Exploring the Dietary Proclivities of Neanderthals Using Dental Microwear

DIAZ-VILLAQUIRAN, Laura (Georgia State University). Exploring the Dietary Proclivities of Neanderthals Using Dental Microwear. Neanderthal fossil molars are found at several sites in Western Europe, including the caves of Hortus, Spy and La Quina. The remains from Hortus cave (n = 7) are particularly well represented archaeologically and all but one individual is associated with a specific phase of the deposit. In order to position unknown individual Hortus VI within a dietary context, microwear analysis was performed on epoxy resin molar casts from Hortus cave (n =7), La Quina (n =1), Spy cave (n =1), Hastière Caverne M and Hastière Trou Garçon C (n=8). The data obtained from Hastière Caverne M and Hastière Trou Garçon C, Homo sapiens, was included for comparative purposes and used to conduct a measurement error study in SPSS; which found no statistically significant error. Furthermore, the results of this study point towards age differentiation in the microwear signatures of Neanderthals, microwear signatures which may be reflective of age-related wear and paramasticatory cultural behavior or tool-like use of the dentition