Discovery of human lower jaw in the Kurtak archaeological region in 2023 (Central Siberia)

Left half of a human lower jaw containing almost complete set of teeth with the exception of the second molar which had been lost antemortem, was discovered in the Kurtak archaeological region in the process of integrated interdisciplinary research of the Middle and Late Neopleistocene deposits in the field season of 2023. This paleoanthropological find (coordinates: 55, 11614 N, 91.43372 E) was made on the edge of a towpath in association with bones of a cave lion, mammoth, red deer, primitive bison, mountain sheep, and individual stone artifacts. These materials did not have a stratigraphic context or other chronologically significant features. The specimen is currently in the process of C14 AMS dating. The fragment was measured using the standard methods. Its relief and dental characteristics were studied. Pathological changes in the dental system were analyzed using radiography and computed tomography. Principal component analysis was done for comparing the jaw parameters with the published data on the Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Early Neolithic evidence. The lower jaw fragment belonged to an adult male whose age could be determined only as accurate as the Maturus category. In its size, the jaw corresponded to the most massive variants from Europe (individuals from Shanselyad, Sungir-1, South Oleniy Island, and Vasilyevka I). The height of the jaw body at the symphysis level and mental foramen was the most significant differentiating parameter in the totality of the compared evidence. The data on dental morphological features was insufficient to identify the dental status of the person. The etiology of the pathological conditions in the M1 alveolus was associated with processes in the M2 alveolus which was lost during the lifetime probably due to caries. Significant wear of the M1 crown was caused by compensatory shift of the chewing load on it, which, together with calculus, could provoke acceleration in the development of inflammatory processes in periodontal tissues.