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'Jarošová I, 2008: Dietary inferences using buccal microwear analysis on the LBK population from Vedrovice, Czech Republic. Anthropologie (Brno) 46, 2-3: 175-184'. |
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| Abstract | | Microscopic analyses of tooth enamel have been linked to the composition of the ingested aliments and feeding behaviour in bioarchaeological populations. Dietary trends can be reconstructed by quantifying enamel microwear patterns and assuming a correlation between ingested diet and microwear patterns on the enamel surface of teeth. A study of buccal dental microwear patterns was carried out on 18 individuals from the Vedrovice site, Znojmo district, Czech Republic, dated to Neolithic period, specifically the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) phase of the cemetery. For each individual negative replicas of the buccal surface were obtained using polyvinylsiloxane Affinis Regular Body (Coltene®). Bicomponent polyuretane resin Feroca Ferropur PR-55 was applied to make positive moulds. Only molars or premolars that showed clear microwear patterns were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Finally, SigmaScan Pro 5.0, image analysis software, was used to quantify microwear patterns for length, orientation and number of all observed striations in a 0.56 mm2 square surface area. Obtained results were compared with published datasets acquired from studying various modern hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and agriculturalists with different dietary habits (Lalueza et al. 1996). The analysis yielded a distinct microwear pattern for the Vedrovice sample. The density and the length of microstriations showed inter-group sex and age related variability, which presumably resulted from a different amount of vegetal/cereal intake. If a close relationship between phytoliths and tooth striations can eventually be demonstrated, a high number of striations might be indicative of the presence of plant foods in diets. Moreover, observed differences in the higher amount of abrasive particles in the diet might have originated from food preparation technology associated with early agriculturalist techniques, i.e. grinding of seeds with some ancient stone mills. In spite of these additional influences, it is possible to conclude that diet in Neolithic Vedrovice sample was mostly vegetarian in its character and consists mainly of some grain-based components, whereas meat was eaten only sporadically. By comparing sex-related differences within the Vedrovice population it is possible to conclude higher vegetal intake by females in comparison to the male population. | | | | Keywords | | Microwear - Diet - SEM - Vedrovice - Czech Republic | | |
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