Dietary Reconstruction of Deciduous Neanderthal Teeth Via Dental Microwear Analysis

For anthropologists, food is a physical manifestation of culture: knowledge about food, its sourcing, processing, and consumption is inseparable from social, political, historical, economic, and cultural contexts (Dusselier 2009). In this case diet and foods can be studied to understand Neanderthals via dental wear to reconstruct paleodiets. This study uses dental microwear analysis using low magnification stereomicroscopy to reconstruct the dietary behaviors of three fossilized juvenile Neanderthals: Hortus 2, Engis 2, and Pech de l’Azé 1. Their dental microwear features are be compared to other samples of deciduous teeth from Neolithic Belgian and Czech sites to contextualize the diet of Neanderthals. The study of prehistoric diets of human ancestors is important to understanding their adaptability, growth patterns, and behavior.