Middle Pleistocene teeth from Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, northeastern Iberian Peninsula)

Abstract

Objectives

We report the discovery and description of three human teeth from the Middle Paleolithic archaeological levels of Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula).

Materials and Methods

The teeth, two molars (one right dm₂ and one right M₂) from Level N (older than 120 kyr) and one P³ from Level J (dated between 71 and 44 kyr), were morphologically described based on microCT images and compared with Neanderthal and Homo sapiens specimens.

Results

The teeth belong to a minimum of three individuals: one adult and one infant from Level N and one juvenile from Level J. The premolar from Mousterian Level J, the best preserved of the three teeth, exhibits characteristics to those from our comparative sample of Homo neanderthalensis, such as the crown measurements, EDJ traits, enamel thickness and volume of the pulp cavity.

Discussion

In contrast to the clear Neanderthal characteristics observed in the P³ from Level J, the high degree of dental wear and poor state of preservation precludes definitive taxonomic designations of the two teeth from Level N. However, the crown dimensions and some tissue proportions are consistent with a probable assignation to Homo neanderthalensis. The teeth from Level N come from a context of long and recurrent occupations of the cave, whereas the archaeological context of the tooth from Level J is indicative of short and seasonal occupations of the cave, which may indicate a change in the lifestyle strategies of the last Neanderthals of the Iberian Peninsula.