International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

This study is an osteobiography of a noble couple who were members of the “ruling elite” in the 18th-century Joseon period, Korea. The archaeological context and historical records indicate that the couple lived and died during a period marked by strict observance of social hierarchy. The husband's skeleton exhibits clear evidence of craniosynostosis and spinal scoliosis. In particular, congenital craniosynostosis of the skull likely caused deformities in his craniofacial morphology during his lifetime. The physical deformities and discomforts revealed by his craniofacial and vertebral skeleton shed light on the documented passivity and frequent disruptions to his government positions. Meanwhile, his wife's age at death, 93 years, is exceptionally long. The osteological investigation suggests that she seems to have lived without severe stressors. Her skeletal remains show no evidence of occupational stress or chronic disease. Until now, our understanding of the Joseon period nobility has predominantly relied on artifacts and summaries of the deceased's life discovered in tombs, as well as written documents such as diaries, evaluation records, and letters. This study reconstructs the lives of this couple through osteological evidence, historical records, and social context. This holistic approach will provide a novel perspective for a more comprehensive understanding of the lives of nobility and intellectuals of the period.

Lynx remains are rare in archaeological assemblages. The skeleton of an adult male accompanied by four dogs was found in a large Migration Period pit at Zamárdi–Kútvölgyi-dűlő II, Hungary. Extant lynx skeletons were used in estimating the shoulder height of this individual. Its stature is comparable to those of the large dogs it was buried with. None of the five skeletons showed skinning marks. Although the physical reconstruction of the lynx was of help in appraising this special pit, the actual nature of the deposit remains in question. Possible interpretations range from the mundane discard of carcasses to the poorly understood ritual burial of carnivores, beginning with the lynx. We reviewed these options within the framework of cultural diversity of Migration Period peoples in west-central Hungary.

This commentary evaluates the assertions presented in the documentary series Code of the Wild that the skeleton of a 7-ft Manteño-Huancavilca individual allegedly recovered in the Ecuadorian village of Julcuy serves as evidence that a population of individuals of considerable stature once inhabited the region. Given that an intact femur survived a flood that occurred in Julcuy during the rainy season of 2023, it was possible to implement the Trotter and Gleser technique to determine the individual's stature with precision. By analyzing the femur of this individual, the commentary demonstrates that the stature of the individual had been grossly overestimated. This commentary reinforces the significance of mathematical formulae devised to determine living stature as opposed to rudimentary field measurements.

The Golasecca Celtic Civilization (GCC) developed in the Italian Iron Age, between the 9th and 4th centuries BCE, and is characterized by the predominant use of cremation as a funerary ritual in the Italian area. Reconstructing the steps of the cremation ritual in archaeology is a complex challenge, as many anthropic actions leave only faint traces in cremated remains. Within the funerary rituals of prehistoric and protohistoric Italy, the skull has received particular attention from numerous archaeological cultures and civilizations. The context of via Marconi 2020 (Sesto Calende, Varese, northern Italy) has allowed hinting at this practice also in GCC, through the anthropological analysis of cremated remains found in two different but spatially close tombs. The analysis of the cremated remains identified the selection of some elements of the skull of an adult individual and the post-cranium of a non-adult individual in the first tomb, and the presence of only the skull of the non-adult individual in the second tomb. The possibility of a ritual attention of the GCC reserved for the skull has been proven for the first time thanks to the analysis of these subjects. This work provides new data on funerary ritual behaviors of the GCC, allowing for a better understanding within the Italian and European panorama.

This paper explores mechanical stress in the Hellenistic/early Roman community of Menainon (Sicily) to test the existence of sex-based division of labor. For this purpose, human skeletal remains from 79 males and 65 females, dating to the 4th–1st ca. BCE, were examined for degenerative joint disease, intervertebral disc disease, cross-sectional geometric properties, and entheseal changes. Our findings support an equal share of workload between males and females, who appeared to have experienced similar mechanical stress levels. In contrast, they do not support a systematically greater mechanical load among males, as would have been expected if females had been restricted indoors taking care of domestic tasks only, while men had dealt with most physically demanding outdoor activities. The patterns identified in the current study agree with a scenario where agriculture was a prominent subsistence activity (as attested historically for this region) and most members of this rural community engaged in agricultural tasks irrespective of sex. Our study has limitations regarding the available historical and archaeological information, which restrict our ability to formulate solid research hypotheses or fully contextualize the bioarchaeological results. Nonetheless, it does highlight the importance of critically assessing historical information regarding the role of men and women in the Greco-Roman society.

A recently found cattle-based mandibular thong-smoother, which was the only bone tool in the Baden culture burial of a 6–10-year-old child at the site of Balatonlelle-Rádpuszta-Romtemplom mellett (western Hungary), represents the best-preserved Eneolithic implement in this category ever published in Hungary. Being one of the oldest specimens from the distribution area of mandibular thong-smoothers, it brings new information regarding the origin and possible use of this rarely identified type of tool linked to strap and thong-making in the period from the Eneolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Having been recovered from the grave of a child, it draws attention to the possibility that children may have been involved in strap production. The evaluation of analogies from and outside of Hungary also offered a complex review of mandibular thong-smoothers. In addition to the role of these implements in taming and driving horses already discussed in the specialist literature, we also point to their involvement in the use of harnessed cattle for draught and transport, and its linkage to the spread of wagon and carriage in the wake of the 4th millennium.

The accurate comparison of prevalence rates of disease between different groups/populations is vital if we seek to contextualize our understanding of the impact of risk factors on health in the past. The majority of bioarchaeological studies of maxillary sinusitis employ the methods and “diagnostic criteria” outlined by Boocock and colleagues in 1995. However, until now, few attempts have been made to assess the inter-rater reliability of these methods. This study presents the results of the analysis of interobserver variability in the recording of bone changes related to maxillary sinusitis among three observers within three human osteoarchaeological populations. The results of Cohen's kappa coefficient tests indicated variability in agreement between different observers. The agreement on the presence/absence of maxillary sinusitis in different osteoarchaeological populations ranged from κ = 0.433 (“moderate” agreement) to κ = 0.629 (“substantial” agreement). The agreement on the type of bone change present within affected sinuses was often poor, with almost no to negative agreement for pitting (Observers 1 and 2) and remodeled spicules (Observers 1 and 3). Methodological problems that can impact consistency of results between researchers include variability in sinus preservation, duration of observer experience, the use of different endoscopic equipment, lack of clarity in the original method descriptions, and a deficit in clinical corroborations for bone changes. The results of this study highlight the need to improve standards for the recording of bone changes related to sinusitis to allow for meaningful comparisons of past maxillary sinusitis frequency rates. Further investigations of interobserver variability, incorporating a greater range of variables, are also required.

The aim of this study was to investigate primary double teeth in archeological material from the area of Poland and a brief review of the literature on the subject. Two cases of fusion of anterior primary teeth in two infants from past populations living in eastern (8th–9th cent. CE) and southern (15th cent. CE) parts of Poland are presented. A macroscopic as well as a radiographic assessment of the teeth was performed, which, in case 1, included a periapical X-ray and CBCT imaging (Gendex–USA GXDP-800) and, in case 2, scanning with a SkyScan micro-CT scanner, along with reconstruction images made using NRECON SkyScan. In case 1, cross-section and axial CBCT images showed that the fused teeth were joined by dentin in the lower portion of the crown and had two separate pulp chambers and one wide root canal. In case 2, a cross-sectional microscan confirmed partial fusion with two distinct crowns, two pulp chambers, and one wide common root canal. The discovery of fused teeth in the remains of children, which are typically poorly preserved, is a rare event. Consequently, the reported first cases of double teeth originating from the 8th–9th and 15th centuries CE, found in Poland in Central Europe, are of great value, as they can be used to map dental anomalies in archaeological populations. 3D imaging technologies are essential to establish the final diagnosis of double teeth.

This paper presents evidence for hypomineralization disorders (rickets and osteomalacia) in non-adults at Man Bac, a Neolithic site from northern Vietnam dated to 4000–3500BP, contributing to the well-described disease burden at the site that includes scurvy, treponemal disease, thalassemia, and malaria. Forty-four non-adults (<20 years of age-at-death) were assessed for macroscopic and radiographic evidence for hypomineralization disorders. Differential diagnosis was completed using traditional methods and three-level standardized criteria to combat the challenges of overlapping pathological features between hypomineralization disorder and the other diseases already diagnosed at the site. In addition, a diagnostic certainty approach was applied to investigate the impact of lesion ambiguity on our findings. Kaplan–Meier and Fishers exact tests were applied to assess age-at-death-related epidemiological patterns of hypomineralization disorder and co-morbid relationships with scurvy, thalassemia, and treponemal disease. Almost 50% of the non-adult assemblage presented with evidence for hypomineralization disorder, which was associated with decreased survivorship in childhood. Potential epidemiological relationships between scurvy and hypomineralization disorders, and thalassemia and hypomineralization disorders are described. The former relationship may be due to the likelihood of the introduction of rice resulting in multi-micronutrient deficiency, including vitamin C and calcium deficiency, and cultural attitudes to sunlight. The latter relationship may relate to the pathophysiology of thalassemia that can result in secondary osteomalacia possibly contributing to the development of hypomineralization disorder in the thalassemic non-adults. The findings are significant as they present possible approaches for diagnosis of disease embedded within complex disease burdens where individuals are likely suffering from co-morbidities.

Identification of archeological fish remains requires the use of comparative reference materials, generally in the form of disarticulated fish skeletons. Photographic or illustrative atlases provide an additional resource for the analysis of fish remains. Photographic resources exist for many marine species and for specific geographic regions, whereas freshwater European species have not been covered in great detail. Here, we present a photographic atlas for the bones of freshwater and migratory fish commonly recovered from archeological sites in Central Europe, alongside a discussion of the difficulties and considerations for the analysis of freshwater fish remains. The atlas also highlights the morphological similarity of many species and the interpretive limits of freshwater fish assemblages. The atlas aims to act as an accessible and user-friendly resource, which can be used for basic identification purposes when access to physical collections is not possible, to supplement pre-existing collections, or for training purposes. This paper acts as a platform from which the full atlas can be downloaded.