International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

Harpoons are part of the composite technologies, widely dispersed throughout the world. In South America, a unique type of throwing harpoon reveals a limited distribution, primarily discovered in hunter-gatherer archaeological sites within the lower La Plata basin. Specifically, they are found in two archaeological units named Incised Pottery and Plain Pottery which are defined by different material properties but share several common aspects as well. Regarding bone tools, the primary distinction lies in the decoration of the items, contrasting with the ornamentation of the pottery. While the processes underlying regional variability in the archaeological assemblages is not yet fully understood, various types of artifacts show differences in morphology and stylistic features that can be linked to archaeological units. For this purpose, we examined 13 archaeological samples of harpoon heads considering morphological, physical, and metrical variation, as well as the operational sequence. As result, we observed variations in both morphology and decoration, while the metrical structure, the selection of raw material and the operational sequence remain unaltered. This phenomenon could be attributed to a recent process of social differentiation affecting external features, whereas the internal characteristics are connected to technique behaviors resistant to recent changes.

Numerous pathological and nonpathological changes examined on human bones are classified and related to various types of physical activities practiced during life. Some activities in ancient populations can be reconstructed based on studies of specific patterns and types of skeletal changes. Recently, particular attention has been paid to evaluate diagnostic traits that are commonly interpreted as “horsemanship syndrome.” In the present study, as of the time of writing, 100 skeletons from 23 archaeological sites of the Strzyżów culture in south-eastern Poland have been cataloged and analyzed. Preliminary analysis showed that 31 individuals were of subadult age and 46 adult skeletons were poorly preserved. In further research, authors focused on pathological and nonpathological changes in bone morphology associated with horseback riding among the remaining 23 adult individuals. Diagnostic traits including pelvic and lower limbs entheses, acetabular shape (vertical ovalisation), femoroacetabular morphological changes, subtrochanteric shape (platymeria), and specific vertebral degeneration and specific trauma lesions were analyzed related to biomechanical stress from frequent horseback riding. An evaluation gave results with high level of diagnostic certainty for four individuals and included two males, one female, and one individual whose sex could not be clearly determined due to the fragmented and incomplete preservation of the skull and pelvis. Lower probability was received in the next three cases included one male, one female, and one probably female. This study revealed that a proportion of the Strzyżów culture population developed skeletal changes compatible with riding horses.

This study aims to shed light on animal management influences on the development of pathological changes observed on animal remains from the medieval site of Crkveno Brdo. Animal remains with abnormalities were discovered during archaeological excavations of the medieval settlement at the site of Crkveno Brdo in 2019. The site is situated near Senta in the northern region of modern-day Serbia. The part of the settlement dated from the 11th to the 15th centuries was excavated. The percentage represented by various mammalian species documents that the most important economic species were cattle and horses, followed by sheep, goats, and pigs. Fishing and hunting were marginal in the settlement subsistence. The analyzed assemblage of bones with lesions consists of 39 specimens with 40 abnormalities. All of the remains exhibiting abnormalities were subjected to macroscopic and stereomicroscope analysis. The specimens with the most prominent changes also underwent x-ray imaging and histopathological analysis. Almost all lesions were found in domestic animals. The most prevalent lesions in cattle, sheep, goat, and pig were dental and oral pathology, followed by articular abnormalities. In horses, 77% of pathological changes were articular abnormalities, and 11% dental and oral pathology, followed by traumatic lesions and inherited disorders (5.5% each). Congenital morphological variation is represented by a single specimen of horse lumbar vertebra. Pathological alterations were also noted in dogs, as was a severe healed tibiofibular fracture in a frog. Pathological alterations were related to external factors and specifically to patterns of animal management. Dental pathologies in cattle, sheep/goats, and pigs were primary attributed to malnutrition quality; articular abnormalities in horses, similar to aging and environmental factors, most likely work related.

Adult body mass is largely related to nutrition levels, which can be affected by external stressors, such as diet, environment, and disease. High-status and low-status groups likely had very different nutrition and stress experiences, which might result in differences in population's body mass. Since inequality between social statuses prevailed in Europe in the post-Medieval period, did these differences result in body mass variations between high-status and low-status populations in the Netherlands? In order to answer this question, this research compared body size of two post-Medieval urban skeletal collections with different social statuses from the Eusebius cemetery of two cemeteries of the 17th–19th centuries: the Arnhem and the Broerenkerk church of Zwolle, the Netherlands. Social statuses of the two collections are estimated based on the burial locations, grave goods, and historical records. Body mass was estimated using both femoral head diameter method and stature/bi-iliac breadth method. Results have shown no statistically significant differences in body mass between the two samples. Therefore, this research suggests that inequality in post-Medieval Dutch society did not result in observable population body mass differences in the skeletal collections of different social status groups. It cannot, however, prove that social inequality in populations did not impact body size or health more broadly.

We present the results of a study of dental pathology (specifically dental wear, caries, dental calculus, and enamel hypoplasia) carried out on 1108 teeth and empty alveoli of Bronze Age human populations that inhabited the rural settlement of Nahal Refaim, on the outskirts of the city of Jerusalem. The remains derive from a tomb complex that spans three phases of the period; Intermediate Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age I and Middle Bronze Age II village that replaced them (ca. 2500–1550 BC).

Dental pathology can reflect diet and therefore offers a unique insight into the lifeways of past populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the dental health of this rural population was influenced by the far-reaching socioeconomic changes associated with the regional shift to urbanism by the Middle Bronze Age II. Although constrained by small sample sizes, we found that the pattern of dental pathology varied in a nonlinear fashion over time and discuss the factors that may have attributed to this variation.

The end of the Assyrian Trading Colonies Period (ATCP) in Anatolia represents a time of significant change in the region. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that considerable conflict and turmoil were associated with the end of the ATCP, but thus far little evidence from human skeletal remains has been available to support this hypothesis. One of the largest human skeletal samples dating to the end of the ATCP has been excavated at Kaman-Kalehöyük in central Anatolia. A minimum of 73 individuals have been found in and around areas of the site that have signs of destruction and burning. These individuals appear to be associated with a battle that occurred in the town in the mid-18th century BCE. The results show that the victims of the battle included individuals of all age groups and both sexes. The degree of burning and fragmentation made the identification of perimortem trauma challenging; however, perimortem trauma was observed in at least two individuals. An additional five individuals had evidence of antemortem trauma that was likely the result of interpersonal violence prior to the attack on the town. The skeletal evidence for trauma further supports the idea that a battle occurred at the site. This battle may have also been a part of a regional pattern of violence corresponding with the end of the ATCP, as suggested by the textual and archaeological evidence.

The article presents a critical review of all published data on findings of the skeletal elements of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) during archaeological excavations conducted in the territory of Ukraine. Sturgeon remains are present in materials from 41 archaeological sites, the age of which covers the stage from the Neolithic (4 kyr bc) up to the Modern Period (17th century ad). Five species (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, Acipenser nudiventris, Acipenser ruthenus, Acipenser stellatus, and Huso huso) are recognized. Of them, the Russian sturgeon, the sterlet, and the stellate sturgeon are the most abundant, while beluga is somewhat less numerous, and the fringebarbel sturgeon is represented by the smallest number of remains. The presence of the latter species (and the absence of the European sturgeon Acipenser sturio) in the historical past of Ukraine is discussed. We also highlight the importance of original and published data accessibility in archaeozoological research and discuss the issues of species identification, body length, and weight reconstruction of sturgeons based on skeletal elements.

The eastern Tianshan Mountain (ETS) region in Xinjiang, China, has played a crucial role as a major highway for large-scale human migrations and technological exchanges across Eurasia throughout history. Understanding the genetic makeup of past populations holds significant importance in comprehending human mobility in this region. Here, we report genome-wide ancient DNA for the two individuals whose origins remain uncertain, found at the Dahe ancient city site in the ETS region. Our results indicate that although both individuals display a higher genetic affinity to Asian populations, one individual shows some genetic sharing with South Asians, while the other shares more affinity with populations from Northeastern Asia. Radiocarbon dating shows that the two human remains were not deposited simultaneously. Overall, the combined genetic, physical anthropology and radiocarbon evidence strongly suggests that the ETS region, situated at the heart of the Silk Road, has been a crossroads of diverse populations coexisting between the 8th and 11th centuries. Additionally, the genetic ancestry sharing with the Bronze Age Tarim mummies suggested a long-term residual of indigenous ancestry in Xinjiang and showed that autochthonous deep Asian ancestry had left their genetic legacy into the historical populations of Xinjiang despite a spanning of over three millennia.

There are very few sex estimation methods specifically designed for or tested on Belgian skulls. The currently used methods for European populations have been developed using North American collections where individuals are categorized as White and/or having European ancestry. These frequently show discordance between the pelvic sex and cranial sex estimations highlighting the need for population specific methods. To fill this gap in our knowledge, several sex estimation methods, using 15 qualitative skull features, were tested on two Flemish (northern Belgium) skeletal collections; one archaeological (15th–17th century) and one forensic (20th century). The features were tested by themselves as well as in different combinations using logistic regression. The glabella is considered the best lone feature with a minimal accuracy of 78.4% and a sex bias of −5.2%. Furthermore, four sex estimation equations were developed for the skull, the cranium, the mandible, and the frontal bone separately. The skull has an accuracy of 89.3% and a bias of 0.8%. For the cranium, this is 87.5% and −0.3%, respectively, for the mandible 85.1% and −0.1%, and for the frontal bone it is 80.4% and −4.6%. The various tests confirm that many skull features can be used for sex estimation and can generate high sex estimation accuracy.