Comparing Dental Microwear in the Populations at an Iron Age (c. 4010 BP) and Early Historic (c. 2600 BP) Site in South India

Authors

• Ruokuonuo Rose Yhome, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow
• Kalavathy Rajan, Tamil Nadu State Dept Archaeol
• R. Sivanantham, Tamil Nadu State Dept Archaeol
• M. Ramesh, Tamil Nadu State Dept Archaeol
• R. Ajaykumar, Tamil Nadu State Dept Archaeol
• R. Kaviya, Tamil Nadu State Dept Archaeol
• M. Suresh, Tamil Nadu State Dept Archaeol
• T. Arun Raj, Archaeol Survey India
• V.P. Yathees Kumar, Archaeol Survey India
• Peter Ungar, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2025

Keywords

abrasion, Adichchanallur, diet, food processing, grit, Keeladi, tooth studies

Abstract

Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) has proven to be a valuable tool for separating bioarchaeological samples by subsistence practice, preferred diet, food-processing technology, and cooking method. In this study, we compared samples of individuals from two South Indian sites-an Iron Age site (Adichchanallur, similar to 4010 BP, n = 27) and an Early Historical site (Keeladi, similar to 2600 BP, n = 31). Both samples represent farming communities that likely had broadly similar diets dominated by cultivated rice and mung beans, wild nuts and pulses, and both domesticated cattle and wild game. Moreover, the archaeological evidence indicates that both communities used mortar and pestle for food preparation and employed similar cooking technologies, as inferred from the shapes of pots found at the sites. Furthermore, the two populations exhibited cultural continuity and lived in similar ecozones. However, the earlier Adichchanallur settlement represented a town with rural features, while the later Keeladi site was more of an urban population center. We hypothesized that samples from the earlier rural population would have more complex microwear textures than the samples from a predominantly later urban population given that today urban communities in India tend to consume softer, more processed foodstuffs than rural populations, which often eat coarser, less processed food items. High-resolution molar replicas were prepared and analyzed by DMTA. Results indicate that, contrary to expectation, individuals from the later, more urban site had significantly higher texture complexity values than did those from the earlier, more rural one. This finding confirms results of previous studies indicating that microwear signatures can distinguish bioarchaeological samples but also shows that the implications of observed differences for past lifeways can be difficult to interpret.

Comments

Web of Science

Wiley

Citation

Yhome, R., K. Rajan, R. Sivanantham, et al. 2025. “ Comparing Dental Microwear in the Populations at an Iron Age (c. 4010 BP) and Early Historic (c. 2600 BP) Site in South India.” International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 35, no. 5: 375–382. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70030.

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