The Kourion Hook Incisor: a new nonmetric dental trait

The Kourion Hook Incisor: a new nonmetric dental trait

Excavations at the Kourion Amathus Gate Cemetery (KAGC) in Cyprus, conducted by Danielle Parks between 1995 and 2000, identified twenty-two cist graves dated between the 4th – 6th century A.D. representing a mixture of Christian and pagan burial practices (Given et al. forthcoming). Preliminary analysis of the human remains from the cist tombs revealed a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 79, comprising both adults and subadults (Parks & Chapman, 1999).

A detailed bioarchaeological analysis of the comingled remains from KAGC has commenced. The work includes an analysis of the dental nonmetric traits to investigate population connections in the region. During the analysis a previously unrecognised nonmetric dental trait was identified. An analysis of 959 permanent teeth lead to the identification of the “Kourion Hook Incisor” in 26 incisors (central and lateral). The “Kourion Hook” trait has been first identified on the island of Cyprus and the high prevalence of the trait suggests that it may be population or region-specific.

Broadly, the goal of dental morphological analysis is to improve the understanding of population relationships at both large and small scales, at both global and more regional levels (Edgar & Ousley, 2013; Willermet et al., 2013). The identification and then analysis of previously unidentified nonmetric traits in populations will strengthen this tool. With the identification of the Kourion Hook incisor we hope that other researchers will include this trait in their work so a stronger understanding of this prevalence of this trait, both temporally and geographically, can be gained strengthening our understandings of population connections.

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