Archaeological news about the Archaeology of Later Medieval Europe from the Archaeology in Europe web site

Sunday 28 February 2016

Non-Destructive Testing Determines Diet From Teeth


CANTERBURY, ENGLAND—A team from the University of Kent, led by biological anthropologist Patrick Mahoney, used 3-D microscopic imaging to examine the teeth of children between the ages of one and eight years who lived near Canterbury Cathedral during the medieval period. Dental micro-wear texture analysis allowed the researchers to measure microscopic changes in the surface topography of the teeth without damaging them, and offered clues to how hard the food was that the children had been eating. The team found that weaning had begun for the youngest children, and that their diets became tougher at the age of four.

Read the rest of this article...

No comments:

Post a Comment