Settling the Score: A Comparative Mesowear Analysis Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods on Capra aegagrus Teeth

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The study of mesowear on ungulate teeth is a useful tool for reconstructing environmental conditions. The method has seen several improvements over the past decade, resulting in its increased applicability to a greater number of species and dental elements as well as the development of fine-tuned digital measuring techniques. Recent mesowear studies have attempted to quantify the method to address concerns of subjectivity, research bias, and replicability with the original scoring method. This prompts questions about which application of the method is “better,” if this distinction is meaningful, and which application more accurately depicts paleoenvironmental signals. In this study, I assess two mesowear methods: the traditional scoring method devised and improved upon by Fortelius et al. and the more quantitative measuring method proposed by Jiménez-Manchón et al. by applying them to the wild goat assemblage from the Early Epipaleolithic site of Wadi Madamagh, Jordan. Although the quantitative method has been proposed to be more precise, it proved difficult to replicate, reducing its efficacy. Comparing the methods resulted in conflicting paleoenvironmental signals, which are addressed here.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40109.0