International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

Equids have shaped past Eurasian societies in many ways. This applies in particular to domestic horses, donkeys, and their hybrids. Key to documenting modes of exploitation and cultural trajectories in past societies is the correct taxonomic classification of tooth and bone specimens found in archaeological sites. However, close osteomorphological resemblance of wild and domestic equids and their economically valuable hybrids, that is, mules and hinnies, complicates the identification of intentionally fragmented or naturally damaged archaeological specimens. Here, we apply geometric morphometrics (GM) to mandibular teeth and metapodials, two skeletal elements commonly found in archaeological collections and known for their diagnostic properties using traditional morphometric methods. We registered a statistically representative set of 2D and 3D coordinates on mandibular teeth (P3, P4, M1, and M2) and metapodials of 92 domestic horses (Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758), 70 domestic donkeys (Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758), 30 hybrids, and 63 Asiatic wild asses (Equus hemionus Pallas, 1775). Taxonomic classification of these 255 specimens considered both shape and form, applying linear discriminant analysis, k-nearest neighbors algorithm, and artificial neural networks to seven combinations of taxa. We obtained correct classifications in over 87% and 80%, respectively, of the premolars and molars and in over 93% and 89%, respectively, of the metacarpals and metatarsals. This modern dataset was then used to classify equid specimens from three archaeological sites in the Middle East already analyzed morphologically. Taking into account the past zoogeography of wild equids and the historical distribution of their domesticated descendants and hybrids, the GM approach presented in this study offers the possibility to morphologically classify archaeological equids with far greater certainty than has been the case so far.

The identification of a calcified hydatid cyst in the bioarcheological record is key to the diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (i.e., hydatid disease), a parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. This zoonosis can be linked to human–canid interactions, given the reproductive cycle of the parasite (from canids to herbivores/humans as intermediate hosts), and it is commonly associated with agropastoral communities in both the past and present. However, it is not easy to identify a calcified hydatid cyst in the archeological record because of preservation problems and its similarity with other calcifications of biological and geological origin. We report the presence of two fragmented ovoidal calcified formations associated with human remains in different medieval Islamic cemeteries from the Kingdom of Granada in al-Andalus (Southern Iberia, 13th–15th centuries AD). These formations were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The localization, morphology, and composition of the calcifications indicate that they are hydatid cysts caused by E. granulosus, representing the first evidence of cystic echinococcosis in Islamic Medieval Europe. Our results are in line with archeological and historical records of human–animal interactions and agropastoral practices in al-Andalus, and they highlight the importance of analyzing calcified masses in the osteoarcheological record.

This paper introduces an open access resource for recording and sharing macroscopic data on archaeological human skeletal remains: STARC OSTEOARCH. The resource was developed using a cloud collaboration service, Airtable, and it accommodates data collection on individual skeletons as well as disassociated commingled remains. The attributes covered include key information on demography (sex and age-at-death), taphonomy (zonation, anatomical preservation, weathering, fragmentation, and other types of post-mortem alteration), diet (dental diseases and dental wear), mechanical stress (entheseal changes, osteoarthritis, Schmorl's nodes, and vertebral arthritis), biodistances (cranial metrics and nonmetrics and dental metrics and nonmetrics), and various pathological lesions. References and key descriptions of the categories per attribute have been incorporated in the resource to facilitate raw data sharing, which can be achieved using Airtable's sharing functionality. This initiative aims at promoting standard practices in the field and facilitating data collection and sharing.

We have reconstructed the feeding patterns, weaning age, dietary structure, and physiological stress experienced by the late Yangshao culture (3500–2800 BCE) of the Middle Yellow River in different individuals early years through comparative carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of dentin incremental sections, limb bones, or rib assemblages. We present dentin incremental and bone collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope data from 17 individuals from two late Yangshao culture archeological sites (Qingtai 青台 and Shuanghuaishu 双槐树). The result showed that all individuals in the sample weaned between 2.5 and 3.8 years old, and other than the fact that females weaned slightly sooner than males in the Qingtai sites, there were no sex variations in dietary trends across life history stages. The majority of individuals consistently consumed C₄ foods (millets) from early childhood onward. A small number of individuals consumed both C₃ and C₄ foods at an early age, and the proportion of C₃ foods (rice) consumed declined or gradually disappeared with increasing age. In addition to the traditional local foods based on millets, a small number of individual families added rice, a newly accessible resource, in varying proportions for young children's foods, which has directly contributed to the dichotomy within this research group in terms of dietary patterns and child-rearing concepts. The emergence of early childhood nurturing strategies in this study serves as a significant microcosm of the social context in which individual families, private ownership, and civilization progressively took shape in early China.

Relatively little attention has been paid to the importance of birds as alternative food sources and as ceremonial offerings in Moche practices. I examine bird remains from the Late Moche (600–900 CE) site of Huaca Colorada of the Jequetepeque Valley, Peru, to investigate the role of birds in daily activities and their use in ritual events. The Moche used birds in diverse ways in both domestic and ceremonial activities. Beginning with their use as food source, this analysis addresses the active hunting and opportunistic collection of various avian taxa to establish some of the ways that these animals formed part of subsistence practices. I further consider the way birds can serve as environmental proxies. I examine the presence of marine birds and possible nonlocal species at Huaca Colorada for their use in ceremonial practice. Zooarchaeological and iconographic evidence attests to various predatory bird taxa as important liminal beings for bridging different ecological zones and as vehicles for the travel of spirits and other supernatural forces between spheres of the living and the dead. By investigating birds in Moche practices, this article contributes new insights on the way avian species formed part of feasting events and mortuary offerings and more fully connects iconographic and zooarchaeological records.

The Vikings are well known for their long-distance travels. Originating in Scandinavia, they took their shallow draft ships along the river networks and open seas to trade with Europe, Russia, Constantinople and the Mediterranean (Morcken, 1989). They also undertook raids and later invasion and settlement of coastal areas of the British Isles, Ireland and mainland Europe (Nordeide & Edwards, 2019; Price & Raffield, 2023). They headed west to discover lands previously unknown to Europeans, such as Greenland and the east coast of North America (Ingstad & Ingstad, 2000). However, they adopted Christianity in the 10th–11th centuries and gradually shifted from warlike raiders to more mainstream European societies. This is shown by their joining other European nations in collaborative events such as the crusades to the Holy Land, when the fleet of King Sigurd Jorsalfar of Norway reached the Kingdom of Jerusalem in AD 1110 (Murray, 2006).

In this paper published by Geber's team, (Geber et al., 2023), we are drawn into the world of the early Christian cult of St. Olaf. King Haraldsson of Norway (c. 995–1030) was canonized as Saint Olaf after his death. On the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, six burials at the pilgrimage site of S:t Olofsholm dating from 10th to 13th centuries were examined. Two of the burials showed evidence for perimortem sharp force and projectile weapon trauma, and a further individual showed charring indicating the body had been exposed to fire prior to the burial. Olaf is recorded as visiting Gotland with his troops while converting the Gutes there to Christianity, with violence being recorded in the sagas collated in the Heimskringla. Oxygen and strontium isotope analysis of dental enamel was undertaken for four of the burials. The results for three individuals were compatible with spending their childhood on Gotland but would also be compatible with other regions of Scandinavia. In contrast, the strontium value in one older adult female was incompatible with the local range for Gotland but would be compatible with Iceland, south Norway, Denmark, south Sweden and parts of Britain.

This exploration of a pilgrimage site associated with St. Olaf helps to link the legends and sagas associated with early Christianity in the Viking world. Ancient people would only undertake arduous journeys on pilgrimage if there was a good reason to make that trip. It seems quite possible that it was the nature of the people buried here that made S:t Olofsholm a site worthy of pilgrims traveling to it. We find evidence for migration and for weapon injuries in those buried at this pilgrimage site. In view of the historical texts about Olaf's conversion of Gotland, Geber's team argue that these individuals may have been involved in the Christian conversion of the island, so making the site worthy of pilgrimage.

In this work, we study diet composition of prehistoric human populations of Northwest Patagonia by exploring the combination of two different approaches frequently used in bioarchaeology, Bayesian isotope mixing models, and zooarchaeological analysis. For this purpose, we compiled a large dataset of previously published δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N human and resource values, as well as zooarchaeological data, corresponding to the Middle–Late Holocene and distributed throughout Northwest Patagonia. We first propose a replicable approach to divide the region into different areas comprising human individuals that shared the same available resources and perform isotope mixing models at individual level using default (i.e., uninformative) prior distributions in the Bayesian mixing models. Then, we explore a potential complementation of isotopic and zooarchaeological evidence by introducing the frequency of zooarchaeological assemblages with the different resources, as well as NISP, as priors in the Bayesian mixing models to guide diet estimations. Additionally, we use these frequencies to analyze the possible absence of some important resources in previous analyses. Based on the species distribution and geographical location of bioarchaeological sites, we divided the region into five areas (Northwest and Northeast Neuquén, South Neuquén/Rio Negro, and Southwest and Central-east Mendoza) that differ in the resources available for potential human consumption. The results obtained show high diet variability among these areas, with individuals from Northwest and Northeast Neuquén consuming mainly large animals (i.e., guanaco and rhea, respectively) and South Neuquén/Rio Negro and Center-east and Southwest Mendoza consuming a larger diversity of resources. Our results show that considering zooarchaeological priors in the analyses results in diet composition estimations more in line with the ecological diversity present in the region than previous estimations. We propose that approaches like this, which are common in ecological studies, should be considered in bioarchaeology to make more robust estimates of diet composition.

Teeth are commonly preserved in the zooarchaeological record and can be used to estimate the age of individuals in a faunal assemblage. However, there are currently no criteria for discerning the sex of elk based on dental metric characteristics. Here, we present the results of an osteometric analysis of modern elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to create an age profile for the sample, establish metrical parameters for evaluating sex, and discern the relationship between age and size. The analysis of tooth development stages in younger elk was combined with the assessment of occlusal wear in older elk to create an age profile of our sample population. The length and breadth of mandibular third molars produced bimodal distributions that suggest these measurements can be used to differentiate sex in this population, and diastema length showed a curvilinear association with age (R² = 0.71). This dataset provides a useful comparative sample for future studies on ageing and sexing in zooarchaeology, conservation paleobiology, and wildlife resources management.

This exploratory study aims at reconstructing human paleodiets and that of camelids—their staple animal resource—in El Bolsón, an Andean valley in Catamarca Province, NW Argentina, as a way of exploring variations in the strategies and patterns of food procurement, production, preparation, and consumption by local agricultural-pastoralist societies over the last 1500 years. We present the first systematically obtained data on carbon (¹³C/¹²C) and nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) isotopic relationships as measured on camelid and human bone collagen. They come from five camelid individuals from Los Viscos archaeological site, dating to the last 1200 years, and from six human individuals from archaeological rescues and isolated finds bracketed between at least ca. 1300 cal CE and ca. 500 cal CE, as no other human samples are available in the study area. The results suggest that camelids consumed predominantly locally available C₃ pastures, while the human paleodiet was primarily based on C₄ plants, with camelid protein not being central to it. Here, we discuss how local productive strategies would have played a part in the selective diet of the human inhabitants and interpret this picture in the context of the larger area comprising the Andean valleys of NW Argentina.