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Der Zahn der Zeit. Mensch und Kultur im Spiegel interdisziplinärer Forschung. Festschrift für Kurt W. Alt
Publisher
Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt
Place of publication
Halle
Pages
181-184
ISSN/ISBN
9783944507811
Series title
Veröffentlichungen des Landesamts für Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt 77
Number
77
Keywords
Anodontia, Iron Age Settlement, Switzerland
Abstract
The Late La Tène site of Basel-Gasfabrik, Canton of Basel-Stadt (Switzerland), has yielded numerous human skeletal remains both from two cemeteries and the settlement itself. A group of infants, all of whom were discovered in settlement features, lack all teeth. Anodontia represents a very rare anomaly (frequency <0.01 %) that may be caused by genetic or environmental factors (pathogens, noxious substances). Neither the osteological nor subsequent archaeometric analysis (aDNA, NAA) shed any light on the conspicuous occurrence of anodontia among the infants. Valid insights on the observed phenomenon can only be achieved by a multidisciplinary integrative approach.
