The affinity of the dental remains from Obi-Rakhmat Grotto, Uzbekistan

J Hum Evol. 2008 Aug;55(2):238-48. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.03.004. Epub 2008 May 19.

Abstract

A human partial maxillary dentition and a fragmentary cranium were recovered from Obi-Rakhmat Grotto in northeastern Uzbekistan in 2003. Initial descriptions of this single juvenile (OR-1) from a Middle Paleolithic archaeological context have emphasized its mosaic morphological pattern; the dentition appears archaic, while certain morphological aspects of the cranial fragments may be more ambiguous. The present study provides a systematic and comparative analysis of the dental morphology and morphometrics of OR-1 to provide a more refined appraisal of its phenetic affinity vis á vis Neandertals and modern humans. Two analyses were performed. The first uses 28 non-metric dental traits scored from Neandertals, Upper Paleolithic, and Middle Paleolithic modern humans to assess the posterior probability of group membership for the Obi-Rakhmat individual. The second is a morphometric analysis of the first upper molar of OR-1. The results of both analyses suggest the dentition of OR-1 is essentially Neandertal.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Dentition
  • Fossils*
  • Hominidae / anatomy & histology*
  • Humans
  • Paleodontology
  • Tooth / anatomy & histology*
  • Tooth / chemistry
  • Uzbekistan