Oral pathological conditions of an Early Epipaleolithic human from Southwest Asia: Ohalo II H2 as a probable case of intentional dental ablation.

Objective: To describe the oral pathological conditions of Ohalo II H2, an Early Epipaleolithic human from southwest Asia.

Materials: The dentognathic skeleton of Ohalo II H2 and relevant comparative data from similar chronological and/or geographic contexts.

Methods: Gross and x-ray observations of oral pathological conditions and occlusal wear were made following published protocols. A differential diagnosis of antemortem tooth loss is provided.

Results: Ohalo 2 has two carious lesions on the right M, pulpal exposure of left M, and mild to moderate anterior alveolar bone loss. The right I was lost antemortem, and there is probably agenesis of the left M.

Conclusions: The pathological conditions noted are not exceptional for a Late Upper Paleolithic forager. However, the antemortem missing right I is most parsimoniously explained by intentional dental ablation.

Significance: Ohalo 2 could represent the oldest example of dental ablation from the Late Pleistocene circum-Mediterranean world - predating the earliest examples from both North Africa and southwest Asia by several thousand years. The similarity of the Ohalo 2 ablation pattern with later Natufians provides further evidence of potential long-term behavioral trends related to the embodiment of social identities through international body modification within the Epipaleolithic of southwest Asia.

Limitations: The pre-Natufian (∼23,000-14,500 cal BP) human fossil record is relatively sparse, making comparisons with the Natufian (∼14,500-11,500 cal BP) phases of the Epipaleolithic difficult.

Suggestions For Further Research: Documentation of oral pathological conditions for other pre-Natufian fossils would provide greater resolution of the temporospatial patterning of oral health and embodied social identities during the Epipaleolithic of southwest Asia.