Sexual dimorphism in the human dental sample from the SH site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): a statistical approach

Castro, José Marı́a Bermúdez de; Durand, Ana I.; Ipiña, Santiago L.

doi:10.1006/jhev.1993.1005

Cited by 37 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Bermú dez de Castro et al (1993), who analyzed only the lower dentition, concluded that sexual dimorphism in teeth was more marked in the Sima de los Huesos sample than in modern humans, contrary to the conclusions stated by Arsuaga et al (1997a). The former authors also observed that the Krapina Neandertals (dated to c. 130 kyrs by Rink et al, 1995) showed a decrease in the magnitude of dental sexual dimorphism with respect to the SH fossils, but that the Krapina dental sample was still more dimorphic than are modern humans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Intrapopulational body size variation and cranial capacity variation in middle pleistocene humans: The Sima de los Huesos sample (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Lorenzo

Carretero

Arsuaga

et al. 1998

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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A sexual dimorphism more marked than in living humans has been claimed for European Middle Pleistocene humans, Neandertals and prehistoric modern humans. In this paper, body size and cranial capacity variation are studied in the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene sample. This is the largest sample of non-modern humans found to date from one single site, and with all skeletal elements represented. Since the techniques available to estimate the degree of sexual dimorphism in small palaeontological samples are all unsatisfactory, we have used the bootstraping method to asses the magnitude of the variation in the Sima de los Huesos sample compared to modern human intrapopulational variation. We analyze size variation without attempting to sex the specimens a priori. Anatomical regions investigated are scapular glenoid fossa; acetabulum; humeral proximal and distal epiphyses; ulnar proximal epiphysis; radial neck; proximal femur; humeral, femoral, ulnar and tibial shaft; lumbosacral joint; patella; calcaneum; and talar trochlea. In the Sima de los Huesos sample only the humeral midshaft perimeter shows an unusual high variation (only when it is expressed by the maximum ratio, not by the coefficient of variation). In spite of that the cranial capacity range at Sima de los Huesos almost spans the rest of the European and African Middle Pleistocene range. The maximum ratio is in the central part of the distribution of modern human samples. Thus, the hypothesis of a greater sexual dimorphism in Middle Pleistocene populations than in modern populations is not supported by either cranial or postcranial evidence from Sima de los Huesos.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Intrapopulational body size variation and cranial capacity variation in middle pleistocene humans: The Sima de los Huesos sample (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Lorenzo

Carretero

Arsuaga

et al. 1998

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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“…Such technological shifts undoubtedly decreased the amount of time and power of mastication required to reduce foods to digestibility, thereby reducing associated attritional loads on the postcanine teeth, as well as permitting the reduction of masticatory muscle cross-sectional area and effectiveness. However, it has become increasingly clear that patterns of Middle and Late Pleistocene posterior dental size reduction were complex and regionally variable (Bermudez de Castro, 1993), although it is presently unknown to what extent this is conditioned by sexual sampling bias and variation in sexual dimorphism (Bermudez de Castro et al, 1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of retromolar space presence in Pleistocene Homo mandibles

Franciscus

Trinkaus

1995

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…Differences in tooth size at Sima de los Huesos have been explained in terms of sexual dimorphism of the mandible (Rosas, 1995;Bermú dez de Castro, 1986;, and crown area has been used to sex some individuals (Bermú dez de Castro, 1993;Bermú dez de Castro et al, 1993;Bermú dez de Castro and Nicolá s, 1997). The gradient in size and shape observed in the mandibles from Atapuerca might also be explained by growth processes, perhaps sex-related, associated with taxonomically significant features (Rosas, 1997).…”

Section: Discriminant Analysis Of Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonocclusal dental microwear analysis of 300,000-year-oldHomo heilderbergensisTeeth from Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Pérez‐Pérez

Castro

Arsuaga

1999

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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Casts of nonocclusal enamel surfaces of 190 teeth from the Middle Pleistocene site of Sima de los Huesos have been micrographed by scanning electron microscopy. Microscopic analyses of striation density and length by orientation show distinct patterns of intrapopulation variability. Significant differences in the number and length of the striations by orientation are found between maxillary and mandibular teeth. This probably reflects differences in the mechanical forces involved in the process of chewing food. Significant differences are present between isolated and in situ teeth that could be caused by postdepositional processes differentially affecting the isolated teeth. In addition, a distinct and very unusual striation pattern is observed in a sample of teeth that can be explained only by a strong nondietary, most probably postmortem abrasion of the enamel surfaces. These teeth have a very high density of scratches, shorter in length than those found on other teeth, that are not indicative of dietary habits. No known depositional process may account for the presence of such postmortem wear since heavy transportation of materials within the clayish sediments has been discarded for the site. Despite this, a characteristic dietary striation pattern can be observed in most of the teeth analyzed. Most likely the diet of the Homo heidelbergensis hominids from Sima de los Huesos was highly abrasive, probably with a large dependence on hard, poorly processed plant foods, such as roots, stems, and seeds. A highly significant sex-related difference in the striation pattern can also be observed in the teeth analyzed, suggesting a differential consistency in the foods eaten by females and males. Am J Phys

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Sexual dimorphism in the human dental sample from the SH site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): a statistical approach

Cited by 37 publications

References 0 publications

Intrapopulational body size variation and cranial capacity variation in middle pleistocene humans: The Sima de los Huesos sample (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Intrapopulational body size variation and cranial capacity variation in middle pleistocene humans: The Sima de los Huesos sample (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Determinants of retromolar space presence in Pleistocene Homo mandibles

Nonocclusal dental microwear analysis of 300,000-year-oldHomo heilderbergensisTeeth from Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

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