Abstract
Macchiarelli & Bondioli (1984, 1986) argue that post-Pleistocene cranio-facial reduction cannot be explained by biomechanical factors related to change in the diet (Carlson, 1974;Carlson & Van Gerven, 1977) or to facial reduction related to the selective advantages of smaller, morphologically simpler teeth (Greene, 1967;Van Gerven, Armelagos & Rohr, 1977). Instead, they maintain that facial reduction is a mere side-effect of a reduction in overall body size. Our analysis of skeletal and facial reduction in post-Pleistocene Sudanese Nubia suggests thatMacchiarelli & Bondioli's interpretation is incorrect for two reasons. First, the reduction in facial morphology (at least since Mesolithic times) is greater by several orders of magnitude than the reduction in general body size. Second, the dentition not only shows a greater size reduction than does general body size, but a shifting pattern of dental reduction rather than a general decrease across all teeth.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams W. Y., 1966.Nubia: Corridor to africa. Allen and Lane Publ.
Adams W. Y., 1967.Continuity and change in Nubian cultural history. Sudan Notes and Records, 48: 1–32.
Armelagos G. J., 1968.Paleopathology of Three Archeological Populations From Sudanese Nubia. Unpublished Ph.d. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Calcagno J. M., 1984.Human Dental Evolution in Post-Pleistocene Nubia. Unpublished Ph.d. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Carlson D. S., 1976.Temporal variation in prehistoric Nubian crania. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 45: 467–484.
Carlson D. S. &Van Gerven D. P., 1977.Masticatory function and post-pleistocene evolution in Nubia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 46: 495–506.
Frayer D., 1978.The evolution of the dentition in Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Europe. University of Kansas Publications in Anthroplogy n. 10, Lawrence, Kansas.
Goodman A. H., Armelagos G. J., Van Gerven D. P. &Calcagno J. M., 1984.Diet and post Mesolithic craniofacial and dental evolution in Sudanese Nubia. In: (R. David Ed.), Science in egyptology, pp 201–211. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Greene D. L., 1967.Dentition of the Meroitic, X-Group, and Christian Populations from Wadi Halfa, Sudan (University of Utah Anthropological Paper 85). Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
Macchiarelli R. &Bondioli L., 1984.Time and Dental Structure in Man: a Reassessment of Mechanism. Antropologia Contemporanea, 7: 102–139.
Macchiarelli R. &Bondioli L., 1986.Post-Pleistocene Reduction in Human Dental Structure: a Reappraisal in Terms of Increasing Population Density. Human Evolution, 1: 405–418.
Van Gerven D. P., Armelagos G. J. &Rohr A., 1977.Continuity and change in cranial morphology of three Nubian archeological populations. Man (N.S.), 12: 270–277.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Armelagos, G.J., Van Gerven, D.P., Goodman, A.H. et al. Post-Pleistocene facial reduction, biomechanics and selection against morphologically complex teeth: A rejoinder to macchiarelli and bondioli. Hum. Evol. 4, 1–7 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02436415
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02436415