Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, United Kingdom.
J Hum Evol. 2010 Nov;59(5):493-503. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.06.004. Epub 2010 Sep 9.
In 1995-1996 two isolated hominin lower incisors were found at the middle Pleistocene site of Boxgrove in England, with Lower Palaeolithic archaeology. Boxgrove 2 is a permanent lower right central incisor and Boxgrove 3 a permanent lower left lateral incisor. They were found separately, but close to one another and appear to belong to the same individual. The Boxgrove 1 tibia discovered in 1993 came from a different stratigraphic context and is thus believed to represent a different individual. This paper describes the morphology of the incisors, which is similar to other middle Pleistocene hominin specimens and, as with the tibia, suggests that they could be assigned to Homo heidelbergensis (recognising that the taxonomic status of this species is still a matter of debate). The incisors show substantial attrition associated with secondary dentine deposition in the pulp chamber and clearly represent an adult. They also show extensive patterns of non-masticatory scratches on the labial surfaces of both crown and root, including some marks which may have been made postmortem. The roots were exposed in life on their labial sides by a large dehiscence, extending almost to the root apex. This is demonstrated by deposits of calculus, polishing, and scratching on the exposed surfaces. The dehiscence may have been caused by repeated trauma to the gingivae or remodelling of the tooth-supporting tissues in response to large forces applied to the front of the dentition.
1995-1996 年，在英格兰中更新世博克斯格罗夫（Boxgrove）遗址发现了两颗孤立的人类下切牙，伴有旧石器时代早期的考古学证据。博克斯格罗夫 2 号是右下恒中切牙，博克斯格罗夫 3 号是左下恒侧切牙。它们是分开发现的，但彼此靠近，似乎属于同一个个体。1993 年发现的博克斯格罗夫 1 号胫骨来自于不同的地层环境，因此被认为代表了不同的个体。本文描述了切牙的形态，它与其他中更新世人类标本相似，与胫骨一样，表明它们可能属于海德堡人（认识到该物种的分类地位仍然存在争议）。这些切牙显示出与牙髓腔中继发性牙本质沉积相关的大量磨损，显然代表了成年人。它们还在冠和根的唇面显示出广泛的非咀嚼性划痕模式，包括一些可能是死后造成的痕迹。在生命中，由于唇侧的大裂隙，牙齿的根部暴露在外，几乎延伸到根尖。这可以通过在暴露表面上的牙石、抛光和划痕沉积来证明。裂隙可能是由于牙龈反复受到创伤，或者是为了应对施加在前牙上的大力量而对牙齿支持组织进行的重塑造成的。
