UDC 572

ONCE AGAIN ABOUT THE TEETH FROM THE SELUNGUR CAVE*

Six teeth from the Selungur Paleolithic cave site (South Ferghana)were examined: three upper incisors and three lower premolars. For comparison, data on the tooth morphology of ancient hominins from the genus Homo and modern humans are presented. The metrical and descriptive parameters of the teeth found indicate that they belong to two or three individuals who lived more than 1 million years ago. Comparative analysis shows that at that time the Selungur cave was inhabited by people of the anthropological type belonging to the eastern branch of Homo erectus. This is indicated by the specific ratio of _premolarP4_P3), as well as the general similarity with the size of the teeth of Homo erectus pekinensis. The deviations from the forms known in modern humans observed on Tungur teeth are analogous in the materials on fossil hominin groups and cannot serve as a basis for denying that the studied series belongs to the genus Homo.

Key words: odontology, anthropogenesis, Paleolithic, Central Asia.

Introduction

Studies of the Paleolithic site of Selungur (Uzbekistan, Ferghana Valley) were started in 1980 by Ud. The Islamists were given a rich archaeological material, which was of fundamental importance, since this is the first Acheulean monument discovered in Central Asia. Currently, archaeologists refer the oldest finds from the Selungur cave to the Early Pleistocene (absolute date-1.15-1.0 million years AGO) [Islamov and Krakhmal, 1995]. Along with the stone tools, six teeth of moderate preservation were found, which, of course, are of great interest in connection with questions about the settlement of this region by ancient hominins. The teeth were examined from an anthropological point of view, based on the assumption that they belonged to some ancient representatives of the genus Homo. The data were published in [Islamov, Zubov, Kharitonov, 1988]. The need to return to the study of teeth from the Selungur cave is primarily due to the fact that the article needs to be supplemented, since after its publication, a lot of illustrative material appeared in print. In addition, some zoologists have doubts about the belonging of this find to representatives of the genusHomo (in particular, it was even suggested orally that these are the teeth of a deer or bear). This article presents a new description of the teeth from the Selungur cave with an emphasis on comparative analysis and consideration of facts proving their belonging to the genus Homo.

Materials and methods

The series of teeth from the Selungur cave includes: N 1-right upper central incisor (I ¹ d); N 2-right upper central incisor (I ¹ d); N 3-second left upper lateral incisor (I ² s); N 4-first left lower premolar (P ₃ s); N 5 - first right lower premolar (P ₃ d); N 6-second right lower premolar (P ₄ d). Compared to the 1988 publication.

* This work was supported by the RAS Presidium's Basic Research program "Origin and Evolution of the Biosphere (subprogram 2)" and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 09 - 06 - 00114a).

Table 1. Dimensions of human teeth from the Selungur cave, mm

Table 2. Comparative data on the size of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens teeth, mm

the numbering of teeth has been changed for greater convenience. In addition, a paleontological system of designating premolars was introduced: _P3 instead of P and _P4 instead of P, as is customary in modern paleoanthropological studies. All dimensions related to the synanthropus (Homo erectus pekinensis) are given according to the work of F. Weidenreich (1937). Data on Neanderthals are taken from an article by D. V. Frayer (1977). The average values and range of variability in the size of modern human teeth are given according to the work of A. A. Zubov and N. I. Khaldeyeva [1993]. Measurement data on teeth from the Selungur cave are presented in Table 1, and comparative material is presented in Table 2.

Research results

N 1 (Fig. 1). A small upper right central incisor with a crown erased on the vestibular side at V height, and on the lingual side - almost to the neck. The root is broken, so that the full height of the tooth cannot be measured. The mesial part of the crown is damaged (obviously, during relatively recent transportation), but the value of the mesiodistal diameter (8.8 mm + X) can be taken from the work of 1988. Taking into account the assumed values, we can conclude without much error that the mdcor of the cutter was in the range of 9.0-10.0 mm. This value is close to the corresponding size of this tooth in Homo sapiens (8.8 ±1.8 mm). In Homo erectus et neanderthalensis, it is larger (on average, 10.3 mm), but it should not be forgotten that the incisor under consideration belonged to a female individual, and the female teeth of a synanthropus (by definition, f. Weidenreich) had significantly smaller dimensions compared to the given average (there are specimens whose MD cor is 9.8 (N 2) and 9.9 (N 1) mm). The erased female sinanthropus tooth N 53 (MD cor = 7.2 mm) is even smaller in mesiodistal diameter than the incisor N 1 from the Selungur cave.

The value of the vestibulolingual crown diameter (6.8 mm + X) of the described tooth is within the range of variability of this indicator in Homo sapiens (7.0 ± 0.84), but less than in Homo erectus (synanthropus N 3 - 7.5 mm, N 2-7.9 mm), but this is undoubtedly due to the nature of cervical wear parts of the incisor crown from the Selungur cave: the lingual tubercle area was erased to dentine, so that the enamel part of the crown, which was part of the VL cor when measured, was "cut off".

Thus, we can conclude that the tooth in question belongs to a hominid from the genus Homo (its ancient form). Measuring devices

Fig. 1. Upper central incisor N 1 in four norms.

2. Upper central incisor N 2 in four norms.

The data suggest that this is the incisor of a maturus-aged woman (35-40 years).

N 2 (Fig. 2). A very large upper central incisor with a severely damaged crown, the vestibular surface of which is damaged so much that measuring the vestibulolinguistic diameter does not make sense. The mesiodistal diameter is large (10.1 mm + X), but still does not exceed the range of variability of this size in modern humans, approaching the average MD cor value in Synanthropus and Neanderthal (10.3 mm). The very large length (height) of the tooth (Ht) - 30.0 mm + X is striking. It exceeds the upper limit (+3S) of the range of variability of this size in modern humans (22.7 ± 5.4 mm). This circumstance could give rise to doubts about whether tooth No. 2 belongs to a person. However, we should not forget that we must compare the people from the Selungur cave with the ancient representatives of the genus Homo, which are different species in relation to Homo sapiens. There are no reliable measurement data on the average Ht value of the central upper incisor in Homo erectus pekinensis, but it is possible to form a fairly correct idea of this size based on the characteristics of the upper lateral incisor: on average, Ht = 28.8 mm. If you look at the photograph of the skull of the archanthropus Jingnyushan (China) [Kucera, 1996, p. 51], first of all, the huge height of the central incisor, which exceeds the height of the orbit and the width of the pear-shaped opening (i.e., obviously more than 30 mm), attracts attention. Among the Neanderthal teeth (Parte, 1962), we find the central upper incisors, whose total height reaches 35.5 mm with average values of 31.0 (Krapina) and 30.5 (Eringsdorf) mm. Thus, there is no doubt that the overall dimensions of the N2 tooth from the Selungur cave fully correspond to the parameters of the teeth of fossil hominins.

In the middle of the cutting edge of the described incisor, there is a slight elevation along the ridge of the lingual surface, starting at the lingual tubercle. Modern humans have two or more such formations, and all of them are usually quite weakly expressed. The presence of one strongly developed "median" ridge of the central upper incisor, according to my observations, is a rare phenomenon, although in the album f. Weidenreich's drawing of a modern incisor with this morphological feature is placed [Weidenreich, 1937, pi. 1, fig. 5]. In ancient humans, including even early Sapiens, the presence of a" median " crest is more common. I will give, for example, a description of the morphology of the first upper incisor from the Upper Paleolithic Sungir 2 skull: "One massive median ridge stretches across the entire lingual surface, starting at the lingual tubercle and disappearing in the middle of the cutting edge. This feature can be considered very archaic" [Zubov, 2000, p. 261]. The ancient, archaic character of this morphological detail for the genus Homo is confirmed by the fact that it is observed on the teeth of Homo erectus (see, for example, [Weidenreich, 1937, pi. 1, fig. 1, 4]), as well as on the skull of early Homo erectus (ergaster) from Kenya Nariokotome III (KNM-WT 15000).

A specialist in the morphology of modern human teeth will immediately draw attention to the unusual shape of the crown of incisor No. 2 from the Selungur cave: the divergence of the side walls almost directly from the neck (if the tooth is observed in the lingual norm), which is rarely expressed to such an extent on modern human teeth. However, the fossil record provides examples of similar variants in ancient humans, in particular, in Homo erectus. For example, the central incisor in the skull of D2700 from Dmanisi can serve as a good illustration (Rightmire, Lordkipanidze, Vekua, 2006, p. 124-126, fig. 3,4). On the central upper incisors of the above-mentioned early Homo erectus (ergaster) In Nariokotome III, the median ridge is also strongly developed. The erasure of the crown of tooth N2, of course, could serve as a basis for the assumption that the true value of MD cor in this form of the crown was significantly higher than the measurement showed, and higher than the indicators of the genus Homo. However, the better-preserved D2700 skull incisor, whose mesiodistal diameter is 12.6 mm (!), which is far beyond the upper limit (+3S) of the range of variations in modern humans (10.7 mm), still does not give reason to exclude the Dmanisi hominid from the genus Homo. A similar crown structure with strongly divergent edges is also observed on Neanderthal teeth (Patte, 1962, p. 302, fig. 3,7). Thus, there is no doubt that the chisel No. 2 from the Selungur cave belonged to an ancient man, a male of the age of maturus (approximately 35-40 years old, taking into account the epoch). The same age is indicated by the radiograph (Fig. 3), which can be used to judge the average degree of caen obliteration-

3. X-ray images of teeth from the Selungur cave (according to: Islamov, Zubov, Kharitonov, 1988).

4. Lateral upper incisor N 3 in four norms.

5. Upper jaw of a synanthropus. Bending of incisor roots [Weidenreich, 1937, p. 73, fig. 345].

fishing of the described incisor and other teeth from the Selungur cave (Islamov, Zubov, Kharitonov, 1988, p. 44).

The presence of two incisors of the same name (right upper central incisors) in the series under consideration indicates that the material under study includes the teeth of at least two individuals.

4). Upper lateral left incisor with a long curved root, which, at first glance, clearly distinguishes the described specimen from the corresponding teeth of modern humans. The total height of the incisor is very large (28.4 mm) and goes beyond the range of variability of this indicator in modern humans (21.8 ± 4.8 mm). However, according to F. Weidenreich (1937, p. 54), the average length (height) of the upper lateral incisor in Synanthropus was 28.8 mm. Such a coincidence of the size characteristics of the man from the Selungur cave and Homo erectus deserves attention. The crown of the tooth in question is naturally narrower than that of the adjacent central incisor, with a mesiodistal diameter of 7.4 +X mm. This is more than the value calculated for Homo sapiens (6.7 ± 1.14 mm), but less than that of Synanthropus (8.3 mm). Taking into account the significant wear of the crown, we can conclude that the MD cor of tooth N3 was close to the values characteristic of Homo erectus.

The vestibulolingual diameter of the crown of the described incisor (7.3 mm) is almost equal to the mesiodistal diameter and corresponds to the full size, which can be judged by the preserved enamel area in the cervical third of the crown, where VL cor is measured. The close-to-circular cross-section of the N3 tooth crown is also characteristic of synanthropic teeth (8.3 × 8.2 mm). In the morphology of the crown, a pronounced convexity of the vestibular surface can be noted - a score of 3 on the Nichol-Turner-Dahlberg scale (Nichol, Turner, Dahlberg, 1983). This feature is also observed on the teeth of the synanthropus in the above-mentioned work by F. Weidenreich.

The root of the incisor N 3 is less flattened in the mesiodistal direction than in modern humans. In accordance with the very large Ht value, the root has an unusual length for modern teeth and is strongly curved in the distal and lingual directions, which even causes, at first glance, doubts about whether the tooth belongs to a representative of the genus Homo. However, the above data comparing the total height of the lateral incisors in a synanthrope and an individual from the Selungur cave remove possible objections in this regard. As for the root bend, it is largely due to the overall length, as well as alveolar prognathism. In the drawing from the atlas of F. It can be seen how strongly the bending of the upper incisors and canines in Homo erectus is associated with alveolar prognathism with a large root length (Fig.

Attention should be paid to the well-defined feature on tooth No. 3 and some other specimens from the Selungur series, which has long caused controversy among anthropologists and dentists. We are talking about a deep groove in the neck area on the mesial side, as if cut by some small, round object (branch, splinter, bone). In the English-language literature, this feature is called "toothpick groove" ("toothpick groove");

6. Sulcus cervicalis on the molars of synanthropus N 38 (Weidenreich, 1937, p. 35, fig. 142).

7. The first lower left premolar N 4 in four norms.

a more rigorous scientific term is "sulcus cervicalis". In the atlas of F. This phenomenon can be seen on the molars of Synanthropus N 38 (Fig. 6). It has been repeatedly observed by researchers on the teeth of a fossil human of the Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene age (Atapuerca SH, Krapina) and has not yet received a generally accepted explanation. There have been attempts to interpret this phenomenon as a type of hypoplasia or a consequence of chemical factors, but there has always been a hypothesis of the connection of the observed defects of the neck of the teeth with the daily activities of a person who used certain objects made of wood and bone to clean the gaps between the teeth from food residues. Currently, this point of view, judging by the literature, is predominant. A relatively recent publication describing the teeth of a Middle Pleistocene human from Bau de l'aubesier (France) contains a photograph of the mesial surface of the molar, on the neck of which the considered trait is clearly visible [Lebel and Trinkaus, 2002, p. 665], similar in localization and shape to that on the teeth from the Selungur cave. In a special section on sulcus cervicalis, the authors conclude:: "The shape and position of the Ape 10 furrow can best be interpreted as an intravital interproximal incision (or non-carious cervical lesion due to erasure [Levitch et al., 1994] (see [Ungar et al., 2001]). The Monkey 10 sample thus demonstrates a certain level of dental hygiene" [Ibid], i.e. modern researchers deny the connection of sulcus cervicalis with any manifestations of dental pathology and interpret it as a cultural phenomenon associated with the daily life of ancient man. This leads to an important conclusion: the described phenomenon confirms that the set of teeth from the Selungur cave belongs to hominins from the genus Homo.

Strong obliteration of the lingual surface of tooth No. 3 does not allow us to assess the development of such signs as the spatulate shape of the crown and the structure of the lingual tubercle. It should be noted that the pattern of erasure - the slope of the wear area in the lingual direction up to the cervical third of the crown-practically repeats the pattern observed on specimen No. 2. This, as well as the similarity of the overall size (Ht value) and the degree of wear of the crowns, suggests that both teeth belong to the same individual.

The bend of the enamel-cement border line on incisor No. 3 is more pronounced on the distal side than in modern humans; on the mesial side, this feature cannot be evaluated, since sulcus cervicalis cuts the neck deeply there.

Radiograph (see Fig. 3) allows us to state a small volume of the crown and root cavity, without a visible tendency to tau-rodontism (as in all teeth of the Selungur series).

At the apex of the root (apex radicis), there is a slightly increased cement deposition (hypercementosis) compared to the teeth of modern humans. This phenomenon was observed even more strongly in the teeth of a Neanderthal from Montsempron (Schoch, 1974).

N 4 (Fig. 7). The first left lower premolar, which is large on the scale of a modern human, has a massive crown and one thick curved root. The total height (length) of the tooth, equal to 25.7 +X Mm, is very close to the average Ht value of the corresponding synanthropic premolar (25.1 mm) and significantly exceeds the value of this indicator in modern humans (21.3 ± 4.35 mm). The mesiodistal diameter of the crown is 8.2 + X mm, which, given the erasure, can be regarded as a close similarity to the synanthropic teeth of the same name (8.7 mm). In modern humans, MD cor P ₃ is 7.0 ± 1.2 mm. The vestibulolinguistic diameter of the crown is 10.2 mm, which almost coincides with the average value of this parameter in a synanthropist (10.0 mm). In modern humans, it is much smaller (7.8 ± 0.96 mm). The chewing surface of the crown presumably had two bumps, the structure of which cannot be distinguished due to severe abrasion. We can only trace the course of the main ridge connecting the protoconid and metaconid, and conclude that the metaconid was located mesial to the protoconid. The same topography of tubercles

8. Bending of the vestibular contour of the root of the first lower premolar of synanthropus N 21 [Weidenreich, 1937, p. 23, fig. 87].

9. The first lower right premolar N 5 in four norms.

trigonide on the lower premolars is recorded in a series of Atapuerca TD6 (metaconide ahead of protoconide) [Bermudez de Castro, Rosas, and Nicolas, 1999] and on some modern human teeth. The general shape of the crown in the occlusal norm is almost rectangular with rounded corners, as noted on the same-name teeth of Atapuerca TD6 [Ibid]. However, it is clear that it was partly formed during the erasure process: the vestibular part of the contour became more straight and acquired protruding angles due to wear of the mesiostylid and distostilid, the mesial edge of the crown straightened due to contact with the tooth located in front and the formation of an extended contact facet, the expansion of the talonid caused the contour to protrude in the dystolingual direction.

Morphological features of the tooth under consideration give a somewhat contradictory picture: the root bend clearly shows that the premolar is left, and the sign of curvature of the crown enamel - swelling of the enamel of the vestibular surface, usually located in the mesial part of the crown, rather indicates belonging to the right quadrant. I chose to define this tooth as the left one, relying, first, on a very clear sign of the root and, second, on a fairly reasonable assumption that the premolar is N 5 (see below) In relation to N4, it is an antagonist tooth originating from the right quadrant. It is safe to say that both teeth belong to the same individual.

A deep groove (sulcus cervicalis) is located in the neck of the premolar under consideration, similar to the one described above on the lateral incisor. The vestibular surface of the crown is convex and bounded by ridges ascending to the mesiostylid and distostylid. The tooth is single-root, which is also confirmed by an X-ray (see Fig. 3). This trait is rather typical of modern teeth and seems somewhat unexpected given the general archaic morphological complex and massiveness of the root system. However, the same is often observed in fossil teeth of Homo erectus (see, for example, [Weidenreich, 1937, fig. 87, 89]).

It is necessary to pay attention to the arc-shaped bend of the vestibular contour of the root: in modern humans, this form is very rare. However, in the atlas of F. Weidenreich has an image of the first lower premolar of a synanthropus with exactly the same shape of the vestibular contour of the root (Fig. 8).By the way, in the same figure you can see shallow longitudinal grooves on the mesial and distal sides of the root, as on tooth No. 4 (Selungur). They are also found on the premolars of modern humans.

9). This specimen looks like a mirror image of the previous one and its supposed antagonist tooth, i.e., like the first lower right premolar. In terms of overall height, it is slightly smaller than the left one (Ht = 23.0 mm), which can be explained by minor differences in the degree of erasure of different parts of the crown or by the usual, natural asymmetry in the structure of the dental system. The mesiodistal diameter of the crown is 8.3 mm, the vestibulolingual diameter is 10.2 mm, i.e. the premolar N 5 does not differ from its left antagonist (N 4) in the two main dimensions of the crown, and all the above arguments about comparing the latter with the teeth of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens also apply to it. The ground part of the crown has a slope in the distal direction, forming an angle with the root axis. The lingual tubercle, judging by the contour of the chewing surface, is quite large and protruding (just like in tooth No. 4) in the lingual and dystolingual direction (talonid expansion). On the distal surface of the root, a rather deep longitudinal hollow is visible. In the cervical region, the sulcus cervicalis passes through the distal and partially lingual surfaces, which is slightly less pronounced than on the antagonist tooth. The area of enamel, dentin and cement on the mesial side is quite severely damaged, but this did not affect the value of the mesiodistal diameter, since the-

10. Second lower right premolar N 6 in four norms.

The latter was measured between the vestibular corners of the crown that protrude due to the strong development of mesiostylid and distostilid, which determined the largest size of MD cor. However, the damage affected the visual perception of the contour of the crown of the described tooth, the shape of which, at first glance, appears triangular.

Tooth No. 5, like the previous one, fits well into the system of measurement and descriptive characteristics of premolars of Homo erectus, but it differs significantly from the corresponding teeth of modern humans, which is striking even with a cursory examination of materials from the Selungur cave. Especially unusual (compared to modern teeth) look massive roots covered with a thick layer of cement.

N 6 (fig. 10). Second right lower premolar with a single root and a large crown. The quadrant to which the tooth belongs can be judged by the sharp deviation of the root in the distal direction. The sign of curvature of the crown enamel, as in the case of specimen N 4, gives a contradictory picture, so tooth N 6 is described here as P ₄ d. Its total height (24.7 + X mm) is close to the average Ht value of the corresponding synanthropic tooth (25.7 mm) and significantly higher than in modern humans (21.4 ± 4.44 mm).

The mesiodistal diameter of the premolar N 6 is 8.9 + X mm, i.e. it coincides with the average MD cor value of the synanthropic tooth of the same name (8.9 mm). The value of X in this case is determined practically only by the approximate erasure of the mesial part of the crown, on which an extended contact facet is observed. Judging by the drawing from the atlas of F. Weidenreich (see Fig. 8), the premolars of synanthropus also have a similar defect.

The vestibulolinguistic diameter of the N6 tooth is very large (11.1 mm) and far exceeds the upper limit (+3S) of the range of variability of this parameter in modern humans (8.2 ± 1.29 mm), but remains within the limits of variations in the genus Homo: in Synanthropus, the VL cor is on average 9.8 mm, and in the series of second lower premolars there are the dimensions are 11.0 and 11.1 mm, i.e. the tooth in question could easily fit into this series without being distinguished by the size of its crown. The absolute and relative size, as well as the shape of the crown of the second premolar, are of great importance for assessing its evolutionary and topographic status. Special studies are devoted to this tooth due to the special informative nature of its polymorphism, which reflects the dynamics of epochal variability from primitive to advanced forms (primitive-derived gradient) during the Pleistocene (Martinon-Torres et al., 2006). The plesiomorphic complex of traits _P4 is characterized by an asymmetric contour, mesial metaconide shift, talonide expansion, and a large chewing surface area. Reduction processes in the Pleistocene led to a gradual reduction in the occlusal area of the crown, a change in its shape up to the acquisition of an even rounded contour and a symmetrical central position of the metaconid. We now observe this form in Homo sapiens and consider it a characteristic feature that distinguishes it from the neighboring first premolar (Zubov, 2006). In the process of evolution in the direction of modern humans, the size of the lingual and dystolingual sections of the crown of the second premolar has sharply decreased, although the differentiation of the talonid with the allocation of additional elements-tubercles (molarization) has been preserved to some extent in this tooth, in contrast to P. The lower premolars of modern humans are characterized by a wide range of morphological variations, especially due to strong influence of morphogenetic fields of canines and molars. The latter circumstance forces us to consider the morphology of the lower premolars from the point of view of the ratio of molarization and caninization trends, which determine a significant and sometimes devoid of certain regularities range of interpopulation variability (Zubov and Khaldeyeva, 1993).

In Homo heidelbergensis et neanderthalensis, the plesiomorphic complex in the morphology of the lower premolars remained almost unchanged. In this regard, the ratios of sizes _P3 and _P4 in the series are of considerable interest. Let us first take as a basis for further discussion the tooth sizes of the oldest hominins: UR-501 (Kenya, Malawi rift, 2.3 Ma), D2735 (Dmanisi, 1.7 Ma), Homo ergaster KNM-WT 15,000 (Kenya, 1.5 Ma). Following the example of many modern authors, we use the indicator CCA (computed crown area) - "calculated crown area", equal to MD cor × VL cor and characterizing its overall dimensions. The values of this parameter for _P3 and _P4 in the Malawian jaw are 125.5 and 122.7, respectively (Bromage, Schrenk, and Zonneveld, 1995), and 100.1 in the Dmanisi specimen

and 67.7-72.2 (right and left quadrants) [Rightmire, Lordkipanidze, Vekua, 2006], in African Homo ergaster-98.2 and 93.8 [Bermudez de Castro, Rosas, Nicolas, 1999], i.e. in all cases _P3 > _P4. According to H. M. Bermudez de Castro, the tendency for the expansion of anterior teeth, including premolars, persists over time and determines the continuity between the oldest representatives of the genus Homo and Pleistocene hominins of Europe. Atapuerca TD6 premolars are also characterized by the type _P3 > _P4 (CSA is 93.3 and 83.6, respectively). The average values for Homo heidelbergensis are 72.8 and 66.4. In Neanderthals, they are almost equal: P 3 - 71.2; P 4-69.8. Against the background of the picture described above, the fact that Asian Homo erectus has the opposite type of lower premolar series, where _P4 > _P3: 94.0 and 84.7, respectively (based on materials from Zhoukoudian) deserves special attention [Ibid.]. According to the data from the work of F. A. Yushin, the number of lower premolars is quite different. The first and second lower premolars of synanthropus do not differ as sharply as shown above (_P4 - 87.2; P3 - 86.0), but the main trend of _P4 > P3 is still preserved. These differences are probably explained by the fact that some new materials on Homo erectus teeth were added in a 1999 article by Spanish authors. The lower premolars from the Selungur cave correspond quite clearly to the Asian Homo erectus type: _P3 - 84.7 (right side) and 83.6 (left side); _P4 - 98.8, i.e. _P4 > _P3.

The morphology of tooth No. 6 fully corresponds to the ancient, plesiomorphic form described above. The outline of the crown is asymmetrical, the area of the lingual part is large, and the pattern of talonid expansion is obvious. Despite the erasure, the preserved areas of the enamel of the chewing surface allow us to trace the course of the main ridge of the trigonide (probably epicristid) connecting the protoconide with the metaconide, and determine the relative location of these tubercles - the latter is shifted mesially relative to the former, which corresponds to the ancient, protomorphic model. Large contact facets on the mesial and distal sides indicate long-term functioning of the tooth in the jaw. The enamel-cement border is more curved on the mesial side than on the distal side. The inclination of the vestibular surface to the center of the crown is strongly pronounced, which is generally typical for the lower premolars. In the cervical third of the crown, there is a swelling of the enamel - a developed cingulum, especially characteristic of ancient specimens. The vestibular corners of the crown protrude in accordance with the position of the mesiostylid and distostilid. There are longitudinal grooves on the mesial and distal surfaces of the root. The curve of the vestibular contour of the root repeats the shape marked on premolars N 4 and 5, as well as on the teeth of Homo erectus. Despite the unusual (for modern teeth) appearance and large size of this specimen, there is no reason to exclude it, like all teeth of the Selungur series, from the range of forms typical of the genus Homo. There were no pathological changes, including carious lesions, in the studied series of teeth.

Conclusion

Repeated, more detailed morphological study of teeth from the Selungur cave (Uzbekistan), including metrical and descriptive analysis, with the use of new comparative materials from foreign literature sources, using additional criteria for assessing the evolutionary and taxonomic level of odontological indicators, allowed us to answer many questions that may be of interest to an anthropologist, archaeologist and historian.

1. The anthropological material from the Selungur cave is a series of permanent human teeth and includes three upper incisors and three lower premolars. It can be assumed that five of the six teeth belonged to a male individual aged 35-40 years; one (incisor No. 1) - apparently female, as evidenced by its small size. The hypothesis that five teeth from the collection belong to one person is supported by the harmony of metric indicators and the degree of erasure.

2. Comparison with modern human teeth showed that almost all parameters of the Selungur series, with the exception of the total height (length) of the two upper incisors and the vestibulolingual diameter of the crown of one premolar, fit into the range of variability in the size of modern human teeth. This is one of the arguments in favor of the hypothesis that the Tungur teeth belong to hominins of the genus Homo. However, the metric differences between them and the teeth of Homo sapiens turned out to be so large that within the range of variations in the size of modern human teeth, they occupied a place only near +3S, which manifested species variability. Comparison of the Selungur collection with the teeth of representatives of extinct fossil hominin species according to literature sources showed that, despite the very large size of the five male teeth from the Selungur cave, all of them have analogues among the teeth of the same name of ancient hominins and, above all, Asian Homo erectus. Even the mentioned dimensional characteristics, which go beyond the range of variations in modern humans, turned out to be quite common among the parameters of synanthropic and partly Neanderthal teeth.

3. Descriptive features of teeth from the Selungur cave show significant differences from the corresponding teeth of modern humans. The massiveness and thickness of the roots of the premolars are striking,

the arched curve of their vestibular contour, unusual for modern humans, the expansion of the talonid and the shift of the metaconid in the mesial direction, the general shape of the contour of the premolar crowns, close to rectangular, and a strong bend in the root of the upper lateral incisor. A comparative analysis of all these features found analogs among the teeth of fossil Pleistocene humans, especially Asian Homo erectus.

4. The conducted morphological study showed that there is no reason to exclude the Tungur odontological materials from the number of finds belonging to the genus Homo, and to consider them as the remains of any animals, in particular, deer or bears. On this issue, I turned to a specialist in animal morphology-Doctor of Biology A. B. Savinetsky (Head of the Laboratory of Biogeocenology and Historical Ecology and Evolution of the A. N. Severtsev Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences)* and I received valuable advice from him, according to which the hypothesis that the described set of teeth belongs to a deer or bear is untenable.

List of literature

Zubov A. A. Morfologicheskoe issledovanie zubov detei iz Sungirskogo pogrebeniya 2 [Morphological study of children's teeth from the Sungir burial 2]. Homo sungirensis: Verkhnepaleoliticheskiy chelovek: Ekologicheskie i evolyutsionnye aspekty issledovaniya [Homo sungirensis: Upper Paleolithic man: Ecological and evolutionary aspects of research], Moscow: Nauchny mir, 2000, pp. 256-268.

Zubov A. A. Metodicheskoe posobie po antropologicheskomu analizu odontologicheskikh materialov [Methodological guide to the anthropological analysis of odontological materials], Moscow: Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2006, 70 p. (Bulletin of Anthropology).

Zubov A. A., Khaldeyeva N. I. Odontology in anthropophenetics, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1993, 222 p.

Islamov, U. I., Zubov, A. A., and Kharitonov, V. M., Paleolithic site of Selungur in the Ferghana Valley,Vopr. - 1988. - Issue 80. - p. 38-49.

Islamov U. I., Krakhmal K. A. Paleoecology and traces of the oldest man in Central Asia. Tashkent: Fan Publ., 1995, 220 p. (in Russian)

Kucera S. The oldest and oldest history of China: Drevnekamennyi vek [The Ancient Stone Age]. Russian Academy of Sciences, 1996, 432 p .

Bermudez de Castro J. M., Rosas A., Nicolas M. E. Dental remains from Atapuerca TD6 (Gran Dolina site, Burgos, Spain) // J. of Human Evolution. - 1999. - Vol. 37. - P. 523 - 566.

Bromage T. G., Schrenk E., Zonneveld E. W. Paleoanthropology of the Malawi Rift: an early hominid mandible from the Chiwondo Beds, northern Malawi // J. of Human Evolution. - 1995. - Vol. 28. - P. 71 - 108.

Frayer D. W. Evolutionary rates and selection models for European: Late Pleistocene dental-facial change // Amer. J. Phys. Anthropology. - 1977. - Vol. 47, N 1. - P. 23 - 37.

Lebel S., Trinkaus E. Mddle Pleistocene human remains from the Bau de l'Aubesier // J. of Human Evolution. - 2002. - Vol. 43. - P. 659 - 685.

Martinon-Torres M., Bastir M., Bermudez de Castro J.M., Gomez A, Sarmiento S., Muela A, Arsuaga J. L. Hominin lower second premolar morphology: evolutionary inferences through geometric morphometric analysis // J. of Human Evolution. - 2006. - Vol. 50. - P. 523 - 533.

Nichol C. R., Turner C. G., Dahlberg A. A. Variation in the convexity of the human maxillary incisor labial surface //Amer. J. Phys. Anthropology. - 1983. - Vol. 60, N 2. - P. 58 - 73.

Patte E. La dentition des Neanderthaliens. - P.: Masson & Cie, 1962. - 304 p.

Rightmire G. Ph., Lordkipanidze D., Vekua A. Anatomical descriptions, comparative studies and evolutionary significance of the human skulls from Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia // J. of Human Evolution. - 2006. - Vol. 50. - P. 115 - 141.

Schoch E. Fossile Menschenreste: Die Neue Brehm Bucherei. - Wittenberg Lutherstadt: A. Ziemsen Verlag, 1974. - 109 S.

Weidenreich F. The dentition of Sinanthropus pekinensis: a comparative odontography of the Hominids: Atlas. - Peking: Published by the Geological Survey, 1937. - 302 p. - (Palaeoanthropologia Sinica. New ser. d; N 1; Whole ser.;N101).

The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 29.10.07.

* I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor A. B. Savinetsky for kindly agreeing to inspect the collection of teeth from the Selungur cave and give my expert opinion in terms of animal morphology.

Permanent link to this publication: