International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

Agents of taphonomy can bias skeletal parts and the frequency of bones in archaeological sites. An important factor to consider is the possible effect of bone density-mediated attrition on archaeornithological assemblages. We scanned willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) specimens using a Lunar iDXA and an enCcore small animal body add-on to develop a rank-order scheme based on the volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of skeletal parts. Our results identified the tibiotarsus and femur to be the least dense bones, while carpometacarpus, 3rd digit, and coracoid were the densest. This novel scheme allowed us to evaluate a sample of 22 published site reports to assess the possible likelihood that vBMD influenced the occurrence of skeletal parts in the assemblages. Across open and cave-rockshelter archaeological sites, we found 32% possibly or most likely affected by vBMD among other taphonomic factors. Our study is the first to evaluate the potential effects of L. lagopus vBMD bone density-mediated attrition.

The scholarship on the Wari Empire (ca. 600–1050 ce), the earliest pan-Andean expansive polity, has been undergoing critical reevaluation, paralleling broader shifts in the discipline of ancient empire studies. This recent paradigm shift offers an alternative to earlier research strategies, which focused on finding evidence of Wari uniformity and extensive resource extraction. Instead, newer research suggests that Wari's socioeconomic strategies were more nuanced, resulting in varied political outcomes across different regions. Our study adds to this body of knowledge by investigating animal use in the overlooked northern Wari sphere of influence within the modern Cajamarca department. The zooarchaeological analysis of 5871 faunal specimens from two spatial units at El Palacio, a Wari regional administrative center in southern Cajamarca, revealed that the site primarily relied on domesticated native fauna, mainly small camelids and guinea pigs, for both subsistence and ritual purposes. Reliance on domesticates was supplemented with occasionally procuring wildlife such as vicuña, puma, and white-tailed deer; the presence of the latter was identified with a supplemental ZooMS analysis. The regional focus of El Palacio's animal use supports the earlier assumptions about the Cajamarca region's self-reliant status within the Wari political network and reinforces the view of the Wari economic hegemony as a varied and flexible process.

The relationship between diet and oral health has long been explored in archaeology, with significant differences observed between populations with distinct subsistence strategies. This study examines the prevalence of dental caries, antemortem tooth loss (AMTL), periapical lesions, dental calculus, and occlusal wear in hunter-gatherer and horticulturalist populations from the Lower Paraná wetland (southern La Plata Basin, Argentina). Our primary objective is to evaluate how dietary differences influenced oral health in these pre-Columbian groups and contextualize the findings within broader pre-Columbian trends from Argentina. The analyzed sample includes skeletal and dental remains from 178 hunter-gatherers (26 sites) and 29 horticulturalists (3 sites), dated between < 2000–500 and 700–300 ¹⁴C years bp, respectively. Statistical comparisons employed chi-square tests, Monte Carlo permutations, odds ratios, bootstrap tests, and generalized linear models. Wear rates were calculated using principal axis methods. Results indicate a significantly lower prevalence of dental caries in hunter-gatherers (2%) compared to horticulturalists (8.8%), linked to lower carbohydrate intake. AMTL and occlusal wear were more frequent in hunter-gatherers (AMTL = 4% vs. 0.8%), likely influenced by dietary abrasives and protein-rich consumption. No statistical differences were found between populations in periapical lesions and dental calculus, suggesting multifactorial origins beyond diet alone. In contrast to expectations, male hunter-gatherers exhibited higher caries (2% vs. 0.5%) and wear rates than females, potentially related to dietary habits or paramasticatory activities. These findings align with global trends, situating hunter-gatherers among low-caries/high-wear populations and horticulturalists within mixed-diet groups. This study contributes to understanding dietary impacts on oral health in pre-Columbian South America, emphasizing the need for expanded samples to refine sex-based and wear-related interpretations.

Archaeological excavations at Los Batanes in the Sama Valley (southern Peru) have brought to light a newly founded diasporic settlement following the demise of the Tiwanaku State (ca. 500–1000 ce). Previous research has suggested that the residents practiced a multiresource agropastoral subsistence strategy, with South American camelids (SACs) serving as the primary large mammals. Native to the Andean highlands, camelids at Los Batanes (500 masl) highlight the need to evaluate which species were herded in the hyperarid coastal desert of southern Peru to elucidate their economic function. In this study, we analyze camelid first phalanges from Los Batanes using established morphometric techniques and compare our results with reference datasets derived from modern camelid species. Our findings reveal significant morphometric variability in camelids from Los Batanes, with sizes spanning the range of extant SAC species. The predominance of large-sized camelids in the sample, alongside evidence of small and intermediate forms, shows a diversified morphotype selection by ancient agropastoralists. These results indicate the presence of more than one camelid species or breed. This study provides critical baseline data on species diversity, advancing our understanding of pre-Hispanic herding practices and camelid uses in the hyperarid coastal environments.

The estimation of sex in the analysis of human remains from archaeological contexts is an essential tool for reconstructing the demographic profile of past populations and their lifestyles. Methods for skeletal sex estimation are commonly based on visual assessment of the pelvis and cranium, but their application is often limited by the poor preservation of these elements in archaeological collections. Several standards have been developed to predict skeletal sex from metric methods, but interpopulation differences and secular change make the applicability of these methods in archaeological contexts problematic. In this paper, we propose population-specific standards for sex estimation using metric data from the postcranial skeletons of 48 individuals (18 males and 30 females) excavated at ancient Dion, Greece. We applied different imputation methods for missing data and different models for sex prediction (Logistic Regression, XGBoost, LightGBM, and Random Forest) and compared their performance using a range of metrics. The results show that classification performance varies depending on the skeletal measurements used, the amount of missing data, and whether variables are analyzed individually or in groups. Nonetheless, the accuracies achieved are very high (around or above 90%), both for most univariate and almost all multivariate models. Despite the limitations imposed by the small size of the sample, more such initiatives in the future will improve population-specific sex prediction models by including additional archaeological assemblages from other regions and periods and assemblages with larger sample sizes.

The ancient city of Iasos, located in the Kıyıkışlacık district of Muğla province within the borders of Caria, has a very important place in illuminating the past of Anatolian societies. Paleopathological analysis was conducted on the skeletons of individuals belonging to the Early Byzantine community of Iasos to investigate the health problems of the society and to compare the society with other contemporary ancient Anatolian societies in terms of paleopathology. Lesion prevalence indicates that the Byzantine community of Iasos had a better quality of health than the other populations in the region. However, demographic analysis shows a different pattern, with higher than expected nonadult mortality rates. This could indicate the presence of diseases that affected its youngest members. However, the infants were found next to the sacred area of the Basilica, so they were buried in this area on purpose as they were considered to be sinless. In consequence, the apparently high infant mortality rate may just reflect that the areas excavated contained all the infants but not all the adults originally buried there. This study emphasizes that in paleopathological studies, data should be interpreted by considering multiple lines of evidence.