Dental microwear as a diet indicator in the seventeenth-century human population from Iasi City, Romania

Abstract

The dental microwear analysis (DMA) focuses on diet reconstructions, being able to provide proxy indicators of some events regarding technological shifts in food processing and social hierarchy and differences between individuals. Although DMA approaches diet characterization in ancient times, medieval samples have received limited attention, especially in Eastern Europe. The aim of this article is to explore, identify, and describe within-group patterns of dental microwear variation depending on sex and anatomic position (i.e., left/right, superior/inferior). The bioarchaeological material belongs to the Princely Court Necropolis of the seventeenth century discovered in Iasi (Romania)—the former capital city of Medieval Moldavia. We analyzed the micromorphological features on the occlusal surface of the second molar tooth through scanning electronic microscopy and imaging. Quantification of the microwear features (i.e., fine and coarse scratches, small and large pits) along with their bidimensional measurements (i.e., length and width) has been subjected to multivariate analysis. Our results show heterogeneous distribution of the microwear features within the analyzed second molars. Although the general microwear profile is dominated by fine and coarse scratches, large pits are also present. We can generally characterize the food as abrasive and relatively hard. In females, there are two microwear profiles highlighted based on the molar laterality, which suggests the use of the right side of the oral cavity to process harder foods. In males, the microwear profile is homogeneous and does not differ by laterality; it shows a great affinity with the pattern of the female right molars.