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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

No worries! Discussion is half the fun! I agree, you can definitely get wear on the cheek teeth from working textiles and other materials. The weird thing about the Pavlovian "labret" wear is that it isn't on the chewing surfaces where the wear from working materials like textiles is often found.

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Thank you! A supplement (no paywall) and the main article have a lot of discussion of labret use in bioarchaeological, clinical, and ethnohistoric cases. Unfortunately, few papers systematically describe it. I tried to get all that info in one place to make comparisons easier in the future.

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

A few pages addressed other behaviors (teeth as tools) but they were not convincing for cheek surface wear. In previous work, I did show that the front teeth of some Pavlovians were used as "tools" to work things like hide. This was also a conclusion of previous research by Hillson and Vlcek.

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

One of my favorite teeth as tools articles! However, all the dental wear in this article is limited to the front of the mouth and not the cheek teeth. The first author, GR Scott, was cited as a personal communication for providing comparative labret wear photos from Alaska that I used.

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Totally correct! Not a true OA article. Unfortunately, OA funding for 2025 was not available in Portugal until after the article was accepted. Anyone can read the full article here though: rdcu.be/d7iFG. The articles you highlight out are great as well!

rdcu.be

Probable Use of Labrets Among the Mid Upper Paleolithic Pavlovian Peoples of Central Europe

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Reposted by John C Willman

Universidade de Coimbra @ucoimbra.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

👩‍🦰👨‍🦰 Os povos recolectores do Paleolítico Superior na Europa Central podem ter sido pioneiros na modificação corporal permanente, utilizando piercings faciais conhecidos como “labrets”. A conclusão é de um estudo do Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde da FCTUC. #UCoimbra

noticias.uc.pt

Descoberta revela possível uso de piercings faciais no Paleolítico Superior

O trabalho sugere que os pavlovianos, que viveram há mais de 25 mil anos, podem ter sido pioneiros na modificação corporal permanente, utilizando piercings faciais conhecidos como “labrets”.

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Reposted by John C Willman

Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

🏺🧪🦣 Immensely interesting new, detailed and OA study suggesting cultural cheek piercing - like B in the image here, but one sided & potentially progressively enlarged from adolescence onwards - in a European 'Ice Age' culture 31.5-29.5 ka BP

Figure from paper showing potential ways labrets can be done, and a stylised image of a labret with large flange.

Image from paper showing progressive wear facets on cheek teeth as individuals aged

Text: "Whether or not the labret hypothesis finds support through future research and discoveries, the buccal facets represent a physical manifestation of widespread Pavlovian behavior(s) marking lived experience. With Pavlovian material culture and archaeological signatures of their behaviors, Pettitt (2022) suggested that "Everything was busily expressing Pavlovian identity." The atypical buccal wear facets should also be considered as an embodied aspect of Pavlovian identity, and possibly, a rare example of a dynamic process of culturalization of the human body across a person's lifecourse (see d'Errico et al., 2023; Nowell & Cooke, 2021) during the Late Pleistocene. "

Text: "The above synthesis provides reason to hypothesize that the atypical buccal wear facets on the teeth of Pavlovian peoples are caused by labrets worn through buccal piercings. An evaluation of the patterning of facet prevalence by age suggests that the piercing of one cheek occurred in adolescence and the enlarging and/or addition of a second labret occurred later in life. Thus, cross-sectional analyses suggest that labret wear is the physical manifestation of the dynamic
transformation of social identities throughout the lifetime. "

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Have a interesting project involving the study of human teeth? Want to present it at the EAA in Belgrade? Consider our session and message if you need more details!

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

If you want to read up on intentional body modification in the Upper Paleolithic for #FossilFriday here's a link to the newest work on probable use of labrets (facial piercings) among Pavlovian foragers from Central Europe: rdcu.be/d7iFG

rdcu.be

Probable Use of Labrets Among the Mid Upper Paleolithic Pavlovian Peoples of Central Europe

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John C Willman @johncwillman.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

I'm happy to know it will appear in some classrooms! Thanks!

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