Abstract
A model of mastication, derived from studies on modern Homo sapiens, is proposed to analyse postcanine tooth size in hominids. It is suggested that a tendency towards larger tooth size will follow an adaptation to eating small amounts of small abrasive food objects which are broken to gain chemical access to the foodstuff. A trend towards reducing tooth size is suggested for concentrations on large amounts of large food items of low abrasiveness and which may form into boli before swallowing. This analysis is applied to Plio-0leistocene hominids where it is suggested that Australopithecus robustus was indeed a specialized grass seed, legume and root eater whereas early Homo had a much more diverse fruit, root and meat diet.
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