Abstract: Tooth wear, as part of dental anthropology, has long been studied for identifying the subsistence strategies and dietary behaviors of the ancient populations. As representatives of Yuhuangmiao Culture, the archaeological remains from Jundushan cemeteries reveal a distinct minority culture of North China in the Bronze Age. Through the study of human teeth remains from Jundushan cemeteries, the related diet of the ancient population there could be seen from their tooth wear conditions. Here comes the results from the study. Firstly, the degrees of tooth wear measured indicate no difference between male and female dentitions in the same age group. Further, data show that the molars suffer more from masticatory force and hence exhibit greater wear than the anterior teeth, while the first molars suffer most. Compared with the data collected from the other sites in North China, the mean degrees of tooth wear of the Jundushan population, ranging from 3.7– 5.3 (except for M3), exhibit lower than that of the agriculturalists. Moreover, the mostly flat but slightly oblique wear plane forms and angles of the molars, indicate that the Jundushan population probably lived mainly on meat, along with certain properties of plants. Referring to the rate of caries, the isotope analysis and the archaeological remains excavated from the cemeteries, it is likely that the Jundushan pastoralists lived a life of herding-agriculture mixed social economy. Tooth wear degrees may vary from different nomadic or herding populations, according to their subsistence strategies and dietary behaviors. More information on the related diet of the ancient populations could rely on the further study of their molar wear plane forms and angles.

Key words: Jundushan, Tooth wear, Diet, Pastoralists