Buccal Dental Microwear of a Barbarian Population from Prague-Zličín – a Study of the Migration Period in the Czech Republic

Ivana Jarošová, Jiří Vávra, Jaroslav Jiřík, Marcela Horáková

Buccal Dental Microwear of a Barbarian Population from Prague-Zličín – a Study of the Migration Period in the Czech Republic

Číslo: 1/2016
Periodikum: Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica

Klíčová slova: Buccal dental microwear, Diet, SEM, Prague-Zličín, Migration Period, social status, strava, migrační období, sociální status, bukální zubní mikroopotřebení

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Anotace: Buccal dental microwear analysis was carried out on a sample of 46 individuals from the Prague-Zličín site, Czech Republic. The Prague-Zličín burial ground is dated to the Migration Period, 5th century, AD. For each individual, molars or premolars were analyzed in secondary electrons of scanning electron microscope. The length, orientation and number of all observed striations were quantified using SigmaScan Pro 5.0, image analysis software. Subsequently, results obtained were compared with published datasets acquired from studies of various modern hunter-gatherers, pastoral, and agricultural populations with different dietary habits (Lalueza et al. 1996). The analysis yielded a similar microwear pattern within the Prague-Zličín population. The density and the length of microstriations showed no inter-group variability according to sex and age in adults; only an age-related variability, which might have resulted from different ratios of meat and vegetable intake, was observed between adults and subadults. The abrasiveness of food consumed in the Migration period was significantly higher than the other comparative Neolithic and Medieval samples in terms of striation density (NT) and length (XT). The observed amounts of abrasive particles in the diet might have originated from highly-abrasive food and/or food preparation technology. Migration period individuals were found to have a significantly higher number of vertical microwear features (NV), which were also found to be longer (XV) than other examined individuals from different periods. A possible high meat intake might be inferred in the

Prague-Zličín population using NH/NT and NV/NT ratios. When comparing social status with dietary
habits, a softer diet was found in individuals with higher social status.