Journal
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
Volume 55, Issue 4, Pages 713-728Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.04.007
Keywords
Cultural wear features; Anterior dentition; Paramasticatory activities; Middle Pleistocene; Homo heidelbergensis
Categories
Funding
- The Direccion General de Investigacion of the Spanish [CGL2006-13532-C03]
- Consejeria de Cultura y Turismo of the junta de Castilla y Leon
- Fundacion Atapuerca
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In this study we examine the labial and occlusal surfaces of incisors and canines of hominins recovered from the Sima de los Huesos (SH), middle Pleistocene site, in order to establish the possible extra-masticatory use of anterior teeth. We have Compared the microwear of these fossils with microwear from the anterior teeth of Australian Aborigines, a population characterized by ethnographic evidence of the use of their teeth as a third hand. These two samples of teeth were microscopically analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Our results support the cultural origin Of microwear observed on fossil teeth: we conclude that the SH hominins used their anterior teeth as a third hand for para- or extra-masticatory activities. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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