Surprisingly, some Neanderthals may have had better teeth than we do, and that may tell us how they thought.
Neanderthals were ancient people. They lived long before civilization, before even prehistoric dentists began experimenting with possible solutions to the problem of tooth decay. Therefore, their teeth must have been in a terrible state. They had to be rotten or not at all. But it is becoming increasingly clear that this is far from the truth. One recent study actually suggests that Neanderthals lost fewer teeth than people on a similar diet. What's more, a new analysis of the fossil remains shows that they even used toothpicks to keep their mouth clean.
Neanderthals walked the Earth long before modern humans lived on it. Calculations show that they first appeared in the interval of 300-250 thousand years ago, and disappeared about 32 thousand years ago.
Meat eaters and cannibals?
Previously it was assumed that they were mainly meat eaters and hunted for big game in the woodlands where they lived. It is also assumed that their carnivorous habits included cannibalism. The bones of 12 or 13 Neanderthals found in the El Sidron Cave in northern Spain are covered in jagged edges that have been linked to the massacre. They were most likely broken in order to get to the bone marrow inside them.
If Neanderthals ate only meat, then they were at a very disadvantage in relation to modern humans, who used many other food sources. However, this view is changing rapidly. Although the basis of their diet was meat, the menu was more varied. Scientists now know that they were also herbivores.
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Dental analysis and confirmation of herbivore
How did you manage to find out? Scientists were able to analyze food debris on the teeth. If teeth are not brushed, plaque builds up and turns into a substance called tartar. It accumulates in small depressions between. The same is true for Neanderthals.
Until recently, researchers who studied ancient teeth simply washed away this tartar. They thought it was an unnecessary substance. However, he had unexpected surprises in him. Over the past 10 years, scientists have discovered that it contains micro-fossils of ancient plants. They allow us to determine in the smallest detail what our close relatives ate. For example, there is already evidence that they included edible herbs, nuts, and legumes in their diets.
Medicinal plants in the diet of Neanderthals
But, in addition, the Neanderthals ate some strange foods. In 2012, a team of scientists discovered that the Neanderthals from El Sidron Cave were using medicinal plants. Scientists examined the chemical marks on their teeth and found that they ate two plants that have medicinal properties: chamomile and yarrow. The latter has long been used for medical purposes. For example, it has been used to stop blood loss, induce sweating, and even treat toothaches. Chamomile is known to soothe indigestion. Neanderthals had no other reason to consume these plants. If you look at the animal kingdom, you will see that many of them are self-medicating. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that Neanderthals also resorted to this practice.
How to identify poisonous plants?
This behavior shows that the Neanderthals had knowledge of the environment. Eating plants that have no nutritional value put them at significant risk. To begin with, they had to determine whether the herbs were poisonous or harmless.
A genetic study published in 2009 offers a clue to how they did it. An independent team of scientists found evidence for a gene that was found to be very important for bitter taste perception. This is important because when you eat plants, you should be able to determine which ones are poisonous. Toxins often taste bitter, so it makes sense to avoid these foods.
This gene could be very important to Neanderthals. It suggests that they could have used many of the plants without poisoning themselves.
Third hand
In 2016, another study was conducted on 50,000-year-old teeth. This time, scientists managed to find traces of coniferous wood. Some parts of the wood can indeed be eaten, but the wood found on the teeth of the Neanderthals was not edible. If it has no nutritional value, then why did the Neanderthals choose to gnaw on it?
Scientists speculate that they may have used their teeth as a "third hand" to hold objects. The wear and tear of the teeth found suggests that they used them much more often than just for food.
Women seem to have done this more often than men. This indicates a gender division of labor between individuals of the same group.
Caring for dental health
Neanderthals could also use wooden toothpicks to rub their teeth, as some species of monkeys do today. Toothpicks were used long before the appearance of the Neanderthals. Fossils from Georgia, which date back to 1.8 million years, show that Homo erectus with gum disease also used them.
An alternative suggestion might be that the coniferous tree was used as a medicine. The resin of conifers is known to have antibacterial properties. It also hints at the intelligence and ingenuity of the ancient people.
Comparison of the teeth of Neanderthals and modern humans
But the teeth of Neanderthals can also tell us something about their relationship with each other. Scientists have compared them to the teeth of human hunter-gatherers with a similar diet, as well as dozens of orangutans, chimpanzees, and baboons.
The study found that the teeth of modern humans were much worse. The Neanderthals were able to keep them for much longer, and there were fewer cavities in them. This runs counter to previous research, which suggested that some Neanderthals may have lived long after losing virtually all of their teeth. Ironically, the fact that Neanderthals had good teeth puts them in a negative light.
Caring for the sick and disabled
Teeth are a very important component of how your body breaks down food. If you lose them, you can no longer eat normally. Therefore, it has been suggested that other Neanderthals rubbed food for those who lost their teeth. This is evidence that disabled people have been cared for. In other words, the toothless Neanderthals are proof of their compassion. However, if they managed to keep their teeth to death, this does not support the idea that Neanderthals were compassionate people who looked after the sick. The argument also looks weak when you consider that they ate soft plant foods and seafood so they could have survived without meat.
This does not mean that the Neanderthals did not care for the sick, it is just that the teeth cannot be used as an argument that proves that they did. All in all, it's amazing how much information you can get from multiple teeth.
Anna Pismenna