| Summary: | The site of Vaufrey Cave (Dordogne, France) has been excavated since 1968. This work revealed a complex stratigraphy ranging from the Acheulean to the Mousterian. Level I of this site, which was covered by stalagmitic floor A, contained a Quina type Mousterian lithic industry. Sediments indicate very cold and dry conditions with deer and reindeer remains among the fauna. In this level, which has a U/Th date of 74 ± 18Ka (Isotopic Stage 4), a human tooth, Vaufrey 1, was recovered. The fossil is the lower left second permanent molar of an adult. It is a very large tooth, both in its absolute dimensions and its indexes; the pulp chamber, however, is of medium size. The roots exhibit hypercementosis. Its position in the molar tooth sequence is difficult to determine, but morphological analysis, as well as comparative studies, indicate that it should be considered an M2. Attrition, especially interproximal wear on the mesial surface, is very marked. The Vaufrey 1 molar possesses similar differential wear as that found on the left M2 of the Krapina J mandible. A variety of statistical methods have been employed in comparing this tooth with those from several modern populations as well as with a large series of Neandertal teeth. The results indicate that the Vaufrey 1 tooth is outside the size range of teeth of living humans and that its long mesio-distal length and generally large dimensions place it within the range of variation of earlier Neandertals.
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