Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2018

Human masticatory adaptations among Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Western Europe: evidence from mandibular morphology and dental wear

Résumé

Many studies dealing with mandibular morphology and dental wear have shown that agriculturalists experience reduced masticatory stress and show changes in form and degree of occlusal wear when compared to hunter-gatherers. Multiple major sociocultural and economic changes occurred with the “Neolithic revolution,” and the intense and rapid environmental modifications that Late Glacial and early Holocene hunter-gatherers experienced probably resulted in numerous biocultural adaptations. One such adaptation appears to have been a broadening of the dietary spectrum. Isotopic and archaeological evidence suggests that small fauna, marine and freshwater resources, and vegetal foods were incorporated into Mesolithic diets. Variation in mandibular morphology and occlusal dental wear can be linked to dietary habits and reveal information about both the type of food ingested and masticatory behaviors. Unlike the cranium, the mandible significantly reflects subsistence strategies and dental wear can be used to infer food processing and consumption. In order to assess differences in the masticatory behaviors of Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic populations, we studied variation in mandibular morphology and occlusal wear. We analysed 11 measurements and 2 indices of 134 mandibles dating from the Epipaleolithic (ca. 12,700- 9,700 cal BC), First Mesolithic (ca. 9,700-6,700 cal BC) and Second Mesolithic (ca. 6,700-4,500 cal BC) from Western Europe, as well as the occlusal wear pattern of 390 lower molars from the same individuals. Compared to Epipaleolithic mandibles, those of Mesolithic individuals show a shorter mandibular corpus, a larger bi-condylar breadth, and a narrower and more angled ramus. Additionally, inland individuals exhibit a longer mandible with a narrower and more upright ramus than do coastal ones. In general, occlusal wear increases through time, but the pattern appears more complex once region of origin is taken into account. Mesolithic coastal individuals exhibit more occlusal wear than inland ones, while the opposite is found during the Epipalaeolithic period. These results suggest differences in masticatory biomechanics between the Epipaleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as between coastal and inland Mesolithic human groups. These changes in mandibular shape and occlusal wear pattern are consistent with a change in the subsistence strategy and the hypothesis of a decrease in masticatory stress among Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

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hal-05615642 , version 1 (07-05-2026)

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  • HAL Id : hal-05615642 , version 1

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Mathilde Samsel, Mona Le Luyer. Human masticatory adaptations among Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Western Europe: evidence from mandibular morphology and dental wear. XVIIIe congrès mondial de l’Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques (UISPP), Jun 2018, Paris, France. ⟨hal-05615642⟩
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