Multipronged dental analyses reveal dietary differences in last foragers and first farmers at Grotta Continenza, central Italy (15,500\u20137000 BP)

Gabriele Di Carlo,Emanuela Cristiani,Marialetizia Carra,Claudio Ottoni,Elena Fiorin,Dušan Borić,Francesca Alhaique,Renata Grifoni Cremonesi,Orlando Brugnoletti,Iole Vozza,Luca Bondioli,Andrea Zupancich,Alfredo Coppa,Alessia Nava

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-82401-2

Abstract

This paper provides results from a suite of analyses made on human dental material from the Late Palaeolithic to Neolithic strata of the cave site of Grotta Continenza situated in the Fucino Basin of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The available human remains from this site provide a unique possibility to study ways in which forager versus farmer lifeways affected human odonto-skeletal remains. The main aim of our study is to understand palaeodietary patterns and their changes over time as reflected in teeth. These analyses involve a review of metrics and oral pathologies, micro-fossils preserved in the mineralized dental plaque, macrowear, and buccal microwear. Our results suggest that these complementary approaches support the assumption about a critical change in dental conditions and status with the introduction of Neolithic foodstuff and habits. However, we warn that different methodologies applied here provide data at different scales of resolution for detecting such changes and a multipronged approach to the study of dental collections is needed for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of diachronic changes.

Highlights

IntroductionThe main aim of our study is to understand palaeodietary patterns and their changes over time as reflected in teeth
This paper provides results from a suite of analyses made on human dental material from the Late Palaeolithic to Neolithic strata of the cave site of Grotta Continenza situated in the Fucino Basin of the Abruzzo region of central Italy
The multipronged analyses applied to the rich dental record from Grotta Continenza allowed us to identify differences among the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers in terms of dental metric traits, pathologies, and dental wear patterns, as well as in the type fo plant foods preserved in the dental calculus

Summary

Introduction

The main aim of our study is to understand palaeodietary patterns and their changes over time as reflected in teeth These analyses involve a review of metrics and oral pathologies, micro-fossils preserved in the mineralized dental plaque, macrowear, and buccal microwear. The transition from foraging to farming was a long-lasting and nonlinear process that took place over several millennia and enfolded at different times in different parts of the world (e.g.1–3) While this process is clearly reflected in changes in material culture traditions, it can well be observed on skeletal evidence (e.g.4–6). Scratching and pitting on the dental surfaces due to enamel’s composition, which includes particles such as silica phytoliths or exogenous grits Variations in these microscopic wear patterns could reflect long-term trends in dietary habits[13], given the diverse properties of foodstuffs[14], as well as the evolution of technologies related to food processing.

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