Fig 1.
The Altamura specimen lies in a corner of this small chamber, mostly embedded in calcareous formations and covered by calcite layers and coralloid deposits.
Fig 2.
a) the cranium lies on its vault, embedded between two large calcareous formations (green arrows), while the mandible is in front of the cranium, slightly to its right (red arrow). b) The mandible lies upside down above other bones and the right femur (blue arrow) rests on it, covering the anterior part of the body and the mandibular symphysis.
Fig 3.
Ante-Mortem Tooth Loss (AMTL).
a) Maxillary right hemiarch with (from above): M1, P4, C’, I2; between P4 and C’ there is a space with the remnants of the socket of RP3; the space left in the tooth row by the tooth loss is reduced by the relative drift of adjacent teeth. b) Socket of LM1 with a well-defined space for three roots; there are no evident marks of bone resorption. We cannot exclude the possibility of a post-mortem tooth loss, but the position of the skull makes this hypothesis unlikely.
Table 1.
Occurrence of AMTL in Neanderthals.
In the AMTL column the first number is the minimum (of only definitive cases) and the second number is the maximum (including probable cases).
Fig 4.
Root exposure on lower left molars.
Left ramus of the mandible with (from the left): M2, M1, P4, P3, C,. The calcite layer covering teeth and bone prevents observation of the morphology of the alveolar bone. Despite the absence of clear marks of periodontal disease, there is evidence of root exposure of several millimeters.
Fig 5.
Dental calculus and taurodontism.
On the lower right molars, as well on other teeth, dental calculus is present below the CEJ (red arrow). The position of the root furcation in RM1 is at about half of the tooth height and can thus be classified as hypotaurodont, following [20].
Fig 6.
a) The curve of Spee joins the cusp tips of the posterior teeth in lateral view. b) The curve of Wilson joins the cusp tips of each molar pair in frontal view (modified from [33]). Since the slope of the curves change as dental wear advances, observation of their status can be useful to assign an age range for the fossil.
Fig 7.
Curve of Wilson in the Altamura Neanderthal.
a) Edited picture of the maxillary dental arcade from a posterior view. b) The tilting of the occlusal planes reveals an inverted curve of Wilson in the M1s and M2s and a normal curve in the M3s. This suggests that the individual was adult, but not elderly.
Fig 8.
View of the maxillary dental arch and palate. The well-marked bony exostosis on the median palatine suture of the Altamura Neanderthal can be scored as a grade 3 torus [36]. This is the first well-documented case of palatine torus in Neanderthals.
Table 2.
Occurrence of palatine torus in the genus Homo.
Fossil specimens of the genus Homo in which a palatine torus has been described.
Fig 9.
In the posterior part of the mandible (right side shown in the picture), there is a wide space distal to M3, a trait characteristic of the Neanderthal lineage.
Fig 10.
a) X-ray image of the upper right incisors, showing a void at the apex of the right I2 root. b) The superimposed graphic helps in identifying the outline of the tooth (yellow) and the periapical void (red), here interpreted as a lesion.
Table 3.
Occurrence of periapical lesions in Neanderthals.
All the lesions reported here resulted in an abscess, except that from Palomas identified by means of X-rays [59].
Fig 11.
Post-Mortem Tooth Loss (PMTL) in the mandible.
The upside-down position of the mandible may have facilitated PMTL of LI1, LI2, RI1 and RP3. The red arrow points to RI2, partially dislodged from its socket and sustained by a rib below the mandible.