Tooth enamel and dentin are the most studied hard tissues used to explore hominin evolution, life history, diet, health, and culture. Surprisingly, cementum (the interface between the alveolar bone and the root dentin) remains the least studied dental tissue even though its unique growth, which is continuous throughout life, has been acknowledged since the 1950s. This interdisciplinary volume presents state-of-the-art studies in cementum analysis and its broad interpretative potential in anthropology. The first section focuses on cementum biology; the second section presents optimized multi-species and standardized protocols to estimate age and season at death precisely. The final section highlights innovative applications in zooarchaeology, paleodemography, bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, and forensic anthropology, demonstrating how cementochronology can profoundly affect anthropological theories. With a wealth of illustrations of cementum histology and accompanying online resources, this book provides the perfect toolkit for scholars interested in studying past and current human and animal populations.

Presents the latest advances in cementochronology and its use in various anthropological contexts, from ancient fossils to forensic cases.

About the Author
Stephan Naji is a bioarchaeologist specializing in paleodemography, particularly in demographic and health transitions. His current research focuses on optimizing cementochronology within the broader evolutionary context of chronobiology for histological and virtual age-at-death estimation. He also actively promotes life-history events identification and modeling in cementum through interdisciplinary collaborations. William Rendu is a zooarchaeologist interested in the mobility of past human societies. He implemented cementochronology during his Ph.D. to discuss the seasonal distribution of Neanderthal activities. He is now continuing this work with a larger chronological framework as director of the International Research Laboratory ZooSCAn in Siberia. Lionel Gourichon is a zooarchaeologist. His research interest lies in the emergence of food production in Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean area, in particular on human-animal relationships and the process of domestication. He actively contributes to methodological advances in bioarchaeology to improve the study of mammal and bird remains.


Book Information
ISBN 9781108477086
Author Stephan Naji
Format Hardback
Page Count 420
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1010g
Dimensions(mm) 251mm * 177mm * 25mm