior open-bite was completely absent and overbite and overjet were normal in around 90% of the individuals. Statistically significant correlations between canine and molar relationships and between molar relationship and dental wear of the superior and inferior canines and incisors were observed. In addition, wear could affect the curve of Spee. All these findings strengthen the hypothesis that in ancient times malocclusion was not as generalized as in modern times. Although the factors that lead to malocclusion throughout centuries could have several causes, we suggest that in this population dental wear, which is strongly associated with the diet, was the fundamental causing factor.
Actas das IV Jornadas de Jovens em Investigação Arqueológica - JIA 2011, Vol. I., 2012
The observation of dental non-metric characters used in the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (among others) is of major interest in the study of past populations. Dental morphological traits are genetically determined, and dependent of a small and stable part of the genome; their development seems unaffected by the uterine environment and their evolution is slow, probably independent of natural selection. The relative frequency of dental traits is a testimony to the biological distances between populations. The study of the inferior dentition in a late XIXth/early XXth century sample deceased in Oporto, Portugal, is the example of a statistically simple approach to the biological comparison between populations, using the ASUDAS (Turner et al. 1991), mainly, but also a trait proposed by Weets (2009). The comparisons with international samples denoted biological relatedness with European and, to a lesser extent, North African populations. The Iberian samples also suggest a close relationship with those populations. The use of the ASUDAS to the study of teeth from archaeological contexts is important. A greater collection of data will be used in the determination of the population history of the Iberian Peninsula. Important questions, relative to cultural influence/colonization may then be closer to resolution.
Quantification of Dental Occlusal Variation: A Review of Methods
Dental Anthropology Journal, 2018
Occlusion—how the teeth fit togetherwithin and between the arches—has important consequencesfunctionally and especially esthetically. Occlusalvariation is considerable in modern westernized societies,but the occurrence and extent of the variationappear to be lower in the past and lower in non-westernizedgroups. This methodological paper describesseveral commonly-used variables that, collectively,characterize occlusal variation. Methods are describedfrom the literature that measure the location and extentof tooth relations in all three planes of space. Our goalis that, by describing methods in a single source, it willpique the interest of dental researchers to collect thesedata, so that the space-time distributions of occlusalvariations can be known in more detail.
A panorama of tooth wear during the medieval period
Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Bericht uber die biologisch-anthropologische Literatur, 2014
Tooth wear is a natural phenomenon and a universal occurrence that has existed from the origin of humankind and depends on the way of life, especially diet. Tooth wear was very serious in ancient populations up to the medieval period. The aim of this paper is to present a global view of tooth wear in medieval times in Europe through different parameters: scoring systems, quantity and direction of wear, gender, differences between maxilla and mandible, relations with diet, caries, tooth malpositions and age.
The study of dental morphological traits in prehistoric populations is a new method of analysis and allows us to determine important characteristics of different human populations. In this paper we study the dental feature traits proposed by the ASU System (developed by Turner et al. in Arizona State University) by means of an alphanumeric and graphic database recording the dental morphological characteristics and the possible dental diseases (caries, dental wear, etc.). These traits are easily observed, and persist many years in dentally harsh life styles, evolving very slowly and without sex dimorphism. The multivariate data set obtained using the ASU System is defined by means of multistate qualitative variables, and the methodology of statistical analysis is the following: The MMD test (Mean Measures of Divergence) was developed by Sjovold (1977) to observe the differences between two or more previously established and defined groups by means of multistate qualitative variable...
Study of Dental Occlusion in Ancient Human Remains: A Methodological Approach
The anthropological dental and maxillary study in human skeletal remains usually refers to alterations or conditions of the oral cavity. These alterations could have repercussions on life style, dietary habits and diseases. In this particular context, dental occlusion is not often analyzed due to the fragmented condition of the remains, and especially due to the lack of methodology adapted to study ancient remains. The aim of this study is to propose an anthropological method based on clinical dental practice. In the method presented in this work, odontological parameters such as overjet, over- bite, and Angle’s Classification of Malocclusion, are evaluated.
Available to download and purchase from www.archaeopress.com Teeth are a very important resource in Biological Anthropology. One of their many uses is the evaluation of dental wear, which can document both masticatory and non-masticatory behavior. The objectives of this work are to 1) present a protocol for scoring evidence of non-masticatory activity applicable to all kinds of contexts (including commingled collective burials), 2) suggest interpretation tools, and 3) use simple, time-saving and accessible procedures. Procedures addressing oral alterations, a new trait – cingular continuous lesions (CCL) – and statistical analysis are described. This method will complement archaeological knowledge on past populations’ cultural, ritual or work-related tooth uses.
European Journal of Anatomy, 2022
Teeth are a valuable source of information for studies regarding past human populations in archaeological and forensic contexts. In dental anthropology, the linear measurements of tooth crowns are used for assessing morphological variability and sexual dimorphism in both modern and past human populations. The aim of this research is to evaluate the M2 molar crown variability in archaeological human populations from Prehistory (Chalcolithic and Bronze Age, ~ 5000-1150 BCE) and Middle Ages (13th-17th centuries) discovered in sites from NorthEastern Romania. The objectives of this study emphasize on the diachronic comparison of the M2 molar crown variables between prehistoric and medieval samples (1), and the assessment of sexual dimorphism expression (2). The two crown measurements, mesio-distal (MD) and bucco-lingual (BL) diameters, were performed using ImageJ software on occlusal digital images acquired stereo-microscopically. The crown index (CI), crown area (CA) and the sexual dimorphism index (SDI), along with the two linear measurements, were subjected to univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Our results show that the variation coefficient (CV) differs for the MD variable in the female upper M2 molars, being higher in the medieval sample than the prehistoric one; also, a higher variability is remarked for the mandibular molar in the medieval sample than in prehistoric one. In females, the MD and CA variables for mandibular M2 molars and the BL and CA for maxillary molars showed significant statistical differences between the medieval and prehistoric mandibular teeth, with higher values for the exemplar from Middle Ages. Similar result was obtained in males, for the CA variable in the upper M2 molars. In our study, the sexual dimorphism manifested at the M2 crown molar was highlighted in the prehistoric sample, though less in the medieval one.
This paper introduces statistical shape modelling (SSM) for use in osteoarchaeology research. SSM is a full field, multi-material analytical technique, and is presented as a supplementary geometric morphometric (GM) tool. Lower mandibular canines from two archaeological populations and one modern population were sampled, digitised using micro-CT, aligned, registered to a baseline and statistically modelled using principal component analysis (PCA). Sample material properties were incorporated as a binary enamel/dentin parameter. Results were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using anatomical landmarks. Finally, the technique's application was demonstrated for inter-sample comparison through analysis of the principal component (PC) weights. It was found that SSM could provide high detail qualitative and quantitative insight with respect to archaeological inter-and intra-sample variability. This technique has value for archaeological, biomechanical and forensic applications including identification, finite element analysis (FEA) and reconstruction from partial datasets.