Neanderthals, trees and dental calculus: new evidence from El Sidrón

Radini, A., Buckley, S., Rosas, A., Estalrrich, A., de la Rasilla, M. and Hardy, K. (2016) Neanderthals, trees and dental calculus: new evidence from El Sidrón. Antiquity, 90(350), pp. 290-301. (doi: 10.15184/aqy.2016.21)

Abstract

Analysis of dental calculus is increasingly important in archaeology, although the focus has hitherto been on dietary reconstruction. Non-edible material has, however, recently been extracted from the dental calculus of a Neanderthal population from the 49 000-year-old site of El Sidrón, Spain, in the form of fibre and chemical compounds that indicate conifer wood. Associated dental wear confirms that the teeth were being used for non-dietary activities. These results highlight the importance of dental calculus as a source of wider biographical information, and demonstrate the need to include associated data within research, in particular tooth wear, to maximise this valuable resource.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Hardy, Professor Karen
• Authors: Radini, A., Buckley, S., Rosas, A., Estalrrich, A., de la Rasilla, M., and Hardy, K.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Journal Name: Antiquity
• ISSN: 0003-598X
• ISSN (Online): 1745-1744