Reconstruction of dietary habits in the Early Bronze Age of Anatolia through the analysis of dental caries and wear

Abstract

AbstractStudies have shown that there is a direct and strong relationship between dental pathology, dietary habits, and subsistence economies. Dental caries, the most frequently used bioanthropological data source for determining the dietary habits of past people, provides considerable information about the types of foods predominantly consumed. On the other hand, analyzing dental wear provides an insight into food preparation techniques. In this study, the dental caries and wear on the dentition of individuals from İkiztepe, Bakla Tepe, and Titriş Höyük, dated to the Late Chalcolithic (3500–3000 bc) and the Early Bronze Age (3100–2000 bc), were analyzed to examine potential differences in their dietary habits. The highest caries frequency was observed at Bakla Tepe (10%), followed by İkiztepe with 6.8% and then Titriş Höyük with 4.2%. Stable isotope analyses previously carried out on the same populations suggest a homogenous, predominantly terrestrial C3‐based mixed diet. However, statistically significant differences in caries frequencies and caries surface and depth scores suggest that there are interpopulation differences regarding the amount of carbohydrate and protein in their diet. The dental wear of all populations can be considered as slight, which indicates the consumption of well‐processed, soft, and fine‐grained foods. However, İkiztepe, with the highest mean value of dental wear (x¯: 3.14), is an exception within the sample populations (Bakla Tepe: 2.93; Titriş Höyük: 2.85) examined in this study. Differences in the economic and ecological characteristics of these settlements were effective in explaining the differences observed in dental caries and wear. Although C3‐based foods were common for all of the populations, the relative amount they were consumed is likely different for each sample population, suggesting heterogeneity within and between populations with regard to consumed resources.