Dietary Information through the Examination of Plant Phytoliths on the Enamel Surface of Human Dentition

Phytoliths have been searched for on the surface of human teeth from a mediaeval site in Castile, Spain, by scanning electron microscopy. Phytoliths of gramineous species have been found at the end of some scratches which were most probably produced by those phytoliths. Their siliceous nature was confirmed with an X-ray microanalysis system. Although there exist some taxonomic limitations in assigning the phytoliths to some specific plant groups, the data can be complemented with other archaeological evidences from the site. The study of phytoliths provides direct information concerning the diet of past populations.