THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PALAEODONTOLOGY IN REVEALING THE PALAEODEMOGRAPHY OF ANCIENT EGYPT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/1013-8471/3442Abstract
Palaeodemography, the means of amassing information from the teeth of the general population, is addressed in this study. Palaeodemography deals with the social characteristics of an ancient population and their development through time, in essence, the lifestyle of a population. The analysis and interpretation of dental data provided by the archaeologist’s discovery of human remains, specifically dental remains, will throw light on settlement history, palaeodemography and kinship. The internal shifts and strains caused by population migration are vital for understanding the social lifestyle of ancient Egypt. To determine the age at death of individuals, dental wear is but one of the changes that occurs in the process of natural aging and provides one of the most accurate means to determine the age of an individual. The population’s health and disease issues are measured by hypoplastic markings in teeth and even sex physiognomics are locked in teeth. Modern technology, in the form of x-rays, has invaluable prominence in the research of mummified and skeletal human dental remains. Non-invasive procedures in examination of bioarchaeological remains have become all important to preserve data for future research.
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