Tooth cementum annulation: Confounding difficulties remain when inferring life 
history parameters from archeological tooth samples

Edinborough, Marija; Djotunovic, Ilinka; Edinborough, Kevan

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2021.105417

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Tooth cementum annulation: Confounding difficulties remain when inferring life history parameters from archeological tooth samples

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Djotunovic, Ilinka
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Edinborough, M., Djotunovic, I., & Edinborough, K. (2021). Tooth cementum annulation: Confounding difficulties remain when inferring life history parameters from archeological tooth samples. JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 134: 105417. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2021.105417.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0009-5445-B

Abstract

The ability to detect pregnancies from archeological human teeth using Tooth Cementum Annulation (TCA) method continues to challenge bioarcheologists. We discuss the serious methodological limitations of the TCA technique when applied to studying fertility in the past. This discussion is prompted by a recent publication on these two topics (see Penezic ' et al., 2020) which we argue suffers from fundamental factual and methodological flaws. We suggest the claims made in that paper lack the level of supporting evidence required. We conclude that many serious published confounding difficulties exist and must be accounted for by researchers wishing to infer most life history parameters, especially fertility related ones, from archeological samples.