Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Anterior Dental Microwear Texture Analysis Of The Krapina Neandertals, Kristin L. Krueger, Peter S. Ungar

Kristin Krueger

Some Neandertal anterior teeth show unusual and excessive gross wear, commonly explained by non-dietary anterior tooth use, or using the anterior dentition as a tool, clamp, or third hand. This alternate use is inferred from aboriginal arctic populations, who used their front teeth in this manner. Here we examine anterior dental microwear textures of the Krapina Neandertals to test this hypothesis and further analyze tooth use in these hominins. Microwear textures from 17 Krapina Dental People were collected by white-light confocal profilometry using a 100x objective lens. Four adjacent scans were generated, totaling an area of 204x276 μm, and were …

Were Neandertal Humeri Adapted For Spear Thrusting Or Throwing? A Finite Element Study, Michael Anthony Berthaume

Masters Theses

An ongoing debate concerning Neandertal ecology is whether or not they utilized long range weaponry. The anteroposteriorly expanded cross-section of Neandertal humeri have led some to argue they thrusted their weapons, while the rounder cross-section of Late Upper Paleolithic modern human humeri suggests they threw their weapons. We test the hypothesis that Neandertal humeri were built to resist strains engendered by thrusting rather than throwing using finite element models of one Neandertal, one Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) human and three recent human humeri, representing a range of cross-sectional shapes and sizes. Electromyography and kinematic data and articulated skeletons were used …

The Biomechanics Of Spear Throwing: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Anatomical Variation On Throwing Performance, With Implications For The Fossil Record, Julia Marie Maki

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Accurate, high velocity throwing is a skill unique to humans among living species. It likely provided an adaptive advantage for our hominin ancestors, either in the context of hunting, or protection from predators. Thus, understanding how variation in body form and anatomy influences throwing ability may provide insight into the evolution of human morphology. Research has been done on various forms of ball and javelin throwing, yet the biomechanics of spear throwing were completely unknown. Moreover, it has been suggested that early modern humans had lesser effective mechanical advantage: EMA, the ratio of moment arm to load arm) than Neandertals, …

Anterior Dental Microwear Texture Analysis Of The Krapina Neandertals, Kristin L. Krueger, Peter S. Ungar

Anthropology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Some Neandertal anterior teeth show unusual and excessive gross wear, commonly explained by non-dietary anterior tooth use, or using the anterior dentition as a tool, clamp, or third hand. This alternate use is inferred from aboriginal arctic populations, who used their front teeth in this manner. Here we examine anterior dental microwear textures of the Krapina Neandertals to test this hypothesis and further analyze tooth use in these hominins.

Microwear textures from 17 Krapina Dental People were collected by white-light confocal profilometry using a 100x objective lens. Four adjacent scans were generated, totaling an area of 204x276 μm, and were …