Stefano Benazzi
Biographic Data
| ID | 80507 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stefano Benazzi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stefano |
| FAMILY NAME | Benazzi |
| SIGNATURE | BENAZZI S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bologna |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4305-6920 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 116 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1085 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 116 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 19 |
Flexible Late Mousterian lithic technological organisation at Riparo l’Oscurusciuto (Italy)
The portion of the Riparo l’Oscurusciuto (Italy) stratigraphic sequence so far excavated provides an outstanding record of the local population history between ca. 55 − 42 kya BP: a key period for understanding the end of the Middle Palaeolithic and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic on a regional level. Previous studies focusing on the settlement pattern, the spatial organisation, and the lithic technology within the lower part of the exposed l…
Palaeoproteomic analysis of skeletal remains from Grotta Guattari (Italy)
Excavations at Grotta Guattari (Italy; 66–65 ka) in the previously unexplored Antro del Laghetto area uncovered numerous morphologically unidentified skeletal remains from both the cave’s internal (aquatic) and external (dry) sectors, providing an opportunity to investigate how contrasting depositional environments influence protein preservation. Taxonomic identifications were attempted using MALDI-ToF ( n = 200) and LC-MS/MS (n = 490 ). LC-MS/MS…
Neanderthal’s heel
Neanderthals exhibit unique morphological adaptations in their calcaneus compared to Homo sapiens, shedding light on distinct evolutionary pressures and functional requirements shaping their respective foot anatomy. This study assesses which calcaneal traits represent plesiomorphic, autapomorphic, and/or functional adaptations. Geometric morphometrics was used to analyze the external shape of 7 Neanderthal and 64 H. sapiens calcanei spanning earl…
New data on the morphological traits of neanderthal teeth from the Stajnia Cave (Poland)
Background: Neanderthal fossils are rare, and in Poland they have been found at only two sites: Ciemna Cave and Stajnia Cave. At Stajnia Cave, nine Neanderthal teeth associated with Micoquian artefacts and dated to ~120,000–92,500 years ago were discovered. Although their morphology and taxonomic status have been confirmed, the internal morphological variation of Neanderthal teeth remains poorly understood. Objective: The main aim of our study is…
Exploring Uluzzian Lithic Technology at Klissoura Cave 1, Greece
The Uluzzian technocomplex (ca. 43,000–39,000 years BP) marks one of the earliest dispersals of Homo sapiens into Europe and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic in the Mediterranean, yet well-documented evidence outside the Italian Peninsula remains rare. Klissoura Cave 1, in the northeastern Peloponnese (Greece), provides the most robust Uluzzian assemblage identified to date beyond Italy. Here we present a comprehensive technological analysis o…
Exploring dental macrowear in a Sambaqui population from Encosta da Lagoa (southern Brazil)
Revisiting Hazar Merd Cave
First excavated in 1928 by Dorothy Garrod, Hazar Merd represents the earliest documented Palaeolithic site in the Zagros Mountains and a landmark in regional archaeological research. Nearly a century later, renewed investigations are refining the site’s stratigraphy and cultural sequence, providing a more nuanced understanding of its long-term occupation
The Easternmost Outpost of the Hadramawt Kingdom
This paper presents the results of the first archaeological investigation at Andhūr (DMa0610), an inland site in the Wādī Andhūr oasis, Dhofar, southern Oman. Excavations revealed a multi‐phase occupation dated to the second part of the first century BCE , centred on a two‐storey building constructed with the ‘sandwich’ masonry technique known from Sumhuram. Architectural and environmental evidence suggest that Andhūr served as a small Hadrami ou…
The Uluzzian and Châtelperronian
The Châtelperronian and Uluzzian techno-complexes are identified in western Europe in the same stratigraphic position, between the late Middle Palaeolithic and other Upper Palaeolithic assemblages. Both industries include retouched artefacts with abrupt retouch and arched backs, and radiometric dating indicates that these two technocomplexes belong to the same window of time. Here, we provide a detailed, qualitative technological comparison of tw…
Grotta della Lea, a new Early Epigravettian site in southern Italy (Uluzzo Bay)
A multidisciplinary investigation into whether Andean caravans reached the southern lowlands of the Paraná-Plata basin during pre-Columbian times
Reconstructing life history and ancestry from poorly preserved skeletal remains
The poor preservation of archaeological skeletal remains, particularly those of infants, can result in partial representations of populations and significantly limit our understanding of the development and life of their infant segment. This study investigates the potential of combining dental histology, high spatial resolution biogeochemistry, radiocarbon dating, palaeoproteomic and ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses alongside traditional osteological …
Nouvelles recherches et données sur les sites liguriens du Riparo Bombrini (Balzi Rossi, Imperia) et de l’Arma Veirana (Erli, Savona)
Non-destructive, portable approach as pre-screening tool for archaeological burnt bones
Ancient bones are archives of information to reconstruct past life. However, detecting the organic content and the crystallinity changes of bone apatite post-mortem alteration becomes more challenging when burial conditions are coupled with thermal degradation. The present study proposed a non-invasive pre-screening method to distinguish burnt bones based on diagnostic spectral features, using a reflectance portable FT-IR spectrometer (650–5500 c…
Strontium isotopes and cremation
Calcined bones are a reliable substrate for the preservation of strontium isotopes. • 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values suggest different mobility pattern and origin of some individuals. • Isotope analysis improves the estimation of the minimum number of individuals. • Grave goods enhance the understanding of mobility patterns. Cremation was a very common ritual in ancient Roman funerary traditions. However, the study of cremated human remains has always been …
NOthing goes to WAste (Nowa)
Advancements in archaeological sciences through innovative scientific techniques applied to ancient human remains have increasingly been transforming the study of the past. Destructive analyses of bioarchaeological or palaeontological specimens such as dental histology, isotopic or elemental analysis of dental mineralised tissues, 14C dating, proteomic analysis or ancient DNA are increasingly being applied to obtain ever more refined past life hi…
Diet of Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens from macrowear analysis of mandibular molars
Neanderthal diet has been on the spotlight of paleoanthropological research for many years. The majority of studies that tried to reconstruct the diet of Neanderthals were based on the analysis of zooarchaeological remains, stable isotopes, dental calculus and dental microwear patterns. In the past few years, there have been a few studies that linked dental macrowear patterns of Neanderthals and modern humans to diet and cultural habits. However,…
Hunting game
In this study we present the results of the archaeozoological and taphonomic analysis of the macromammal assemblage from the Uluzzian levels of three Italian sites: Uluzzo C Rock Shelter, Roccia San Sebastiano cave, and Riparo del Broion. Our archaeozoological data outlined several common elements and differences between sites sharing this culture. The most abundant taxon registered at Roccia San Sebastiano cave is Cervus elaphus; for Riparo del …
Finite element analysis of Neanderthal and early Homo sapiens maxillary central incisor
Neanderthal anterior teeth are very large and have a distinctive morphology characterized by robust 'shovel-shaped' crowns. These features are frequently seen as adaptive responses in dissipating heavy mechanical loads resulting from masticatory and non-masticatory activities. Although the long-standing debate surrounding this hypothesis has played a central role in paleoanthropology, is still unclear if Neanderthal anterior teeth can resist high…
Exploring the role of fibular extremities as indicators of mobility patterns and locomotor behavior in Homo sapiens from Mid- Late Upper Paleolithic to the modern age
The human fibular shape has been scarcely analyzed in anthropology. However, studies on athletes and human archaeological samples suggest the importance of including fibular structural properties to reconstruct mobility patterns in past populations. This study analyzes human fibular variation in relation to mobility patterns, environmental conditions, subsistence economies, and shoe use to further explore the role of this bone in reconstructing m…
Not just a technique! An experimental approach to refine the definition of the bipolar anvil reduction in the Uluzzian
Enamel thickness per masticatory phases (ETMP)
Many anthropological studies have examined the functional implications of enamel thickness in human dental crowns. Despite limitations, Enamel thickness (ET) values are still used to infer taxonomic attribution in the genus Homo, and to identify mechanisms of functional adaptation against macrowear. However, only a few studies have tried to describe the possible relationship between ET and dental wear patterns in permanent lower first molars (M1)…
Relationship between interproximal and occlusal wear in Australopithecus africanus and Neanderthal molars
The results of our study seem to confirm that interproximal and occlusal wear are somehow related to each other. However, due to the reduced sample size and methodological limitations, we are unable to draw clear conclusions on this relationship. Future studies could investigate in more details the relationship between occlusal and interproximal wear in other hominin species and past human populations
On the traces of lost identities
The present study examines the prehistoric human skeletal remains retrieved starting from the 1920s in the deposit of the Farneto rock shelter, situated in the area of the 'Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi e Calanchi dell'Abbadessa' (San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna, northern Italy). An exact dating and a reliable interpretation of the assemblage had not been reached so far because of the lack of contextual data useful for dating purposes, the inaccurate …
Updating the Neanderthals
To meat or not to meat? New perspectives on N eanderthal ecology
Neanderthals have been commonly depicted as top predators who met their nutritional needs by focusing entirely on meat. This information mostly derives from faunal assemblage analyses and stable isotope studies: methods that tend to underestimate plant consumption and overestimate the intake of animal proteins. Several studies in fact demonstrate that there is a physiological limit to the amount of animal proteins that can be consumed: exceeding …
Viewpoints
Recent biomechanical analyses examining the feeding adaptations of early hominins have yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that hard foods exerted a selection pressure that influenced the evolution of australopith morphology. However, this hypothesis appears inconsistent with recent reconstructions of early hominin diet based on dental microwear and stable isotopes. Thus, it is likely that either the diets of some australopiths include…
The Uluzzian in the north of Italy
Bears and humans, a Neanderthal tale. Reconstructing uncommon behaviors from zooarchaeological evidence in southern Europe
Lithic techno-complexes in Italy from 50 to 39 thousand years BP
Bone tools, ornaments and other unusual objects during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Italy
Technical note
Information about food ingestion and mastication behavior during the lifespan of an individual is encoded in the dental occlusal wear pattern. To decode this information, we describe a new method called occlusal fingerprint analysis (OFA). Structural parameters of wear facets on the occlusal surface of teeth are quantified from digitized casts for the interpretation of occlusal aspects. The OFA provides an individual three‐dimensional dental occl…
Technical Note
The study of enamel thickness has received considerable attention in regard to the taxonomic, phylogenetic and dietary assessment of human and non‐human primates. Recent developments based on two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) digital techniques have facilitated accurate analyses, preserving the original object from invasive procedures. Various digital protocols have been proposed. These include several procedures based on manual han…
Technical Note
A very limiting factor for paleoanthropological studies is the poor state of preservation of the human fossil record, where fragmentation and deformation are considered normal. Although anatomical information can still be gathered from a distorted fossil, such specimens must typically be excluded from advanced morphological and morphometric analyses, thus reducing the fossil sample size and, ultimately, our knowledge of human evolution. In this c…
Taxonomic differences in deciduous upper second molar crown outlines of Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo erectus
Comparison of dental measurement systems for taxonomic assignment of first molars
Morphometrics of the molar crown is based traditionally on diameter measurements but is nowadays more often based on 2D image analysis of crown outlines. An alternative approach involves measurements at the level of the cervical line. We compare the information content of the two options in a three‐dimensional (3D) digital sample of lower and upper first molars (M 1 and M 1 ) of modern human and Neanderthal teeth. The cervical outline for each to…
Cervical and crown outline analysis of worn Neanderthal and modern human lower second deciduous molars
Despite the general increase in digital techniques for dental morphometric analyses, only a few methods are available to study worn teeth. Moreover, permanent dentitions are studied much more frequently than deciduous teeth. In this study, we address both issues by providing a taxonomic classification of Neanderthal and modern human (MH) lower second deciduous molars (dm 2 s) through the analysis of crown and cervical outlines. Crown and cervical…
A reassessment of the Neanderthal teeth from Taddeo cave (southern Italy)
Comparison of dental measurement systems for taxonomic assignment of Neanderthal and modern human lower second deciduous molars
Brief communication
The scarcity of Neandertal remains from Southern Europe hampers our understanding of Neandertal variability, and can bias interpretations about Neandertal geographic variation. To address this issue, it is often important to reassess human remains that, while discovered decades ago, remain relatively unknown to the scientific community. In this contribution, we provide a complete state‐of‐the‐art comparative morphometric analysis of Leuca I, an u…
Functional relationship between dental macrowear and diet in Late Pleistocene and recent modern human populations
Many aspects of diet and behaviour can be gleaned from dental wear, including environmental conditions, food‐fracture properties, food processing techniques, and cultural habits. Specifically, the angulation (flat vs. steep) of molar wear has been used as an indicator of food toughness and has also been implicated in the use of grinding stones and pottery in food processing. In this work, we focus on the sequential phases of the power stroke of m…
Middle Paleolithic and Uluzzian human remains from Fumane Cave, Italy
Allometry, merism, and tooth shape of the upper deciduous M2 and permanent M1
The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of allometry on the shape of dm 2 and M 1 crown outlines and to examine whether the trajectory and magnitude of scaling are shared between species. The sample included 160 recent Homo sapiens , 28 Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens , 10 early H. sapiens , and 33 H. neanderthalensis (Neandertal) individuals. Of these, 97 were dm 2 /M 1 pairs from the same individuals. A two‐block partial least square…
Between the hammerstone and the anvil
A human deciduous molar from the Middle Stone Age (Howiesons Poort) of Klipdrift Shelter, South Africa
Backdating systematic shell ornament making in Europe to 45,000 years ago
The Qesem Cave hominin material (part 2)
Para-masticatory wear facets and their functional significance in hunter–gatherer maxillary molars
A reexamination of the Middle Paleolithic human remains from Riparo Tagliente, Italy
Enamel thickness variation of deciduous first and second upper molars in modern humans and Neanderthals
The face of the poet Dante Alighieri reconstructed by virtual modelling and forensic anthropology techniques
Molar crown height
Technical note
We report a procedure for the virtual reconstruction of incomplete human bones applicable to skeletal remains from archaeological excavations or to reconstructive and prosthetic surgery. To test the procedure, we reconstructed a fragmented left clavicle on the basis of the contralateral clavicle. The procedure involved 3‐D laser scanner acquisition of the left clavicle (complete but broken into two parts), the same manually reconstructed bone, an…
Technical note
Information about food ingestion and mastication behavior during the lifespan of an individual is encoded in the dental occlusal wear pattern. To decode this information, we describe a new method called occlusal fingerprint analysis (OFA). Structural parameters of wear facets on the occlusal surface of teeth are quantified from digitized casts for the interpretation of occlusal aspects. The OFA provides an individual three‐dimensional dental occl…
Improving the spatial orientation of human teeth using a virtual 3D approach
Report of three fused primary human teeth in an archaeological material
Fusion of deciduous teeth can appear in several ways, usually involving two teeth but occasionally three. The frequency of this anomaly is reported to be low and few cases have been described in the scientific literature. Fused teeth in the archaeological record are rare because of the destructive taphonomic processes to which bones and teeth are subjected. \nPrevious research in this field has only dealt with cases of two fused deciduous teeth. …
Virtual anthropology and forensic arts
Brief communication
High variability in the dentition of Homo can create uncertainties in the correct identification of isolated teeth. For instance, standard tooth identification criteria cannot determine with absolute certainty if an isolated tooth is a second or third maxillary molar. In this contribution, using occlusal fingerprint analysis, we reassess the identification of Krapina D58 ( Homo neanderthalensis ), which is catalogued as a third maxillary molar. W…
Para-masticatory wear facets and their functional significance in hunter–gatherer maxillary molars
Comparison of dental measurement systems for taxonomic assignment of first molars
Morphometrics of the molar crown is based traditionally on diameter measurements but is nowadays more often based on 2D image analysis of crown outlines. An alternative approach involves measurements at the level of the cervical line. We compare the information content of the two options in a three‐dimensional (3D) digital sample of lower and upper first molars (M 1 and M 1 ) of modern human and Neanderthal teeth. The cervical outline for each to…
Quantitative assessment of interproximal wear facet outlines for the association of isolated molars
The determination of the minimum number of individuals can be very challenging, especially in an assemblage of fragmentary bones and isolated teeth. Similarities in tooth morphology, degree of wear, and interproximal wear facets (IPWF) are generally used to associate isolated teeth qualitatively. However, no quantitative method has yet been established for an objective identification and matching of isolated tooth crowns. In this study, we analyz…
Comparison of dental measurement systems for taxonomic assignment of Neanderthal and modern human lower second deciduous molars
A new OH5 reconstruction with an assessment of its uncertainty
A reassessment of the Neanderthal teeth from Taddeo cave (southern Italy)
Cervical and crown outline analysis of worn Neanderthal and modern human lower second deciduous molars
Despite the general increase in digital techniques for dental morphometric analyses, only a few methods are available to study worn teeth. Moreover, permanent dentitions are studied much more frequently than deciduous teeth. In this study, we address both issues by providing a taxonomic classification of Neanderthal and modern human (MH) lower second deciduous molars (dm 2 s) through the analysis of crown and cervical outlines. Crown and cervical…
Brief communication
Finite element analysis (FEA) is a widespread technique to evaluate the stress/strain distributions in teeth or dental supporting tissues. However, in most studies occlusal forces are usually simplified using a single vector (i.e., point load) either parallel to the long tooth axis or oblique to this axis. In this pilot study we show how lower first molar occlusal information can be used to investigate the stress distribution with 3D FEA in the s…
Sex at Sterkfontein
Brief communication
The scarcity of Neandertal remains from Southern Europe hampers our understanding of Neandertal variability, and can bias interpretations about Neandertal geographic variation. To address this issue, it is often important to reassess human remains that, while discovered decades ago, remain relatively unknown to the scientific community. In this contribution, we provide a complete state‐of‐the‐art comparative morphometric analysis of Leuca I, an u…
Viewpoints
Recent biomechanical analyses examining the feeding adaptations of early hominins have yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that hard foods exerted a selection pressure that influenced the evolution of australopith morphology. However, this hypothesis appears inconsistent with recent reconstructions of early hominin diet based on dental microwear and stable isotopes. Thus, it is likely that either the diets of some australopiths include…
Individual tooth macrowear pattern guides the reconstruction of Sts 52 ( Australopithecus africanus ) dental arches
The functional restoration of the occlusal relationship between maxillary and mandibular tooth rows is a major challenge in modern dentistry and maxillofacial surgery. Similar technical challenges are present in paleoanthropology when considering fragmented and deformed mandibular and maxillary fossils. Sts 52, an Australopithecus africanus specimen from Sterkfontein Member 4, represents a typical case where the original shape of the dental arche…
Dental arch restoration using tooth macrowear patterns with application to Rudapithecus hungaricus, from the late Miocene of Rudabánya, Hungary
Technical Note
A very limiting factor for paleoanthropological studies is the poor state of preservation of the human fossil record, where fragmentation and deformation are considered normal. Although anatomical information can still be gathered from a distorted fossil, such specimens must typically be excluded from advanced morphological and morphometric analyses, thus reducing the fossil sample size and, ultimately, our knowledge of human evolution. In this c…
Allometry, merism, and tooth shape of the upper deciduous M2 and permanent M1
The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of allometry on the shape of dm 2 and M 1 crown outlines and to examine whether the trajectory and magnitude of scaling are shared between species. The sample included 160 recent Homo sapiens , 28 Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens , 10 early H. sapiens , and 33 H. neanderthalensis (Neandertal) individuals. Of these, 97 were dm 2 /M 1 pairs from the same individuals. A two‐block partial least square…
Functional implications of squamosal suture size in paranthropus boisei
It has been hypothesized that the extensively overlapping temporal and parietal bones of the squamosal sutures in Paranthropus boisei are adaptations for withstanding loads associated with feeding. Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to investigate the biomechanical effects of suture size (i.e., the area of overlap between the temporal and parietal bones) on stress, strain energy, and strain ratio in the squamosal sutures of Pan troglodytes an…
Technical Note
The study of enamel thickness has received considerable attention in regard to the taxonomic, phylogenetic and dietary assessment of human and non‐human primates. Recent developments based on two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) digital techniques have facilitated accurate analyses, preserving the original object from invasive procedures. Various digital protocols have been proposed. These include several procedures based on manual han…
Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (80 works) · Geography (72 works) · Archaeology (71 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (69 works) · Biology (52 works) · Medicine (45 works) · Paleontology (41 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (37 works) · Geology (37 works) · Orthodontics (32 works)