Hillson, S. 2005. Teeth (2nd Edition). – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)

Abstract

The first edition (1986) of this book by Hillson is already a standard that is used widely by those that work with teeth in mammalian palaeontology, zooarchaeology, and palaeoanthropology. Designed with the archaeologist in mind, this book provides sound introductory material regarding teeth to the reader, including a straightforward means of tooth identification from every mammal genus of the northern hemisphere. Despite its practical introductory uses, it goes further and provides enough detail and explanation with respect to the various modern ways of studying teeth and their palaeobiology (in the latter half of the book) to whet the appetite of any die hard professional. Other great texts focus on functional analysis (Lucas, 2004), others (Teaford et al., 2000) have a series of well done contributions in an edited volume that omits some subjects (such as pathology). This is one of few single–authored texts that covers such a wide array of details on mammalian teeth such as histology, ontogeny, wear, size and shape, and diseases. Read more...