Bioarcheological Insights From Fragmented Remains: Using Dental Health to Understand the Punic Necropolis of Monte Luna

Abstract

ABSTRACT To investigate oral health in the fragmented human remains from the Punic necropolis of Monte Luna, Sardinia, and evaluate what dental pathologies reveal about lifeways and diet. Human remains from 227 individuals recovered from 70 tombs were analyzed, including 21 females, 16 males (> 15 years), and 59 non‐adults (1–15 years). The sample comprised 2362 teeth. Caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), and periapical lesions were recorded and compared by sex and age. Caries prevalence was low but increased with age. In sexed individuals, males showed an age‐related increase in caries, whereas females exhibited caries across all age groups and higher AMTL rates in older adulthood. Oral health patterns are consistent with agro‐pastoral and coastal subsistence practices and reflect dietary traditions shaped by the environmental and cultural context of Punic Sardinia. This study presents the first comprehensive bioarcheological assessment of oral health in a Punic Sardinian population, providing insights into age‐ and sex‐related variation in dental disease. Interpretation of age‐ and sex‐related patterns was limited by small sample sizes and the fragmented nature of the skeletal assemblage. Analysis of additional Sardinian assemblages, combined with stable isotope, dental microwear, proteomic, and developmental stress marker studies, could further clarify long‐term health and dietary change.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2026 · DOI ↗