Long on the Tooth: Dental Evidence of Diet

Long 'on' the Tooth: Dental Evidence of Diet addresses human dental macroscopic and microscopic wear, as well as dental disease, as indicators of diet. The book focuses primarily on 350 pre-contact humans from North America dating from approximately 5,500 to 600 years ago. These populations had subsistence strategies ranging from terrestrial foraging to intensive maize agriculture. The study makes intra- and intergroup comparisons to elucidate dietary nuances that are largely beyond the reach of other means of dietary reconstruction. Finally, the book discusses the importance of using multiple dietary indicators in unison in order to provide paleodietary insights.

Includes state-of-the-art dental microwear texture data Focuses on populations largely overlooked in archaeological and dental anthropology volumes Offers the first dental anthropology book to integrate dental pathology and dental microwear texture analysis

1. Introduction: Taking a Bite Out of Teeth 2. Ambassadors of the Past: The Archaeological Record 3. Who Knows What Ancient People Ate? Paleodietary Reconstructions 4. Addressing the Problem: What Was Studied and How 5. What Do We Think We Know? 6. Who Cares?  What Does it All Mean? 7. Chew on This: Diets of the Past and Their Roles in the Future