Middle Pleistocene hominin teeth from Biache-Saint-Vaast, France
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1The origin and pace of the distinctive Neanderthal dental morphology remains elusive. In this context, the European Middle Pleistocene (MP) fossil record represents a unique opportunity to reconstruct the European evolutionary scenario. At present, the earliest evidence, ca. 450 ka, of a pre- Neanderthal population in Europe is the hominin sample from Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos (SH) that present clear dental affinities with Neanderthals while other penecontemporaneous populations, such as Arago or Mala Balanica, lack Neanderthal affinities. We present the morphometric study of the external and internal dental structures of eleven hominin dental remains recovered from the MP, ca. 240 ka, French site of Biache-Saint-Vaast (BSV). Our analyses place the BSV hominins within the MP group, together with SH, Fontana Ranuccio, Visogliano, Steinheim or Montmaurin, that show greater morphological affinities with Neanderthals. Moreover, we identified interpopulation variability in the expression of the enamel thickness trait, with BSV hominins sharing the unique combination of thin and thick pattern in their dentition with the SH population. These results further support the coexistence of two or more populations in Europe during the MP that reflect the population and settlement of human groups suggested by the Central Area of Dispersals of Eurasia (CADE) and sink and source model.
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Laura Martín-Francés, José María Bermúdez de Castro, Marina Martinez de Pinillos, María Martinón-Torres, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Benoit Bertrand et Amélie Vialet, « Middle Pleistocene hominin teeth from Biache-Saint-Vaast, France », Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 34(S) | 2022, mis en ligne le 31 décembre 2021, consulté le 23 avril 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/9035 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/bmsap.9035
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