The significance of a single Neandertal tooth from Ciemna Cave in southern Poland that I worked on with an international team of collaborators has been published online in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. The primary topics discussed in our paper concern the low number of Neandertal fossils in northern Central Europe despite the abundance of Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites in the region; and the particular details on the single Neandertal incisor recovered in Ciemna Cave. Of particular interest is the “toothpick groove” documented on the incisor. To date, three isolated teeth from Stajnia Cave are the only other Neandertal remains documented from archaeological sites in Poland. While there are other Neandertal remains from Central Europe (Švédův stůl [Ochoz], Kůlna Cave, Šipka Cave, Šal’a 1, Šal’a 2, Gànovce, Subalyuk, and Bordul Mare 1); they are few and fragmentary. However, there was extensive occupation of at least southern Poland into neighboring Moravia and the Carpathians during the Middle Paleolithic, so the general lack of Neandertal fossils in the region is puzzling. However, with so few fossils, it is all the more necessary to carefully document the few that are discovered. With this in mind, we carried out a detailed analysis of the single tooth from Ciemna Cave. Location of Ciemna Cave in relation to other Middle Paleolithic sites in Central Europe where Neandertal fossils have been discovered. We detail extensive damage to the crown and root of the tooth that occurred after death. While some of the damage can be attributed to natural processes like changes in humidity and abrasion from sediment, the degree of fragmentation and presence of only a single incisor still raises questions about how the tooth entered the archaeological record. During the late stages of carnivore scavenging, cranial bones can become very fragmented, teeth may become isolated, and these remains can be scattered over large areas. We also know that Ciemna Cave was a carnivore (primarily bear) den that was only inhabited by humans occasionally. In addition to bears, the remains of wolves, hyena, Lynx, and foxes have been identified in the layers contained the Ciemna 1 tooth. So, we propose that carnivores scavenging, fragmentation, and scattering of human remains could be one scenario for how the isolated tooth at Ciemna Cave entered into the archaeological record. Nevertheless, this scenario is difficult to confirm without direct evidence of carnivore tooth-marking or digestive corrosion on the Ciemna 1 fossil. Detailed photos of the Ciemna 1 Neandertal tooth. Despite the postmortem damage to the Ciemna 1 tooth, there is a well-preserved groove just below the enamel on the tooth root. We attributed this groove to the repetitive use of a probe – or “toothpick” – during this Neandertal's life. These so-called toothpick grooves are not uncommon in prehistoric contexts and are very well-documented among the earliest members of genus Homo and extremely well-documented among Neandertals. In fact, one of the teeth from Stajnia Cave also has a toothpick groove. Sometimes these grooves can be attributed to therapeutic activities, such as probing at inflamed gums or caries. In other cases, these grooves are attributed to hygienic behaviors – picking food and other gunk out from between your teeth. In our case, there is only a single tooth and it’s too fragmentary to clearly say whether the groove is a result of therapeutic or hygienic practices. However, it provides yet another case of this behavior among Neandertals. Detail images of the toothpick groove on the root of Ciemna 1. A) Dashed outline of the groove in the same view as B. B) Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) micrograph of the groove. C) ESEM micrograph creating by focus-stacking images for increased depth-of-field. D) Detail of microstriations in the labial portion of the groove using light microscopy. Scales are 1 mm (2 × 0.5 mm increments) Dr. Paweł Valde-Nowak will continue excavating at Ciemna Cave with his team this summer, and my fingers are crossed that more Neandertal fossils will be discovered.
This research was also presented a symposium I co-organizered with Libby W. Cowgill, Sheela Athreya, and Scott D. Maddux called From Pedestrian to Cerebral in the Pleistocene: A Symposium in Honor of Erik Trinkaus at the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Cleveland, Ohio. Full Article: Willman JC, Ginter B, Hernando R, Lozano M, Sobczyk K, Stefański D, Szczepanek A, Wertz K, Wojtal P, Zając M, Zarzecka-Szubińska K, Valde-Nowak P. (2019). Paleobiology and Taphonomy of a Middle Paleolithic Neandertal Tooth from Ciemna Cave, Southern Poland. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, doi:10.1007/s41982-019-00026-4. More on the archaeology and excavations of Ciemna Cave: Valde-Nowak P, Alex B, Ginter B, Krajcarz MT, Madeyska T, Miękina B, et al. (2014). Middle Paleolithic sequences of the Ciemna Cave (Prądnik valley, Poland): the problem of synchronization. Quaternary International, 326, 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.01.002. Valde-Nowak P, Alex B, Boaretto E, Ginter B, Sobczyk K, Stefański D, et al. (2016a). The Middle Palaeolithic sequence of Ciemna Cave. Some aspects of the site formation process. Quärtar, 63, 33–46. https://doi.org/10.7485/QU63_2. Valde-Nowak P, Alex B, Ginter B, Krajcarz MT, Madeyska T, Miękina B, et al. (2016b). Late Middle Palaeolithic occupations in Ciemna Cave, southern Poland. Journal of Field Archaeology, 41(2), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2015.1101942.
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John C. Willman
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