Dietary and Behavioral Strategies Of
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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2011 Dietary and Behavioral Strategies of Neandertals and Anatomically Modern Humans: Evidence from Anterior Dental Microwear Texture Analysis Kristin Lynn Krueger University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Krueger, Kristin Lynn, "Dietary and Behavioral Strategies of Neandertals and Anatomically Modern Humans: Evidence from Anterior Dental Microwear Texture Analysis" (2011). Theses and Dissertations. 92. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/92 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. 1 DIETARY AND BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES OF NEANDERTALS AND ANATOMICALLY MODERN HUMANS: EVIDENCE FROM ANTERIOR DENTAL MICROWEAR TEXTURE ANALYSIS DIETARY AND BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES OF NEANDERTALS AND ANATOMICALLY MODERN HUMANS: EVIDENCE FROM ANTERIOR DENTAL MICROWEAR TEXTURE ANALYSIS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology By Kristin L. Krueger University of Wisconsin-Madison Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, 2003 University of Wisconsin-Madison Bachelor of Science in Spanish, 2003 Western Michigan University Master of Arts in Anthropology, 2006 May 2011 University of Arkansas ABSTRACT The extreme gross wear of Neandertal anterior teeth has been a topic of debate for decades. Several ideas have been proposed, including the excessive mastication of grit- laden foods and non-dietary anterior tooth use, or using the anterior dentition as a clamp or tool. This second idea has been the most examined, and was taken from analogy of Arctic populations who used their anterior dentition in this manner. However, combining wear variables and examining them in relation to important factors, such as climate, location, and time, has been challenging to incorporate into interpretive models. The present study seeks to better understand Neandertal anterior tooth wear by integrating these factors with the three wear variables known to affect anterior dental microwear signatures: diet, abrasive load, and non-dietary anterior tooth use. High-resolution casts of 65 Neandertal individuals from 30 sites and 42 anatomically modern humans from 16 sites were scanned for anterior dental microwear textures using a white-light confocal profiler. Using a 100x objective lens, four adjacent scans were generated measuring a total area of 204 x 276 µm. These scans were analyzed using Toothfrax and SFrax software packages. The fossil hominin samples were then compared to several modern human comparative samples. The Neandertal sample showed significant variation by climate, location, and OIS. The anisotropy and textural fill volume values of the cold-open-steppe Neandertals were significantly lower and higher, respectively, and both attributes were more constricted than those of the warm-woodland Neandertals. This pattern suggests the cold-open-steppe Neandertals may have been using their anterior dentition frequently in clamping and grasping activities. Variation in heterogeneity and complexity by location and OIS time interval may suggest differences in abrasive loads. The anatomically modern human sample showed significant variation in heterogeneity 3x3 and 9x9 distribution variance by climate, location, and time, suggesting differences in abrasive loads in each factor. No differences were found in central tendencies for this sample, and the overall signal suggests little non-dietary anterior tooth use was employed. The differences in non-dietary anterior tooth use signals between the two fossil hominins are suggested to be due to differences in tool technology. This dissertation is approved for Recommendation to the Graduate Council Dissertation Director: ____________________________________ Prof. Peter S. Ungar, Ph.D. Thesis Committee: ____________________________________ Prof. Jerome C. Rose, Ph.D. ____________________________________ Prof. Thomas J. Green, Ph.D. ____________________________________ Prof. Jean-Jacques Hublin, Ph.D. (ex officio) ©2011 by Kristin L. Krueger All Rights Reserved DISSERTATION DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this dissertation when needed for research and/or scholarship. Agreed ____________________________________ Kristin L. Krueger Refused ____________________________________ Kristin L. Krueger ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I firmly believe the same goes for an academic. I am indebted to more people than I have internal organs for repaying, but Prof. Peter S. Ungar definitely gets first dibs. I cannot express in words how grateful I am to you. Thank you for all the time, effort, guidance, and opportunities you’ve given me over the years. The occasional kick in the butt or disapproving look didn’t hurt either. You truly are an unbelievable advisor and mentor. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my committee members: Profs. Jerome C. Rose, Thomas J. Green, and Jean-Jacques Hublin. Your expertise greatly improved not only my dissertation, but also the way I will continue to conduct research. Thank you for your commitment to this project. I am sincerely grateful to the following professors and researchers who went above and beyond the call of duty to help make this project a successful one. To Prof. Jean-Jacques Hublin (yes, you get mentioned twice) for allowing me to use the amazing dental cast collection housed at Max Planck. This project would have been severely limited without your unbelievable generosity. To Prof. David Frayer for his assistance in obtaining casts of the Krapina Neandertals, for showcasing my work at the Krapina Museum, and for overall support of my project. To Drs. Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg, Alan Ryan and Profs. Alejandro Pérez-Pérez and Erik Trinkaus for trusting me with their precious dental casts. I would also like to extend my many thanks to those who provided access to and assistance with the many skeletal collections from which I took dental molds: Dr. Jerry Cybulski, Megan Gardiner, and Stacey Girling at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gisselle Garcia at the American Museum of Natural History, Robert Kruszynski at the vii Natural History Museum in London, and Prof. Giorgio Manzi, at the Museo di Antropologia at the University of Rome. The financial support for these trips was provided by the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant program (BCS-0925818). The timely completion of this dissertation was accomplished through this financial outlet. I must thank Prof. Richard Sherwood for providing the longest running academic support system on the planet. Thank you for the guidance, opportunities, guitar knowledge, and introducing me to Nepal. I'm so happy and grateful to be under your wing. Dr. Dana Duren deserves special recognition as well. Thank you for academically adopting me all those years ago, and for being a tremendous role model for this female anthropologist. This road would have been far more difficult if it wasn’t for my friends, colleagues, and mentors. Thank you to Dr. Bob Anemone, Dr. Gretchen Dabbs, Dr. Wendy Dirks, Dr. Sireen El Zaatari, Julie Gonring, Brian Head, Dr. Chuck Hilton, Dr. Kathy Koziol, Brandon Lachner, Andrew LoPinto, Taylor Montgomery, Jessica Newnam-Baicy, Amity Olson, Dr. Mike Plavcan, Jessica Scott, and Melissa Zolnierz. And just remember, a Danny Levenhagen or Hamburglar story is never more than a phone call away. Thank you to Carl Hitt and Sarah Horne for always being helpful anytime I needed something done at the University. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the love and support of my family. I would like to thank my parents, Steven and Marla Krueger, for their unwavering love and encouragement. Yes, you made me spend extra time with creepy Mrs. VandenHeuvel when my geometry grade dropped from an A- to a B+, you gave me a “Prime Directive” lecture before each semester of school, and you bribed me with cold, hard cash to not hang out with the naughty viii kids. Guess what? It worked. You can now reap the benefits by bragging about your Ph.D.- toting kid. I love you both. Thank you to my sister Jenny and my brother-in-law Jeff for their years of support and love. (By the way, everyone, they bribed my sister, too). To my grandparents, Ronald and Shirley Krueger, for always making me laugh, and keeping me updated on the latest Oshkosh goings on. A special thank you to my nephews and nieces, Noah and Sophia Krueger and Colton and Millie Vinson, for reminding me that the little things in life are the most important. To my extended family and in-laws: thank you for understanding when I was unable to attend family gatherings due to homework, research trips, or plain exhaustion. Thank you to G.A. and the Heiden Family for their support from afar. I would like to acknowledge Boo, Bingley, and Nuni, my feline companions, for their unconditional love and many laughs. And finally, I would like to thank and acknowledge my husband, Dan Vinson. I am the storm, and you are my calm. This dissertation is every bit yours as it is mine, well...almost anyway. Thank you for not only listening to my anxieties, drying my tears, and making me laugh, but for