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11 - Cementochronology Protocol for Selecting a Region of Interest in Zooarchaeology

from Part II - Protocols

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2022

By
William Rendu ,
Stephan Naji ,
Eric Pubert ,
Carlos Sánchez‐Hernández ,
Manon Vuillien ,
Hala Alarashi ,
Emmanuel Discamps ,
Elodie‐Laure Jimenez ,
Solange Rigaud  and
Lionel Gourichon
Edited by
Stephan Naji ,
William Rendu  and
Lionel Gourichon
Stephan Naji
Affiliation:
New York University
William Rendu
Affiliation:
University of Bordeaux (CNRS)
Lionel Gourichon
Affiliation:
Université de Nice, Sophia Antipolis
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Summary

Seasonal variations directly impacted the social and economic activities of past human populations. Cementochronology is one of the methods available to address seasonality questions. It relies on the cyclic deposition rate of dental cementum observed microscopically on petrographic thin‐sections of animal teeth from archaeological contexts. However, no protocol exists to select a Region of Interest (ROI) or to identify the last cementum increment. This chapter proposes consensual biological and optical criteria for the selection of optimal ROIs and their analysis. Interobserver tests were performed to assess the criteria, as well as age and season of death, on thirty thin‐sections of modern documented reindeer teeth. Results demonstrate the accuracy, and replicability of this protocol, and emphasize the influence of training and experience for the proper implementation of cementochronology.

Keywords

CementumprotocolhistologyROI
Type
Chapter
Information
Dental Cementum in Anthropology , pp. 201 - 214
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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