Loading...
Dentition of the Mugharet El'Aliya Fossil Human Maxilla, Morocco
Rƶding, Carolin ElāZaatari, Sireen Ramirez Rozzi, Fernando V Burgess, M Loring Lacruz, Rodrigo S Harvati, Katerina
Rƶding, Carolin
ElāZaatari, Sireen
Ramirez Rozzi, Fernando V
Burgess, M Loring
Lacruz, Rodrigo S
Harvati, Katerina
Citations
Altmetric:
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Affiliation
EPub Date
Issue Date
2025-02-22
Submitted Date
2024-05-24
Subject Terms
Aterian
enamel-dentine junction
human evolution
Middle Stone Age
Northwest Africa
enamel-dentine junction
human evolution
Middle Stone Age
Northwest Africa
Collections
Files
Loading...
Accepted version
Adobe PDF, 1.45 MB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Other Titles
Abstract
Objective: This study follows up on our recent morphological analysis of the juvenile maxilla from Mugharet el'Aliya, Morocco. Although this specimen shows a reportedly archaic morphology, likely due to its large size, 3D shape analyses indicated affinities with earlyHomo sapiens. Here, we conducted an inādepth comparative investigation of the associated dentition to further clarify this individual's phylogenetic and taxonomic affinities.
Materials and Methods: Our analyses were based on three kinds of data: (a) external crown dimensions and nonāmetric features, analyzed via summary statistics; (b) CT scan data enabling the study of internal structures (enamelādentine junction) via geometric morphometrics; and (c) highāresolution replicas of the external surface of the upper canine enabling the study of perikymata numbers via probability functions. The comparative samples included Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) Europeans and Africans, Neanderthals, and early and later H. sapiens.
Results: Mugharet el'Aliya showed the greatest similarities in external and internal tooth morphology with early and later H. sapiens. Perikymata counts cluster the upper canine with H. sapiens. However, its canine and fourth premolar are megadont at a level generally atypical for H. sapiens.
Discussion: Our analyses of the dentition of the Mugharet el'Aliya individual support our previous findings on the morphological analysis of the maxilla, placing this fossil closest to H. sapiens. Our study further strengthens the evidence connecting fossils from the North African Aterian to those from Western Asia, especially Qafzeh. We also provide the first comparative analysis of a permanent upper canine from the Aterian fossil record.
Citation
Rƶding, C., El-Zaatari, S., Ramirez Rozzi, F.V., Stringer, C., Burgess, M.L., Lacruz, R.S. and Harvati, K. (2025), Dentition of the Mugharet El'Aliya Fossil Human Maxilla, Morocco. Am J Biol Anthropol, 186: e70015. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70015
Publisher
Research Unit
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Embedded videos
Type
Journal Article
Item Description
Copyright Ā© 2025 The Author(s). American Journal of Biological Anthropology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The attached file is the accepted version of the article - you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.
NHM Repository
NHM Repository
Series/Report no.
ISSN
2692-7691
EISSN
2692-7691
ISBN
ISMN
GovDoc
Test Link
License
openAccess