A comparison of archaeological and dental evidence to determine diet at a predynastic Egyptian site

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the relationship between dietary evidence found in the archaeological record and that of the dentitions on a sample of working class Predynastic Egyptians from Hierakonpolis in Upper Egypt. The samples consist of 196 individuals (3800–3600BC) ranging from 6 years to over 50 years of age. Archaeological and archaeobotanical evidence at Hierakonpolis suggests manufacture of bread, presence of some domesticated animals, hunting and fishing, and a number of fruits and vegetables. Dental indicators of diet studied include carious lesions, macrowear, microwear and linear enamel hypoplasia. The patterns on the dentition match well with a number of food stuffs found as burial offerings and within settlements at Hierakonpolis. Overall, individuals at Hierakonpolis exhibited a low incidence of small carious lesions, a low frequency of acute hypoplastic defects, steady attrition, few microwear features, a low density of large (> 4 microns) pits, and wide scratches with poorly defined margins. Based on the dentition, the working class population would have relied heavily on bread and raw, but also consumed some meat and/or fish. Within sample variation shows that the proportion of certain food categories differ between adult males and females and between adults and juveniles. LEH data suggests that children suffered no long‐term starvation or chronic stress. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.