39 research outputs found
Earliest evidence of dental caries manipulation in the Late Upper Palaeolithic
Prehistoric dental treatments were extremely rare, and the few documented cases are known from
the Neolithic, when the adoption of early farming culture caused an increase of carious lesions. Here
we report the earliest evidence of dental caries intervention on a Late Upper Palaeolithic modern
human specimen (Villabruna) from a burial in Northern Italy. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy
we show the presence of striations deriving from the manipulation of a large occlusal carious cavity
of the lower right third molar. The striations have a âVâ-shaped transverse section and several
parallel micro-scratches at their base, as typically displayed by cutmarks on teeth. Based on in
vitro experimental replication and a complete functional reconstruction of the Villabruna dental
arches, we confirm that the identified striations and the associated extensive enamel chipping on
the mesial wall of the cavity were produced ante-mortem by pointed flint tools during scratching
and levering activities. The Villabruna specimen is therefore the oldest known evidence of dental
caries intervention, suggesting at least some knowledge of disease treatment well before the
Neolithic. This study suggests that primitive forms of carious treatment in human evolution entail an
adaptation of the well-known toothpicking for levering and scratching rather than drilling practices
[Book Review of:] The Palaeolithic of the Balkans. Proceedings of the XV World Congress of the International Union for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (Lisbon, 4â9 September 2006), Vol. 17, Session C33. Andreas Darlas and DuĆĄan MihailoviÄ (eds.) Oxford: Archaeopress, 2008, 116 pp. (paperback), ÂŁ29.00. ISBN-10: 1407303058.
Techno-typological variability of the late Middle Paleolithic in the southern Balkans
Middle Paleolithic stone tool technology is one of the major sources of information about Neandertal behavior and adaptations. The Balkan Middle Paleolithic often remains outside of the major debates and interpretations of Neandertal behavior. This dissertation is a contribution to better understanding the variability and diachronic changes of the Middle Paleolithic in the Balkans. The central part of this dissertation is the study of lithic collections from two stratified sites in the Adriatic region, Crvena stijena and BioÄe (Montenegro). The assemblages from these sites have been previously grouped into the Micromousterian, but other Mousterian variants, Pontinian, Charentian, Denticulate and Typical Mousterian, have also been recognized. In trying to depart from tight attachment to Mousterian facies this dissertation examines flake production methods and toolkit production, the ways these two aspects correlate, and how they relate to raw material properties, and core and tool reduction intensities. Further, based on the review of the available record of the entire Balkan Middle Paleolithic, the dissertation explores trends in its chronological and geographical variation and compares them to the currently known variation of the Middle Paleolithic industries in Europe. It further addresses the questions of the role of the Balkans as a refugium, occupational history of Neandertals and the scenarios for their demise.Max Planck SocietyHuman Origin
"Micromousterian" of the eastern Adriatic: Analysis of the lithic industry at the site of BioÄe (Montenegro)
Demography and the demise of Neandertals: A comment on âTenfold population increase in Western Europe at the Neandertal-to-modern human transitionâ
Lithic production strategies in the Middle Paleolithic of the southern Balkans
One of the major challenges in Paleolithic research is disentangling various factors that contributed to variation in Neandertal technological behavior. As a result of variable abundance of the Paleolithic record across Eurasia, our understanding of regional and temporal patters of Middle Paleolithic industries differs from one region to another. Southeastern Europe is one of the areas that stands in contrast to rich and thoroughly investigated regions of other parts of Europe. A few sites in the region, nevertheless, offer an opportunity for the study of technological behavior of Middle Paleolithic hominins. The rockshelter sites of Crvena stijena and BioÄe in Montenegro, located on the eastern Adriatic coast in the Mediterranean zone, have relatively dense remains of hominin occupations compared to other sites in the Balkan peninsula. Previous research identified several characteristics of the eastern Adriatic industries. Firstly, they have been characterized as Micromousterian due to the small average size of the artifacts, a feature that potentially results from the size of the local raw material. On typological grounds, some assemblages have been said to show typological similarity to Charentian, and some researchers have emphasized frequent denticulate tools as a late Mousterian feature. In this study we aim to examine lithic production strategies at the two sites based on samples from Crvena stijena deposits that tentatively range from late MIS 5 to MIS 3 and from the still undated upper sequence of BioÄe. We will evaluate variability in the industries in the Adriatic region by looking at both the process of blank production and further tool production and consumption to provide a clearer picture of lithic production strategies during the late Middle Paleolithic. We will address the issue of how raw material affects the structure of these assemblages, artifact size, and particularly diachronic patterns of stone tool production strategies