Dental evidence of textile-related task activities in the Bronze Age site of Laderas del Castillo (Alicante, Spain)

Abstract

The burial 7 from the Argaric site of Laderas del Castillo (Alicante, Spain), dating from the 2nd millennium BC, included a skeleton associated with a carinated vessel indicative of social recognition. Anthropological and DNA-based methods were combined to determine that the individual corresponds to a young female. Macro- and scanning microscopic analyses revealed morphologically uniform labial notches with smooth and polished enamel on maxillary central incisors, which suggest tooth-tool use involving craft tasks. Plant fibers entrapped in dental calculus suggest that the individual was involved in textile and craft production, most likely working with flax or hemp. These findings provide new and direct insights into the use of teeth as tools related to crafts involving threads and are valuable for assessing the social division of labor within the Argaric prehistoric populations from Southeastern Iberia.