International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

The past decade has seen a worldwide tendency to re-examine human remains found in old museum collections. These studies look at the provenance of the remains, the way they ended up in specific collections, the context from which they are likely issued, and all the parameters implicated in their current presence in museum custody. Whenever human remains are involved, to obtain a full picture of the life history of the individuals under consideration, an anthropological study might be mandated, although this approach is not yet systematic.

This was the case for individual I Y-001 from the Museum of Cantonal Archaeology and History of Lausanne, Switzerland. During the provenance analyses conducted, this individual, represented by a naturally mummified cranium and neck, underwent a taphonomical and anthropological assessment, supported by a CT scan. Our findings show that I Y-001, an adult man, underwent an attempted trepanation before his death. He suffered from an abscess in his maxilla, and his remains were naturally mummified due to exposure to a dry and cold climate.

These findings are in line with the alleged origin of the remains, which were reportedly taken from an archaeological ruin by a Swiss entrepreneur, Louis Kuffré (1840–1912), in the late 1800s –early 1900s, in present-day Bolivia. At the time, sending human remains back to European museums was common practice, as attested by written exchanges between collectors and anthropologists.

By investigating the collection's archives, through anthropological and historical analysis, and reconstituting both the biography of the collector and the life history of individual I Y-001, we are able to contextualize the remains, give them back their rightful history, and envisage their future preservation with a sound understanding of the known and unknowns of them.

Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) has proven to be a valuable tool for separating bioarchaeological samples by subsistence practice, preferred diet, food-processing technology, and cooking method. In this study, we compared samples of individuals from two South Indian sites—an Iron Age site (Adichchanallur, ~4010 BP, n = 27) and an Early Historical site (Keeladi, ~2600 BP, n = 31). Both samples represent farming communities that likely had broadly similar diets dominated by cultivated rice and mung beans, wild nuts and pulses, and both domesticated cattle and wild game. Moreover, the archaeological evidence indicates that both communities used mortar and pestle for food preparation and employed similar cooking technologies, as inferred from the shapes of pots found at the sites. Furthermore, the two populations exhibited cultural continuity and lived in similar ecozones. However, the earlier Adichchanallur settlement represented a town with rural features, while the later Keeladi site was more of an urban population center. We hypothesized that samples from the earlier rural population would have more complex microwear textures than the samples from a predominantly later urban population given that today urban communities in India tend to consume softer, more processed foodstuffs than rural populations, which often eat coarser, less processed food items. High-resolution molar replicas were prepared and analyzed by DMTA. Results indicate that, contrary to expectation, individuals from the later, more urban site had significantly higher texture complexity values than did those from the earlier, more rural one. This finding confirms results of previous studies indicating that microwear signatures can distinguish bioarchaeological samples but also shows that the implications of observed differences for past lifeways can be difficult to interpret.

This review investigates the potential impact of soft tissues in heat-induced bone changes. This is relevant to assess the adequacy of heat exposure experiments carried out on bones, an increasingly popular approach. Concerns exist that experiments on dry bones might not accurately represent human remains from archaeological cremation. Therefore, a literature review of data obtained from burnt dry and fresh bones was carried out to identify potential differences in the manifestation of heat-induced changes according to the pre-burning condition. The literature suggests that while soft tissues can affect the timing of heat exposure, they do not fundamentally alter the bone response to heat. Warping and thumbnail fractures occur more often in bones with soft tissues but are likely related to collagen content. Color variations are more likely due to soil staining rather than the presence of soft tissues. Shrinkage is primarily due to organics and water losses and bone structural changes, while soft tissues seem to play no role in it. Mass loss may seem greater in fresh bones, but this is most probably due to prior mass loss experienced by previously inhumed dry bones. At the microstructural level, soft tissues also offer a temporary protective effect, but the bone normal response to heat seems to be resumed after that effect ends. The molecular and crystal structure, as well as the elemental composition, do not seem notably changed by the pre-burning condition of bones. In summary, soft tissues mainly delay heat-induced changes and do not appear to cause different bone responses. Both dry and fresh bones seem to be viable choices to experimentally study burnt skeletal remains.

From the Late Preclassic to Terminal Classic periods (300 bce–900 ce), the Maya people at the site of Caledonia, Cayo District, Belize, interred their dead within site architecture. Four burials containing the remains of at least 21 individuals were uncovered during excavations and were relatively dated using typologies developed from the ceramics recovered from the burial contexts. The single older adult female who may have been bundled in Burial 5 was dated to the Late Preclassic (250 bce–250 ce) and was determined to be the oldest at the site. Burial 1 contained the remains of eight adults and one child interred from the Early Classic to the beginning of the Late Classic periods (450–650 ce) and is thought to be a sequentially used family tomb. Burials 3 and 4 were both buried during the Late Classic (600–900 ce), although the latter appears to be a sequentially used family tomb like Burial 1 and the former appears to be a nonfunerary ceremonial context possibly containing the remains of bundled or secondary burials. New radiocarbon dates presented here confirm the relative chronology developed for Caledonia and reveal that Burials 1 and 4 were indeed sequentially used over several centuries. When combined with existing stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope data, the radiocarbon dating also reveals a general decreased reliance on maize-based protein from the limestone-rich Vaca Plateau over time, which may be linked with climate trends and sociopolitical reorganization at the site.

In Italy's Piedmont region, the city of Vercelli has a history of malaria transmission due to favorable conditions for Anopheles mosquitoes, which may have influenced the genetic prevalence of thalassemia. This study investigates the skeletal remains of a nonadult individual from the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Vercelli, dating to the 18th century, and suggests possible pathological changes indicative of β-thalassemia. The skeletal analysis reveals extensive pitting, marrow hyperplasia, cortical thinning, scalloped epiphyses, and a distinctive “rib-within-a-rib” radiological appearance, which could be consistent with β-thalassemia major and intermedia. While thalassemia is currently prevalent in Piedmont, no prior paleopathological evidence of the condition has been reported. This study highlights the diagnostic challenges in identifying β-thalassemia in ancient populations due to similarities with other anemias and the absence of ancient DNA. The importance of combining skeletal analysis with historical and environmental contexts is emphasized to improve diagnostic accuracy. This research provides new insights into the historical presence of β-thalassemia in Vercelli and underscores the potential influence of environmental factors and genetic disorders.