title: Middle paleolithic human deciduous incisor from Grotta del Cavallo, Italy.
abstract: In this contribution, we present a morphological description and comparative morphometric analysis of Cavallo D, a human tooth unearthed from the Mousterian FIII sublayer of Grotta del Cavallo (Apulia, Italy).
  
  
  
  We used microCT data to provide a detailed morphological description and morphometric analysis of the Cavallo D human tooth based on traditional diameter measurements and 3D enamel thickness. Moreover, new AMS radiocarbon dating of charcoals from layers FII was carried out.
  
  
  
  Morphological features observed in Cavallo D align the tooth to Neandertals. Similarly, the large size of the tooth (e.g., BL diameter) and the relatively thinner enamel thickness are typical Neandertal traits.14C datings of layer FII attribute the tooth to a time range of 45,600-42,900 cal BP (at 68% level of probability).
  
  
  
  Up to now, the Rdi1Cavallo D represents the most recent Neandertal human remain in southern Italy related to a radiocarbon dated stratigraphy. Moreover, since deciduous teeth have been less investigated than the permanent ones, this contribution brings new data to increase our knowledge on the variability of the Neandertal deciduous dentition.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università del Salento, Via D. Birago 64, Lecce, 73100, Italy. pierfrancesco.fabbri@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Pier Francesco
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.affiliation: CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa, 56124, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Panetta
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche e dei Beni Culturali, Università di Siena, Via Roma 56, Siena, 53100, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sarti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Storia, Archeologia, Geografia, Arte e Spettacolo, sede di Paletnologia, Via S.Egidio, Firenze, 21 50122, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.affiliation: CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa, 56124, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, via Savi 10, Pisa, 56126, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caramella
authors.affiliation: INFN Sezione di Firenze, via Sansone 1, Sesto, Fiorentino, 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariaelena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, Ravenna, 48121, Italy.|Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, DeutscherPlatz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benazzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007558:Italy; D059125:Neanderthals / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009811:Odontometry; D010161:Paleodontology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: Deciduous dentition; Grotta del Cavallo; Mousterian; Neandertal