title: The dentition of Abraham's people. Why Abraham left Mesopotamia.
abstract: Ancient Mesopotamia (southern Iraq) in 2000 B.C. was the home of the biblical figure Abraham and his people. An analysis of skeletal material from cemeteries in the ancient cities of Ur (birthplace of Abraham) and Kish shows a homogeneous, short-lived population that suffered severe dental attrition (95 percent of inhabitants), periodontal disease (42 percent) and caries (two percent). Many oral congenital and neoplastic lesions were noted Skeletal (dental) evidence indicates the population suffered from extensive disease and nutritional deficiency. Of special note was a possible case of endodontic treatment. The people of Abraham had modern dentition but relatively poor dental health. It is probable that Abraham, if in truth he existed, left Mesopotamia because of the threat of famine, as evidenced by biblical record, geologic strata and dental analysis.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Neiburger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lieberman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lieberman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003817:Dentition; D005260:Female; D006665:History of Dentistry; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D010161:Paleodontology; D009057:Stomatognathic Diseases / Q000266:history