Metric dental change in the European upper paleolithic and mesolithic.

Evolutionary trends for dental reduction are presented for European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic samples. The analysis demonstrates that the greatest decrease in tooth size occurs between the two divisions of the Upper Paleolithic, while little and insignificant change characterizes the Late Upper Paleolithic/Mesolithic transition. Trends for tooth size over this period indicate that (1) human evolution does not stop with the appearance of "anatomically modern Homo sapiens," (2) changes in tooth size fluctuate with increases in the efficiency and complexity of cultural systems, and (3) the Early Upper Paleolithic sample should be considered transitional between Wurm II European Neanderthals and later Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic groups.