Microstructural findings on prenatally formed dental enamel support the assumption of an Iron age twin burial from Germany

IF 1.5 2区历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104956

Stefan Flohr, Carsten Witzel, Jule Iatropoulos, Horst Kierdorf, Uwe Kierdorf

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Abstract

Only a few cases of twins have been reported in the bioarchaeological literature so far and their identification is usually prompted by the find situation. A confirmation of this assumption by purely gross-morphological methods is not reliable. More recently, aDNA analysis constitutes a more promising approach, although the preservation of the DNA can be a limiting factor. Here we present an alternative approach to test the twin hypothesis, based on the microscopic analysis of the pattern of incremental markings in prenatally formed dental enamel.

Three corresponding pairs of teeth from two perinatal human individuals from the Iron Age in Germany were chosen for microscopic analysis of their prenatal enamel. In all analyzed teeth, four accentuated incremental lines (AILs) with matching locations between the corresponding teeth were identified. The numbers of daily enamel growth increments between corresponding consecutive AILs was (almost) identical in the individuals.

Our results strongly suggest that the individuals shared a common intrauterine environment and therefore constitute twins. We conclude that the microscopic analysis of prenatally formed dental enamel is a powerful approach to test a twin sibling hypothesis in archaeological cases.

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来源期刊

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

3.10

自引率

12.50%

发文量

405

期刊介绍： Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports is aimed at archaeologists and scientists engaged with the application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. The journal focuses on the results of the application of scientific methods to archaeological problems and debates. It will provide a forum for reviews and scientific debate of issues in scientific archaeology and their impact in the wider subject. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports will publish papers of excellent archaeological science, with regional or wider interest. This will include case studies, reviews and short papers where an established scientific technique sheds light on archaeological questions and debates.