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Article Dans Une Revue American Journal of Physical Anthropology Année : 2019

Neandertal features of the deciduous and permanent teeth from Portel-Ouest Cave (Ariège, France)

Résumé

Objectives: We describe 14 unpublished and nine published teeth from the Mousterian level of Portel-Ouest (Ariège, France), dated to 44 ka. In a comparative context, we explore the taxo- nomical affinities of those teeth with Neandertals and modern humans which are both known to exist at that time. We further make some paleobiological inferences about this human group. Methods: The comparative analysis of Neandertals and modern humans is based on nonmetric traits at the outer enamel surface and the enamel–dentine junction, crown diameters and three- dimensional (3D) enamel thickness measurements of lower permanent teeth. The crown and roots are explored in detail based on the μCT-scan data to identify the multiple criteria involved in the paleobiological approach. Results: Nonmetric traits and 3D enamel thickness tend to be more similar to Neandertals than modern humans, notably for C 1 , P 4 , and M 2 (included in all analyses) as well as volume of the pulp cavity in roots of the anterior permanent teeth. The Portel-Ouest sample corresponds to a minimum of seven juveniles, one or two adolescents and one adult, which exhibit recurrent lin- ear enamel hypoplasia (up to five events for one individual), the torsiversion of one anterior tooth and irregular oblique wear in some anterior deciduous teeth. Discussion: This morphological study confirms that the remains from Portel-Ouest are Neander- tals, associated with a Mousterian complex. Furthermore, we found the expected pattern of mortality and stress for a Neandertal group, that is, various age categories and developmental defects (nonexclusive to Neandertals), while adults are underrepresented and juveniles are over- represented. Further excavations would contribute finding new remains and maybe complete this demographic profile

Dates et versions

hal-02143183 , version 1 (29-05-2019)

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Citer

Gaël Becam, Tony Chevalier. Neandertal features of the deciduous and permanent teeth from Portel-Ouest Cave (Ariège, France). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2019, 168 (1), pp.45-69. ⟨10.1002/ajpa.23719⟩. ⟨hal-02143183⟩

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