International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

The analysis of entheseal changes requires knowing the biological profile of the sample analyzed, given that, mainly, the sex and age of the individuals influence the prevalence and degrees of the entheseal features. However, the bioarcheological record of several past populations presents isolated and commingled human bone remains, which constrains the estimation of such data. In this work, we propose to analyze the entheseal changes with the Coimbra method in a sample composed mainly of commingled human bone remains and, to a lesser extent, of semi-complete individuals. For this purpose, we analyzed 312 bone elements from the upper and lower limbs of Late Mesolithic (Muge complex) and Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic archeological sites from Portugal. The results support previous information that individuals older than 40 present higher entheseal changes. In addition, body size has a low effect on entheseal changes and bone's biomechanical properties are positively correlated with some entheseal features. Some entheseal traits show higher prevalence during the Mesolithic, but there is mainly an increase in entheseal changes during the Neolithic. Although these differences could be due to different biological profiles between both samples, differences in lifestyle may also have contributed to the results.

Atlantoaxial abnormalities are rarely documented among wild animals. Many defects of segmentation in the spine are hereditary in domestic species and humans. Here, we present a block vertebra in an eastern wapiti (Cervus canadensis canadensis) from the Angel Site (12Vg1) in southern Indiana (USA) dating to 1000–1400 CE. Diagnosis used macroscopic and radiographic examination. Evidence of inflammatory response and eburnation point to functional compromise. Recorded pathologies of this nature are underrepresented in the past and present. We suggest this specimen from an adult wapiti species represents a female as this condition would have been more debilitating in an antlered stag limiting the possibility of living well into adulthood.

Several recent studies have demonstrated the complexity of funerary practices in megalithic burials. Mortuary taphonomy has proposed models to explain these practices, in which different actions, such as the generation of primary and secondary deposits, the selection and manipulation of bone remains, the extraction of materials from the grave, and so forth, can be identified. However, in the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, the interpretation of funerary gestures related to megalithic tombs has not been systematically studied from the perspective of taphonomy. In this paper, we study two sites, Los Zumacales and La Lora, dated to the fourth millennium B.C. The analysis considers all the burial practices linked with megalithic tombs, with a focus on the social and natural processes involved in the formation of these complex mortuary deposits. In both examples, direct evidence of perimortem manipulation of human remains is documented by the presence of fresh fractures and cut marks in different long bones. As suggested in the discussion, this evidence may be related to secondary reduction practices following the initial deposition of the bodies.

This article aims to estimate the prevalence of rickets and its development during the Industrial Revolution in southeastern France through the study of a large skeletal collection from two recently excavated sites in La Ciotat and Marseille. In total, 790 individuals were selected based on their state of preservation: 556 adults and 234 nonadults. All individuals were systematically examined for macroscopic paleopathological evidence of rickets, based on 13 features indicative of vitamin D deficiency. Rickets was rare in our population, with only 3% of the sample showing signs of the disease. Individuals who died during childhood were more likely to present lesions associated with rickets: 7.7% of the nonadult population show signs of rickets against 1.1% of the adult one (Fisher's exact test: p < 0.001). Moreover, these lesions generally indicated early stages with mechanical bowing of long bones being particularly rare, unlike metaphyseal deformities. Far from the expected increase described by medico-historical literature, incidence was low and showed no change from the 16th to the 20th century. Furthermore, an increase in residual cases in adults results suggest better survival of vitamin D deficiency, which could reflect better handling of the disease. This is the first study dealing with rickets during the Industrial Revolution in France, and based on osteological material, forthcoming analyses should now focus on the incorporation of radiographic and microscopic criteria to further validate our cases and working hypotheses. Additionally, future research could benefit from the inclusion of a broader sample of individuals from early and late modern contexts, but also from the consideration of local medieval contexts providing a detailed overview that could highlight secular changes over a long period.

This paper examines the human osteological remains unearthed from six Late Helladic (LH IIIA2-IIIB2) (1390/70–1200/1190 BCE) tombs at Socha in the Peloponnese. It seeks to investigate the character of a Mycenaean community that though organically integrated into and highly dependent on the palatial system, manifested Mycenaean burial practices with a distinctly local character, namely, through the use of built cist-tombs. Our analysis investigates further the identity of this community and explores whether these people had also adopted a different way of life, diet and mortuary behavior toward specific groups. The results show that the demographic composition, diet, and health characteristics of the deceased of Socha were analogous to most Mycenaean sites: (a) equal representation of males and females, (b) burial exclusion of infants and young children, and (c) homogenous C₃ terrestrial diet. In addition, a tendency for a more frequent inclusion of middle-aged females with subadults in the same tomb suggests gender and age differentiation are in play. On the other hand, even though the burials of Socha practiced collectivity, an emphasis on individuality through a less variable post-mortem manipulation of the deceased is also in evidence and is characterized by single secondary deposits within the original grave, no evidence for commingling, and no evidence for removal nor selection of bones in secondary deposits. These characteristics demonstrate the differentiation of the group of Socha during a period of intensive movement and the creation of new settlements in South Kynouria.

This paper presents the results of the first large-scale study of children from early modern northern Estonia. A total of 191 non-adults (<17 years) from the 16th–18th century Tõnismägi cemetery in the suburbs of Tallinn were analyzed to gain a better understanding of the health and living environment of these low-status children. This was achieved through growth analysis and palaeopathological investigation of metabolic and respiratory diseases such as scurvy, vitamin D deficiency, and tuberculosis. Growth disruption was shown to be the most severe among non-adults aged between 4 and 9 years and comparable to children living in post-medieval London. It is unlikely that the children from Tallinn would have experienced the same level of industrial hazards as those in London, but poor socioeconomic status, an impoverished diet, and unsanitary living conditions in the suburbs had a detrimental effect on the growth of these non-adults. This was supported by a statistically significant correlation between growth faltering and respiratory infections and evidence for scurvy in 40% of the infants (n = 30). The most likely cause was early weaning and a diet devoid of vitamin C, induced by poverty and cultural practices. The prevalence of rickets was much lower when compared with other post-medieval populations in Europe, at just 1.2%. This suggests that children living in Tallinn were not deprived of sunlight and may have had access to more green spaces.

In the Iron Age IIA Philistine cemetery at Ashkelon (modern Israel), roughly 11% of individuals exhibit severe and highly variable dental wear, which we explore here at two timescales: wear that accumulates over days and weeks (microwear) and wear that accumulates over months and years (macrowear). Using teeth from both adult and nonadult individuals, we first established categories of dental macrowear patterns and sorted individuals within them. We then made replicas of the teeth from 27 individuals having both typical and atypical dental wear and performed metrology by noncontact profilometry on a reflected light microscope. We then calculated each tooth's surface roughness (Sa) and collected qualitative observations of teeth within each macrowear category. Our findings show no macrowear or microwear pattern exclusive to sex or age group. Likewise, there are no statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in Sa between adult males and females, and sampled nonadults fall within two standard deviations of the pooled adult means. The microscopic surfaces of all teeth show a wide variety of textures on the occlusal surfaces, including wavy striations, deep parallel striations, globular pitting, and newly described rectangular pits. These results indicate that individuals used their teeth as a third hand while manipulating objects and that children also participated in these activities. Due to the similarities in dental wear between Ashkelon and other coastal populations, we conclude that the observed wear patterns arose from the performance of specialized tasks for a marine-based economy.

Bone retouchers are a technological appliance used to perfect lithic tools efficiently. They are most frequently found in Middle Palaeolithic contexts. In this paper, we present a group of bone retouchers from the Mousterian Level XV of the Sopeña rock shelter (Asturias, Spain). The bone part preferred was the middle part of the shaft of long bones: Most of them are on metacarpals, followed by metatarsals, femurs, and tibias. The most used animal species is adult red deer. These retouchers have either one, two, or three active areas, with a central disposition. The impact marks are close together; oval pits are common, as well as straight, sinuous, and irregular grooves. The surfaces on these marks appear pitted and scaled. There are indications that the bones employed were relatively fresh. The length, width, and thickness of those bone fragments seem to be the determining factor when choosing them to be used as retouchers in the process of finishing lithic tools. The formats documented in Sopeña Level XV are similar to those found in other Mousterian sites in Iberia, although there is a certain variability regarding their width. The Neanderthals of Sopeña acquired the raw material for these retouchers from the faunal remains generated in the process of butchering and eating the animals. These retouchers were used as implements to perfect lithic tools made mainly on quartzite, and they were used repeatedly and maybe for a long time.

Sexual dimorphism patterns vary across geographic regions due to the influence of genetic characteristics and environmental factors. Therefore, sex estimation models are being developed specifically for each population or group. The applicability of morphological sex estimation methods has not been tested in Turkey. Hence, by using skulls, the present study aims to analyze the reliability of the visual morphological method and test the equations developed in different populations. The study material consists of 192 skulls (96 male, 96 female) with known sexes, excavated from Istanbul's Karacaahmet cemetery in 1925. In the present study, glabella, mastoid process, supraorbital margin, and nuchal crest traits were scored on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the instructions provided in standard protocols. Intra-observer and inter-observer agreements were analyzed by two experts having the same level of experience. When equations derived from other populations were applied to our samples, they exhibited high sex biases (up to 50%). Therefore, new equations were derived through binary logistic regression analysis. Glabella had the highest performance in terms of repeatability (0.83) and reproducibility (0.74), whereas the nuchal crest showed the lowest performance (0.60–0.52). The most significant sexual dimorphism was observed in the glabella. Based on cross-validated results using a single criterion, it accurately classified 80% of females and 84% of males. The nuchal crest was not significantly affecting the sex discriminative equations (p > 0.05). Multivariate equations achieved an accuracy of over 90% and cross-validated results ranged between 80% and 90%. The results obtained from present study support the hypothesis that sexual dimorphism patterns vary under different conditions and highlight the importance of population variation in sex estimation. The models derived from the present study were found to be suitable for sex estimation from skulls and demonstrated high performance.