AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-07-22DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103390
Evgeniya A. Osipova , Rimma N. Aminova , Saule Zh. Rakhimzhanova , Yslam S. Kurmaniyazov
{"title":"Fracturation intentionnelle d’éclats au Paléolithique ancien. Exemple des sites de la région Nord de la Mer d’Aral (Kazakhstan du Sud-ouest)","authors":"Evgeniya A. Osipova , Rimma N. Aminova , Saule Zh. Rakhimzhanova , Yslam S. Kurmaniyazov","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Early Palaeolithic industries from Kazakhstan are traditionally characterized by a high proportion of <em>débitage</em> Levallois, bifacial manufacture, production of tools on large flakes (LCT) and typical typological composition (notches, denticulates, scrapers and handaxes). The study of broken flakes is sometimes set aside. Nevertheless, intentional breakage represents a technological way that favours the typological and functional diversity of small tools or flakes and provides important information on the development of Palaeolithic cultures in this region. This study focuses on the intentional breakage of retouched and unretouched, larges and massive flakes from Early Palaeolithic industries coming from the Northern region of the Aral Sea. It shows the techno-morphological, techno-functional, and typological aspects of planes by intentional breakage on <em>débitage</em> products. The studied collections come from the recently discovered sites, particularly from the Akirek 1, Aymen 1, Kambash 1, Saryshoky 4, Zhantles 1, 2 surface sites, and from the already known Saryshoky 2 and Aral 4 surface sites. Firstly, this work discusses the accidental and intentional nature of the breakage. Secondly, it demonstrates a voluntary and repetitive aspect of fractures and identifies their place in the <em>chaîne opératoire</em> of tool preparation in the Early Palaeolithic in this region. Thirdly, this study leads to the hypothesis of the probable evolution of Early Palaeolithic techniques in later cultures and the definition of a new category of tool – the flake with unretouched plane.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 4","pages":"Article 103390"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144680796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-07-22DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103388
Zuliskandar Ramli , Mohammad Razin Norman , Hamisatun Adilah Mohamed Abd Aziz
{"title":"Preneolithic and Neolithic influences of artifacts assemblage from 12,150 ± 40 BP Gua Tembus, Ketil Valley, Baling, Kedah, Malaysia","authors":"Zuliskandar Ramli , Mohammad Razin Norman , Hamisatun Adilah Mohamed Abd Aziz","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103388","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103388","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gua Tembus (gua<!--> <!-->=<!--> <!-->cave) is a rock shelter located on Gunung Pulai in Baling, Kedah, recognized for its potential as a prehistoric settlement site. Excavations conducted in 2020 uncovered a wealth of archaeological evidence, including lithic artifacts, faunal remains, and pottery, which reflect anthropological evolution in response to environmental adaptation. The chronological stratigraphy of these findings dates to the Late Pleistocene period (12,150<!--> <!-->±<!--> <!-->40<!--> <!-->BP), allowing for the reconstruction of prehistoric cultural dynamics along the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. At least three phases of human occupation have been identified within the cave: the Preneolithic or Hoabinhian cultural layer, the Neolithic-influenced cultural layer (3640<!--> <!-->±<!--> <!-->30<!--> <!-->BP), and a post-prehistoric cultural layer. However, the distribution of various archaeological materials — such as faunal remains, predominantly freshwater mollusk shells, unifacial and bifacial pebble tools, ground tools, and bone artifacts — reveals notable differences across these layers. These variations provide valuable insights into the cultural developments that took place in Kedah during the prehistoric occupation of Gua Tembus, illustrating changes in cultural affinities that likely correspond to shifting environmental conditions and human adaptation over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 4","pages":"Article 103388"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144680797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taphonomic approach of Gravettian mortuary practices: Comparative study of Human and Saiga antelope from Buran-Kaya III (Crimea)","authors":"Laurent Crépin , Stéphane Péan , Marylène Patou-Mathis , Alexander Yanevich , Sandrine Prat","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The topic of this article concerns our last results on comparative taphonomic studies about human and faunal remains from a Gravettian site in Eastern Europe (Buran-Kaya III, Crimea). Indeed, this site which we excavated some years ago, provided a rich collection of archaeological artefacts especially lithic industry, faunal and human remains mainly for Early Upper Palaeolithic period. One the most important discovery on this site is the presence of an important quantity of human fragments with cutmarks on some of them. We developed a comparative taphonomical study between the two main species of the site. We used classical methods as well as new technological supports (SEM, 3D digital video microscopy, CT-Scan), both on human and saiga antelope remains. This paper aims to describe the modifications observed on the human remains and explore the post-mortem treatment of the bodies, including potential nutritional cannibalism and mortuary practices. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a comparative analysis of the skeletal representation, taphonomic modifications and spatial distribution of human and saiga antelope remains. The results suggest a specific mortuary practice associated with secondary disposal or a non-nutritional cannibalism. Such specific practices are very rare in European Upper Palaeolithic contexts, and are only present in a very small number of sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103386"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144702264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103347
Anne Dambricourt Malassé , Marie-Christine Ho Ba Tho , Tien Tuan Dao , Fabienne Lallouet
{"title":"Reconstruction of the internal cranial base of an adolescent Homo erectus (Sinanthropus III). An enlightening on the hominids neural straightening, its embryonic modalities and its cognitive implications","authors":"Anne Dambricourt Malassé , Marie-Christine Ho Ba Tho , Tien Tuan Dao , Fabienne Lallouet","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The internal cranial base is at the crossroad of the central nervous system (CNS), the occluso-postural balance and the psychomotor control learning with the development of cognitive abilities and mental images. Weidenreich in 1943 compared the <em>Sinanthropus</em> (Chinese <em>Homo erectus</em>) with <span><em>Homo sapiens</em></span> and assumed that the lesser verticalization of its posterior skull base (basi-sphenoid, basi-occipital and petrous pyramids), and, thus, the higher position of the cerebellar fossa, were the results of the more limited anteroposterior growth of the cerebral neocortex (telencephalon). The lesser internal verticality is characteristic of extinct species of the genus <em>Homo</em> which lived before <em>H. sapiens</em> and is clearly visible in comparative anatomy confirmed by the growing number of fossils. Since then, the telencephalic hypothesis became the paradigm. Nevertheless, Weidenreich's hypothesis has been invalidated in 1987 by one of the authors with the discovery of the embryonic origins of the straightening in <em>Homo sapiens</em>. This verticalization is caused by the succession of complex dynamics of the rhombencephalon (future brainstem and cerebellum with the IV ventricle) from the horizontal becoming gradually vertical. Its dynamics cause the plication of the underlying cranial base initially flat, with the dorso-ventral rotation of the basi-sphenoid. We recall this very important discovery given the difficulty of integrating embryogenesis in the sciences of hominization, and present a protocol of angular measurements in 3D to identify hominid species according to their embryonic straightening which increases from great apes to <em>Homo sapiens</em>. The <em>Sinanthropus</em><span> III disappeared in 1941, but the original casts of each disarticulated bone stored at the Institut de Paléontolologie Humaine, Paris, allowed a reconstruction of the inner surface by their computed tomography scan (CT) and then their virtual assembly for a future digital reconstruction of missing parts. The 3D printing has allowed the reconstruction with modeling clay constrained by the preserved conformation. Finally, the prototype has been scanned and compared to the CT scan of 55 living </span><em>Homo sapiens</em> including 30 adolescents and 25 adults with 50% males and 50% females, 41 chimpanzees of increasing age, 3 Javanese <em>Homo erectus</em> of Middle Pleistocene, 5 European <em>Homo neanderthalensis</em> and 2 European <em>Homo sapiens</em> of Upper Pleistocene. The protocol confirms the interest of its application to fossil hominid species (more than 70 specimens) by distinguishing at least three increasing embryonic straightenings: <strong>1)</strong> the chimpanzee (<em>Pan</em>), <strong>2)</strong> extinct species of <em>Homo</em> with <em>H. erectus</em> and <em>H. neanderthalensis</em> and <strong>3)</strong> <em>Homo sapiens</em>. The phylogenetic verticalization corresponds to the prolonga","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103347"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144860725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103304
Michał Jerzy Kulus , Paweł Dąbrowski , Katarzyna Kapczyńska , Katarzyna Szymczak-Kulus , Marzena Styczyńska , Ireneusz Zawiślak , Dominika Domagała , Piotr Kmiecik , Marzenna Podhorska-Okołów
{"title":"Fatty acid profile in archaeological bones changes due to diagenesis","authors":"Michał Jerzy Kulus , Paweł Dąbrowski , Katarzyna Kapczyńska , Katarzyna Szymczak-Kulus , Marzena Styczyńska , Ireneusz Zawiślak , Dominika Domagała , Piotr Kmiecik , Marzenna Podhorska-Okołów","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><span>Bioarchaeological methods used to the reconstruction of the dietary patterns of past populations include the analysis of isotopic or chemical elements in bones, with focus on the inorganic component or on bone proteins. Studying bone lipids<span> instead of bone proteins opens up many promising possibilities: they provide insight into dietary intake closer to the time of death and are more closely correlated with the composition of the total diet. The aim of the current study is to compare the archaeological bone fatty acids profile with the elemental composition of bone. The material used in the current study consisted of 20 archaeological human bone samples taken from the cortical bone of the femur, dated to the 17–18</span></span><sup>th</sup><span> c. The elemental composition of the bone and the bone lipid profile<span> were determined by spectrometric methods<span>. Bone fatty acid content correlated with indices of bone preservation, compared to contemporary bones, archaeological bones tend to have more saturated and very long fatty acids (C22:0 and C24:0). It is most likely that longer fatty acids are better preserved in archaeological bones and reflect mainly bone cellular lipids.</span></span></span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103304"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144860724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-06-14DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103385
Bastien Bouvier , Anne Dambricourt Malassé , Marcel Otte , Michael Levitzky , Israël Hershkovitz
{"title":"A new analysis of the neurocranium and mandible of the Skhūl I child: Taxonomic conclusions and cultural implications","authors":"Bastien Bouvier , Anne Dambricourt Malassé , Marcel Otte , Michael Levitzky , Israël Hershkovitz","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The first individual discovered at Skhūl Cave in 1931 on Mount Carmel in Israel was a child aged between 3 and 5 years, intentionally buried ca. 140 ka ago. The fossil was allocated to <em>Homo sapiens</em>, <em>Homo neanderthalensis</em>, or a hybrid of the two species, and is currently recognized as “Anatomically Modern Human”. The incomplete mandible inadvertently separated from the skeleton during excavation, has been reconstructed and consolidated with plaster and appears to be plesiomorphic, with a strong affinity to the Neanderthal clade. The absence of the mid-face and of a large part of the skull base makes its articulation impossible. A new study using CT scans of the neurocranium and mandible was therefore undertaken to clarify their association and taxonomic status. The right bony labyrinth and the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) of M1 have been virtually reconstructed for the current study and compared to other <em>Homo</em> fossils. The bony labyrinth was compared with two “Western” Neanderthals, La Ferrassie 1, La Quina H5 and one <em>Homo sapiens</em>, Cro-Magnon 1. The frontal squama was initially mispositioned and has been virtually realigned to a more anatomically accurate orientation through comparison with the Neandertal child Le Pech--’Azé. The shape of the bony labyrinth is anatomically modern, but the vault is low, the occipital is elongated with a slight nuchal plane, the <em>foramen magnum</em> is dorsally located, the anterior dentoalveolar shape of the mandible is characteristic of Neanderthal and there is no <em>mentum osseum</em>. The EDJ of M1 is plesiomorphic with a mid-trigonid crest also commonly seen in Neanderthals. Such mosaic of <em>Homo sapiens</em>, Neanderthals, and plesiomorphic characters are also seen in the post-cranial skeleton. The combination of features seen in Skhūl I may suggest that the child is a hybrid. In the Middle Pleistocene, the Levant was the crossroad of gene flows between Indigenous lineages and other taxa from Africa and Eurasia which is likely the explanation for Skhūl I anthropological. Therefore, contrary to the prevailing paradigm, the earliest known mortuary practices involving burials cannot be attributed exclusively to <em>Homo sapiens</em> over <em>Homo neanderthalensis</em>. A new chapter opens on both the origins and motivations of these rituals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103385"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144279847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-06-09DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103380
Fabio Macciardi , Viola Castellani , James H. Fallon , Fabio Martini
{"title":"Dealing with measures: Archaeology, cognitive neuroscience and the evolutionary origin of numerical thinking","authors":"Fabio Macciardi , Viola Castellani , James H. Fallon , Fabio Martini","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of the cognitive use of numbers and numerical systems is still poorly explored in prehistoric archeology and cognitive science. A few studies have investigated the topic based on alternative hypotheses, namely that a symbolic numerical thought emerged in a relatively recent past and is mostly culturally based or, on the contrary, that it is a biologically grounded trait as shown by a long evolutionary history that humans share in part with other animals. We hypothesize that evolutionary biological mechanisms and cultural learning are interacting with each other within the hominin clade, building the cognitive bases of our numerical thinking through a complex process that has required a long time to develop. We analyze exemplary findings from a not-abundant but still significant archaeological record that conveys numerical information, and that can be attributed not only to <em>Homosapiens</em> but also to earlier hominin species, <em>Homo</em> <em>erectus</em> and <em>Homo</em> <em>neanderthalensis</em>. We aim to show that transitioning from “quantical” numerosity (also defined as “the number sense”: a perception of quantities we share with other non-human species) to cognitive numerical thinking requires an interplay of neural and molecular structures as biological prerequisites interacting with the cultural transmission. Our interpretation of the archaeological record and a biological-cultural process observed from <em>Homo erectus</em> to <em>Homosapiens</em> supports the hypothesis that the ability to use numerical concepts is part of a broader symbolic abstract cognition. In this context, the cognitive idea of number surpasses the mere “interpretation” of the meaning of the archaeological object. Archaeological artifacts possess structural, unintended properties that can acquire significance in contexts other than their original purpose (McLaughlin, 2014).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103380"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-06-02DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103381
Ergül Kodaş , Çağdaş Erdem , Ismail Özer , Charlotte Labedan-Kodaş
{"title":"New observations on pre-pottery Neolithic earrings and lip labrets at Boncuklu Tarla. Age, gender and social identity","authors":"Ergül Kodaş , Çağdaş Erdem , Ismail Özer , Charlotte Labedan-Kodaş","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>New data from the excavations at Boncuklu Tarla reveal that objects previously classified as ambiguous stone artefacts, tokens, or more commonly stone earplugs, are, in fact, labret earrings. The discovery of these objects <em>in situ</em> during the excavations has, more specifically, led to a reevaluation of their definition. Our study of the burials in which these objects were found not only validate their use as body ornaments but also provide further data highlighting their significance. We can now engage in a discussion of concepts such as individual and social identity, taking into account the age and gender of the individuals associated with these objects. This article therefore aims to discuss the earrings and labrets recovered from burial contexts during the 2017 excavation season at Boncuklu Tarla, establishing their typology and focusing on the age and gender of the deceased wearing them, while reinterpreting them through the lens of identity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103381"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144190291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropologiePub Date : 2025-06-02DOI: 10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103382
Djillali Hadjouis
{"title":"La para-fonction dentaire chez les Hommes Anatomiquement Modernes d’Algérie : les exemples pléistocènes et holocènes des régions septentrionales","authors":"Djillali Hadjouis","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103382","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103382","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When studying the cranial series of Anatomically Modern Humans from Algeria (Upper Paleolithic, Epipaleolithic, Neolithic) from the perspective of cranio-facial and occlusal morphogenesis, some adult individuals of both sexes presented abrasive wear, especially of the cheek teeth, which did not fit with that resulting from classic physiological mastication. It seemed essential to us to verify the entire dental series from the sites of Algeria since the Upper Paleolithic. Among this set, certain dental series of the Mechta-Afalou Iberomaurusians, the Capsian Proto-Mediterraneans and those of the Mediterranean Neolithic of western Algeria show abrasive wear of the cheek teeth, generally with vestibular and/or lingual obliquity, suggesting a para-function (or para-mastication). We analyzed five individuals, four of which came from the sites of Afalou-Bou-Rhummel, Taza 1, Oued Guettara, and Medjez II. The fifth individual, from the collections of the Bardo National Public Museum in Algiers, does not mention its origin; however, its craniofacial and dental morphology brings it closer to Holocene specimens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103382"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144190292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Age Estimation of Pawon Man from Pulp Volume using Cone Beam Computed Tomography 3D Method and Dental DNA Methylation on ELOVL2 Gene","authors":"Felia Resha Wulandari , Lutfi Yondri , Suhardjo , Fahmi Oscandar","doi":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anthro.2025.103383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Estimating the age at death of human remains is fundamental for the analysis and interpretation of skeletal evidence in various disciplines, including forensic science, archaeology, and paleoanthropology. This study aims to explore age estimation in prehistoric humans, specifically Pawon Man, through two primary methods: pulp volume analysis using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) 3D and DNA methylation analysis of teeth, also to unveil a deeper comprehension of Pawon Man's life trajectory and its significance in the realm of human evolution. This descriptive study focused on two maxillary fragments of Pawon Man group <em>Rangka</em> V (R.V.), specifically first premolar and second molar. Age estimation based on CBCT 3D imaging was derived by semi-automatically measuring the pulp volume using ITK-SNAP software (version 3.8.0). DNA methylation analysis was performed on the <em>ELOVL2</em> gene using pyrosequencing, with age estimation based on the percentage of methylated reference (PMR). Age estimation obtained using the CBCT 3D method was 30.711<!--> <!-->±<!--> <!-->0.811 years (95% CI) for sample 1 and 16.998<!--> <!-->±<!--> <!-->1.208 years (95% CI) for sample 2. In contrast, DNA methylation analysis provided age estimation of 34.602 years for sample 1 and 17.841 years for sample 2. The significant discrepancy in age estimation between the two methods highlights the complexity and variability inherent in age estimation approaches. Age estimation using CBCT 3D and DNA methylation shows significant differences due to methodological variations and the absence of universal regression standards. Integrating both methods is essential to improve accuracy and establish more consistent research protocols in ancient human analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46860,"journal":{"name":"Anthropologie","volume":"129 3","pages":"Article 103383"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}