Middle pleistocene dental remains from Qesem Cave (Israel)

Abstract

This study presents a description and comparative analysis of Middle Pleistocene permanent and deciduous teeth from the site of Qesem Cave (Israel). All of the human fossils are assigned to the Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC) of the late Lower Paleolithic. The Middle Pleistocene age of the Qesem teeth (400-200 ka) places them chronologically earlier than the bulk of fossil hominin specimens previously known from southwest Asia. Three permanent mandibular teeth (C(1) -P(4) ) were found in close proximity in the lower part of the stratigraphic sequence. The small metric dimensions of the crowns indicate a considerable degree of dental reduction although the roots are long and robust. In contrast, three isolated permanent maxillary teeth (I(2) , C(1) , and M(3) ) and two isolated deciduous teeth that were found within the upper part of the sequence are much larger and show some plesiomorphous traits similar to those of the Skhul/Qafzeh specimens. Although none of the Qesem teeth shows a suite of Neanderthal characters, a few traits may suggest some affinities with members of the Neanderthal evolutionary lineage. However, the balance of the evidence suggests a closer similarity with the Skhul/Qafzeh dental material, although many of these resemblances likely represent plesiomorphous features.

The origin and evolution ofHomo sapiens

“…Material such as the Zuttiyeh fronto-facial fragment, probably from the middle Pleistocene, remains difficult to classify, but in my view it does not show clear Neanderthal or modern human affinities, as can also be argued for the approximately 400 ka dental sample from Qesem [77]. Later and more clearly diagnosable material usually assigned to MIS5 also comes from Israel, in the form of the Tabun 1 Neanderthal skeleton, and the material I will discuss in more detail from the caves of Skhul and Qafzeh.…”

Mandibular tooth root size in modern Japanese, prehistoric Jomon, and Late Pleistocene Minatogawa human fossils

“…Nevertheless, although comparative assessments are scarce in modern humans, Pleistocene Homo sapiens, or archaic Homo, recent studies do consistently suggest that pre-modern populations are characterized by larger roots (e.g. Bailey, 2005;Walker et al, 2008;Kupczik and Hublin, 2010;Hershkovitz et al, 2011). Accumulation of such data may eventually enable us to establish baseline root size conditions for population groups/lineages and/or broad adaptive (occlusal loading) conditions, in turn enabling interpretations of regional and/or local microevolutionary trajectories of root size patterns.…”

Culture and cognition in the Acheulian industry: a case study from Gesher Benot Yaʿaqov

“…Yet, the antiquity of the Acheulian record, the massive impact of tectonic activity on the Dead Sea Rift and a variety of taphonomic processes make research of the Acheulian culture a difficult task. The Levantine Acheulian begins ca 1.5 Ma at the site of , Ubeidiya [19] and ends ca 200 Ka as attested by the Acheulo-Yabrudian site of Qesem Cave [20,21].…”

“…These have revealed elaborate and sophisticated technological achievements (prepared core techniques and production of blades) from both East Africa and the Levant that date from a much earlier era, the Acheulian period (ca 0.5 Ma) [20,68,69].…”