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Human dental microwear caused by calcium oxalate phytoliths in prehistoric diet of the lower Pecos region, Texas

✍ Scribed by Danielson, Dennis R; Reinhard, Karl J.

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
Year: 1998
Tongue: English
Weight: 130 KB
Volume: 107
Category: Article
ISSN: 0002-9483
DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199811)107:3<297::aid-ajpa6>3.0.co;2-m

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✦ Synopsis

Recent research demonstrates that silica phytoliths of dietary origin are associated with microwear of human teeth. Previous research has shown that severe enamel microwear and dental wear characterizes Archaic hunter-gatherers in the lower Pecos region of west Texas. Calcium oxalate crystals are especially common in Archaic coprolites. The vast majority are derived from prickly pear and agave, which were the dietary staples in west Texas for 6,000 years. The calcium oxalate phytoliths are harder than enamel. Therefore, calcium oxalate crystals are the most likely source of previously documented dental microwear and wear in the lower Pecos region.

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Production of oxalates In Vitro by Microbes Isolated from Rock Surfaces with prehistoric paints in the Lower Pecos Region, Texas

✍ Darren Hess; Dana Jo Coker; Jeannette M. Loutsch; Jon Russ 📂 Article 📅 2007 🏛 John Wiley and Sons 🌐 English ⚖ 566 KB

## Abstract Calcium oxalate‐rich rock coatings are ubiquitous on limestone inside dry rock shelters and under bluff overhangs along canyon walls in southwestern Texas. Prehistoric pictographs occur in more than 250 such sites, and the ancient paints are encapsulated within the natural rock coating.