Search

Abstract: Osteological reference collections play a key role in bioanthropological research; they allow the development and testing of methods for sexing and ageing individuals using various bone and dental attributes. This paper presents the first stage results of the ongoing Chacarita Research Project, which aims to generate and study a reference collection of adult skeletons representative of the contemporary population of Buenos Aires city. The Chacarita Collection consists of unclaimed human remains of individuals of known nationality, sex, age, cause and date of death from the Chacarita Public Cemetery. Unlike other similar endeavours, this sample has been completely exhumed using archaeological techniques. So far, a total of 146 adult skeletons have been recovered (60 females – 41.1% and 86 males – 58.90%), the majority of which have ages-at-death in the range of 71–90 years. They were born primarily in Argentina (n =133; 91.1%), although other nationalities are also represented. Dates of death range between 1987 and 2000. In the short term, the osteological study of this collection will allow assessment of the performance of classical methods of sex determination and age-at-death estimation in a local setting. A special priority will be given to the study of osteological changes in individuals over 50 years. As the sample is being retrieved by exhumation, the impact of taphonomic agents on the most diagnostic bone structures is also being assessed. In the long term, this osteological collection will be available to generate new population-specific techniques and to develop comparative biological studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to conduct a historical analysis of the research-oriented studies related to dental anthropology in Argentina, evaluate its current state and discuss future expectations and perspectives. In this country, anthropological studies based on analysis of dentition have been scarce and even temporarily discontinued, since they began in the late nineteenth century, simply following the course of the predominant theoretical and methodological approaches over time. Early papers, guided mainly by evolutionary ideas, were oriented towards establishing the taxonomic position of humans through the description and comparison of morphological and morphometric aspects of the dental crown and root. Later studies mainly described types of intentional modifications (i.e. dental mutilations) and tooth wear in the context of Historic-Cultural School. However, they failed to constitute valid lines of research over time. In recent years, there has been a significant change in dental studies, mainly as a result of the interest in evaluating the adaptive aspects of human populations within biocultural settings. One of the most relevant lines of studies has been the bioarchaeological analysis of health and stress indicators, such as enamel hypoplasia, caries and tooth wear in hunter–gatherer and farmer societies. More recently, the study of discrete and metric dental traits began, with a goal to contribute to the study of evolution and inter-populational biological relations among South American groups. Since teeth contain valuable information not only about the environment in which the individual lived, but also about the action of neutral and non-neutral factors on human groups, the consolidation of ongoing studies will contribute to knowledge of various aspects of the adaptation and evolution of native American populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Several archaeological researches in northeastern Patagonia and southeastern Pampas have evaluated various indicators of the diets of hunter-gatherers who inhabited these regions during the Late Holocene, including the role of plant foods. Dental analysis is an important way to introduce new information about subsistence. In this sense, the objective of this work is to document and interpret dento-alveolar lesions in an osteological sample recovered from the Paso Alsina 1 archaeological site (eastern Pampean–Patagonian transition, Argentina). This paper will explore the oral health status of individuals and discuss palaeodietary information of hunter-gatherers that inhabited the lower valley of the Colorado River during the final Late Holocene (ca. 500 years BP). The site is defined as a formal area bundle composed of 10 secondary multiple burials containing 56 individuals of both sexes and various ages (e.g., perinatal, infant, and adult). In this study, 781 teeth and 1036 alveoli from 47 maxillae and 38 mandibles were analysed from 51 adult individuals. The results indicate a moderate rate of dental wear, and dental calculus, and low percentages of caries, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss. The information obtained suggests a diet based on a combination of proteins, fat and carbohydrates. Results are then compared with those from other lines of analysis for the study area and for the neighboring regions (northeastern Patagonia and southeastern Pampas). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes and discusses the research in the field of dental anthropology in Argentina. It has been presented at the symposium entitled “The development of dental research in Argentine Biological Anthropology: current status and perspectives”, coordinated by the authors at the IX National Meeting of Biological Anthropology of Argentina, Puerto Madryn, 20th–23rd October 2009. The aim of the symposium was to present new results and future prospects of this discipline in the country and to create a forum for discussion of current research within this field. Six contributions that focused on the study of teeth from different perspectives and analysed bioarchaeological samples from different areas of Argentina (Central Highlands, Pampa and Patagonia) were presented. After the presentations, a discussion about the state of the art of dental research in the country was generated, in which the need for the generation of methodological consensus on the criteria for the evaluation of the variables considered was stated, so that research conducted in different areas can be compared. In short, the contributions of this symposium provide insights into the diversity of dental anthropology in contemporary Argentina and the potential of these types of studies to gain important information about biological and cultural aspects of the native populations in the country. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bilateral asymmetry is an important field of study in anthropology. The evaluation of bilateral asymmetry of 44 dental non-metric traits of permanent dentition is carried out in this study on 376 adult skulls from different archaeological sites in Argentina (South America). From a total of 44 traits studied, just 12 (27% of the total traits expressed) presented Bilateral Index (BI) values lower than 100% (between 92% and 99%). Results suggest that the expression of all dental traits is probably bilateral. These results show the importance of analysis of bilateral asymmetry for assignment of taxonomic and population value of non-metric dental traits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]