Bioarchaeology

Περίληψη Η ανατοµία αποτελεί τον ακρογωνιαίο λίθο της ιατρικής εκπαίδευσης, ωστόσο η πρώτη επαφή των φοιτητών µε το ανθρώπινο σώµα συνοδεύεται από πολυδιάστατες προκλήσεις. Η παρούσα εργασία διερευνά τις ψυχολογικές, εκπαιδευτικές και ηθικές διαστάσεις της ανατοµικής διδασκαλίας, µε έµφαση στη σύγκριση µεταξύ του ελληνικού και αιγυπτιακού εκπαιδευτικού συστήµατος. Αξιοποιώντας δεδοµένα από το Πανεπιστήµιο ASU Cairo, προτείνονται στρατηγικές για τη βελτιστοποίηση της διδακτικής προσέγγισης.-Εισαγωγή Ιστορική Αναδροµή Από την εποχή του Γαληνού έως τη σύγχρονη εποχή, η ανατοµία έχει εξελιχθεί από µια εµπειρική πρακτική σε µια επιστήµη βασισµένη σε ακριβή δεδοµένα. Η χρήση πτωµάτων για εκπαιδευτικούς σκοπούς, που καθιερώθηκε κατά την Αναγέννηση, έθεσε τα θεµέλια για τη σύγχρονη ιατρική αλλά και ηθικά διλήµµατα. Στόχοι Έρευνας 1. Ανάλυση των συναισθηµατικών εµποδίων των πρωτοετών (π.χ. άγχος, αποστροφή). 2. Αξιολόγηση της συµβολής ψηφιακών εργαλείων (3D µοντέλα, εικονική πραγµατικότητα). 3. Σύγκριση των εκπαιδευτικών προγραµµάτων Ελλάδας και Αιγύπτου.-Κεφάλαιο 1: Θεωρητικό Πλαίσιο Ορισµός και Σηµασία της Ανατοµίας Η ανατοµία δεν αποτελεί απλώς τη µελέτη δοµών, αλλά τη γλωσσοµάθεια του σώµατος ως «κειµένου» που αποκαλύπτει ασθένειες και λειτουργίες. Οι πρωτοετείς φοιτητές απαιτείται να κατακτήσουν:-**Οστεολογία**: Ταυτοποίηση και λειτουργία οστών.-**Μυολογία**: Κατανόηση µυϊκών συστηµάτων. Εκπαιδευτικά Συστήµατα: Ελλάδα vs.

En esta investigación se ha realizado una aproximación al tratamiento funerario del sitio arqueológico de Chak Pet, a partir de reconocer las características identitarias biológicas de los individuos mediante el análisis de indicadores osteológicos y su relación con la presencia de elementos conquiológicos no trabajados dentro del mobiliario funerario.

This study investigates human diet and mobility to understand the socioeconomic organisation of a Late Roman community in Liguria, a transitional region between Italy and Gaul, during the 3rd-5th century CE. By combining archaeological, historical, osteological, and isotopic data with novel Bayesian modelling of multi-isotope data (collagen δ 13 C, δ 15 N, bioapatite 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) from human and animal skeletal remains, as well as modern plant samples, we provide new insights into this hitherto under-researched region. Our findings suggest the community followed a C 3-based diet, heavily reliant on plant resources and carbohydrates, supplemented by animal protein, likely from omnivorous pigs. This characteristically Roman diet contrasts with ancient written sources that claimed Ligurians had a "barbarian" diet and lifestyle. We also identified significant sex-based dietary differences, with men consuming more animal-derived protein than women, reflecting traditional Graeco-Roman societal ideals. Although the overall dietary pattern aligns with Roman norms, there is no isotopic evidence of long-distance migration or consumption of significant amounts of imported food. This indicates that the community may have been more localist, prioritising locally available resources over long-distance imports, which is unexpected given the prevalent idea of a large-scale interconnected food network within the Roman Empire.

This is the fifth final report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first four reports presented the results of the excavations in the 1992–1996, 1998–2002, 2004–2008 and 2010–2014 seasons (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Halpern 2000; 2006; Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Cline 2013; Finkelstein and Martin 2022, respectively). This volume strays from the regular seasonal reports to focus specifically on two tombs of special importance excavated in Area H during the 2016 seasons: Tomb 16/H/50, a monumental masonry-constructed chamber tomb that dates to the Middle Bronze III (Level H-16) and Burial 16/H/45, a simple pit burial that dates to the Late Bronze I (Level H-15). Both burials were excavated under rare circumstances; they were unusually rich and undisturbed and were therefore excellent candidates for extensive archaeological and archaeological-science analyses. Analyzing and publishing the two burials together offers added benefits since the two were closely related temporally, spatially and contextually.

The practice of cremation is often interpreted as an alternative to inhumation, taking place shortly after an individual’s death. However, cremation could be a final stage in complex mortuary practices, with previous steps that are obscured due to the heating process. This project reports on experimental scoping research on a set of experimentally heated femoral fragments from modern and archaeological collections of the University of Coimbra. Sixteen recent femur samples from eight individuals, as well as five femur samples from an archaeological skeleton from the medieval-modern cemetery found at the Hospital de Santo António (Porto), were included in this research. Samples presented five different conditions: unburnt, and burnt at maximum temperatures of 300 °C, 500 °C, 700 °C and 900 °C. Each sample was prepared to allow observation using binocular transmitted light microscopes with ×10, ×25 and ×40 magnifications. Results indicated that, if burial led to bioerosion, this will r...

We have critically investigated the ATR-IR spectroscopy data behavior of burned human teeth as opposed to the generally observed behavior in human bones that were subjected to heat treatment, whether deliberate or accidental. It is shown that the deterioration of the crystallinity index (CI) behavior sometimes observed in bones subjected to high temperature appears to be of higher frequency in the case of bioapatite from teeth. This occurs because the formation of the β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) phase, otherwise known as whitlockite, clearly ascertained by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns collected on the same powdered specimens investigated by ATR-IR. These results point to the need of combining more than one physicochemical technique even if apparently well suitable, in order to verify whether the assumed conditions assessed by spectroscopy are fully maintained in the specimens after temperature and/or mechanical processing.

A escavação arqueológica na necrópole da Abóbada decorreu no âmbito do Projecto ESTELA. Tinha como objectivo a caracterização do local de proveniência da chamada "Estela do Guerreiro", com escrita do Sudoeste, identificada em 1972. O resultado dos trabalhos aí desenvolvidos entre 2010 e 2011 permitiram reunir um conjunto de informação quanto à cronologia, tipo de estruturas funerárias e documentar os respetivos rituais funerários. Apesar da sua afectação pela lavra mecânica, foi possível registar a presença de dois monumentos funerários pétreos quadrangulares e de diversos covachos em fossa simples com deposição secundária das cremações. Os restos humanos apresentam-se completamente calcinados e a sua fragmentação é muito elevada. Com uma única clara excepção, foram depositados diretamente no solo sem recurso a urna e as evidências sugerem que a cremação se terá provavelmente dado pouco tempo após a morte, com os tecidos moles ainda presentes.

The determination of the original condition of human remains prior to burning is critical since it may facilitate the reconstruction of circumstances surrounding death in forensic cases. Although the use of heat-induced bone changes is not a completely reliable proxy for determining pre-burning conditions, it is not completely devoid of potential, as we can observe a clear difference in the occurrence of such features between fleshed and dry bones. In order to quantify this difference and determine its true value for forensic research, the frequencies of heat-induced warping and thumbnail fractures were documented on modern cremations of cadavers from recently deceased individuals and from the cremations of skeletons previously inhumed. The effect of age, sex, time span from death to cremation, duration and temperature of combustion on those frequencies was statistically investigated. Results demonstrated that the heat-induced features were significantly more frequent in the sample of cadavers. In addition, warping was determined to be the most useful indicator of the pre-burning condition of human remains. Temperature of combustion was the only variable having a significant effect on the frequency of both features suggesting that fluctuation of temperature, along with collagen preservation and recrystallization of the inorganic phase, is paramount for their occurrence. Both warping and thumbnail fractures may eventually be used for the estimation of the pre-burning condition of human remains in lack of other indicators but their reliability is far from absolute. Ideally, such inference must be supported by other data such as skeletal representation, objects or defleshing marks on bones.

Estimating sex on large assemblages of commingled skeletal human remains is challenging because it prevents the systemic observation of the skeleton and thus reduces the reliability of sex-ratio estimation. In order to tackle this problem, the applicability of sample-specific odontometric methods was assessed on the human skeletal remains from the Middle Neolithic cave necropolis of Bom Santo in Portugal. We present an approach that confirms some of the assumptions -the normal distribution of the data and the 1:1.5 sex ratio -indicated by for the application of sample-specific methods. These assumptions are often difficult to assess in archaeological samples and thus prevent the use of sample-specific methods. The mean bucco-lingual diameter of 51 lower right canine teeth was used as a cut-off point to discriminate between sexes within a sample from Bom Santo. Before that, Shapiro-Wilk statistics was used to confirm that the distribution of the data in a sample of 51 lower canine teeth was normal. In addition, the range and central tendency of the data were compared to other samples for which the sex of the individuals was known in order to confirm that those parameters were consistent with those of a sample presenting a balanced sex ratio. The canine sex estimations were then compared with the sex estimation obtained from mandibles where canine teeth were still in situ (n = 8). No clear disagreement between the two methods was found thus demonstrating good potential of this method for sex estimation and for the sex ratio estimation in commingled human skeletal remains. Results indicated that sex ratios in Room A and Room B at Bom Santo were quite different. This indicates that the two locations may have been used in a different way according to sex.

Sex determination of human burned skeletal remains is extremely hard to achieve because of heat-related fragmentation, warping and dimensional changes. In particular, the latter is impeditive of osteometric analyses based on references developed on unburned bones. New osteometric references were thus obtained which allow for more reliable sex determinations. The calcined remains of cremated Portuguese individuals were examined and specific standard measurements of the humerus, femur, talus and calcaneus were documented. This allowed for the compilation of new sex discriminating osteometric references which were then tested on independent samples with good results. Both the use of simple cut-off points and of logistic regression equations provided with successful sex classification scores. These references may now be used for the sex determination of burned skeletons. Its reliability is improved for contemporary Portuguese and thus has important repercussion for forensic research. Nonetheless, the more conservative use of these references may also prove valuable for other populations as well as for archaeological research.

Bones submitted to heat experience structural and chromatic modifications. In particular, heat-induced bone warping and thumbnail fractures have been linked to the burning of fleshed and green bones -where the soft tissues have been removed from the bones soon after deathin contrast to dry bones. Those have been suggested as indicators of the state of the individual before being burned thus allowing inferences about the funerary behaviour of archaeological populations. A large sample of 61 skeletons submitted to cremation has been examined for the presence of both of these heat-induced features. Although uncommon, bone warping and thumbnail fractures were present in some of the skeletons demonstrating that its presence is not restricted to the burning of non-dried bones as generally believed. Rather than being an indicator of the presence of bones with soft tissues, bone warping seems to be more of an indicator of the preservation of collagen-apatite links which can be maintained on dry bones with low collagen deterioration. In addition, our results also do not confirm thumbnail fractures as an exclusive sign of the burning of bones with soft tissues. As a result, these heat-induced changes should be used with caution when trying to infer about the preburning state of an individual.

A research project on the Algar do Bom Santo necropolis started in 2010. This paper presents a preliminary synthesis on the exhumed human population and a first insight into the funerary practices recorded during the site excavations in the 1990s, as well as palaeodiet reconstitutions.

Complete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological and forensic cases involving severe fragmentation. In such cases, skeletal mass comparisons with published references may be used as an alternative to assess skeletal completeness but they are too general for a case-by-case routine analysis. The objective is to solve this issue by creating linear regression equations to estimate the total mass of a skeleton based on the mass of individual bones. Total adult skeletal mass and individual mass of the clavicle, humerus, femur, patella, carpal, metacarpal, tarsal, and metatarsal bones were recorded in a sample of 60 skeletons from the 21st century identified skeletal collection (University of Coimbra). The sample included 32 females and 28 males with ages ranging from 31 to 96 years (mean = 76.4; sd = 14.8). Skeletal mass linear regression equations were calculated based on this sample. The mass of individual bones was successfully used to predict the app...

The excavation in 2007 of a cemetery of the Hellenistic times (from the end of the 4th century BC) in the wider region
of Piraeus (the biggest harbor of Greece), brought to light 93 graves and 88 skeletons the remains of which were macroscopically
studied from the anthropological point of view. The study demonstrated - among other pathological findings - a high rate of porotic
hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia (47,8%), both these lesions being possibly connected (besides other factors), with the infectious
disease of malaria. This fact (viewed within an ecological frame) motivated the theoretical approach of the particular characteristics
of the environment of Piraeus, that may have been determining factors for malaria in antiquity; apart from the existence of a vast
marshy area in ancient Piraeus (Alipedon), there also were other equally aggravating natural factors for the dispersal of the disease:
the lack of running water or the repeatedly overflowing Kifissos river along with the transformation of the coastline, to mention but
a few. Among the anthropogenic factors associated with the occurrence of the disease, are included the Long Walls - that major defensive
work stretching between Athens and Piraeus -, the methods of cultivation in that time, as well as the role of the Harbor itself.

Campeche, one of the Spanish Empire's main Mexican ports, was a place where previously distinct cultures and populations intermingled during the colonial era (AD 1540–1680). Investigation of the town's central plaza revealed a Hispanic cemetery of multi-ethnic burials. The authors combine previous analyses with newly generated genome-wide data from 10 individuals to trace detailed life histories of the mostly young, local Indigenous Americans and first-generation European and African immigrants, none of whom show evidence of genetic admixture. These results provide insights into the individual lives and social divides of the town's founder communities and demonstrate how ancient DNA analyses can contribute to understanding early colonial encounters.

Examining skeletal materials unearthed from graves at archaeological sites involve complex and multifaceted research challenges, often necessitating interdisciplinary collaboration. Comprehensive studies of individual skeletons can yield crucial insights for identifying and reconstructing factors that influenced the living conditions, health status, and overall biological condition of entire palaeopopulations. The primary goals of anthropological skeletal analysis are to determine the identity of the deceased, understand their lifestyle, identify any diseases they suffered from, analyse their diet and eating habits, assess their level of physical activity, describe their distinguishing features, and determine the cause of death. Conducting in-depth analysis is necessary in order to develop both a basic and an extended biological profile, and to determine the individual’s sex, age at death, and stature. Subsequent stages involve assessing dental status, identifying determinants of physiological stress, evaluating morphometric changes in bones related to habitual and life activities, and examining all skeletal and dental pathologies. Analysing pathological changes in bones often involves difficulties typically encountered in differential diagnosis, including in palaeopathology. Examining observed pathologies solely on bones is often extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to resolve unequivocally. These difficulties arise from the nonspecific nature of changes, similar clinical presentations in various disease entities, the lack of clinical history, and taphonomic factors that have a destructive effect on bones (Miller et al. 1996; Carotenuto et al. 2021). Moreover, it cannot be stated with full certainty that currently known diseases cause the same anatomical and pathological changes in bones as those found in the skeletons of people living in antiquity. This is because the clinical picture of diseases may change over long periods of time (Miller et al. 1996; Carotenuto et al. 2021). When examining skeletal materials from archaeological sites, it is necessary to differentiate the normal anatomical structure of the bone from pathological changes. This helps recognise possible post-traumatic alterations, and – if possible – determine the time and mechanism of their occurrence (whether active or passive), and identify the tool used to inflict the injury. An injury results from energy applied harmfully to the human body (trauma), manifesting as macroscopically perceptible changes, such as breaches in the continuity of tissue structures (Teresiński 2019, 311). Bones may fracture, meaning the continuity of bone tissue can be disrupted as a result of significant mechanical injury that exceeds the tissue’s elasticity limits. In most cases, diagnosing injuries with signs of healing is relatively easy, and indicates that they occurred during the individual’s life. Medical imaging tests (for example, X-rays and computed tomography) further facilitate diagnostics. The identification and interpretation of bone injuries in archaeological material that may have occurred perimortem is often complex, difficult, and sometimes even impossible, which may be due to the poor condition of the skeletal remains. Perimortem injuries can result from trauma that occurred shortly before death, preventing repair processes from starting (no signs of remodelling). They can also occur shortly after death, in which case the bone still retains its biomechanical elasticity and plasticity (Lorkiewicz et al. 2011; Pechníková et al. 2011; Sorg 2019; Soficaru, Trinkaus 2020). The absence of soft tissues and the inability to assess other injuries accompanying fractures (for example, bruising, haemorrhages, skin wounds, and muscle damage in open fractures) present significant challenges in differentiating and interpreting trauma signs. In cases when the state of skeleton preservation is poor and taphonomic alterations are present, distinguishing perimortem injuries from postmortem injuries caused by secondary excavations or postmortem fragmentation is often ambiguous or even impossible (Pechníková et al. 2011; Ribeiro et al. 2020). Diagnosing and interpreting such lesions in order to distinguish between injuries and taphonomic modifications requires extensive knowledge and experience. This includes understanding characteristics of bone healing, the biomechanical plasticity and elasticity reflected in the morphology of fractures, and the ability to differentiate normal bone structure from bone affected by pathological changes. The environmental context of discovery and the arrangement of the skeleton in situ are also important. Various burial customs observed in different periods and cultures (for example, secondary shafts, or moving skeletons or their parts) can often contribute to the deterioration of remains. However, these customs may also carry significant information in the form of traces left on the bones (for example, marks made by tools). Skeletal bone material from archaeological sites is therefore a rich source of information regarding the history of each deceased person, including their postmortem history.

When anthropological studies of ancient societies are being conducted, the most
imporant materials that provide information about society are skeletal and dental remains.
Dental materials are prefered because ofthe solid constnction and good preservation ofthe
integrity of the skeletal bone materials. Pahological findings
on the teeth reveal imporant
information such as health status, nutrition style and living conditions of the examined


oi
ikar, Allahverdiyeva


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community and individal. The purpose of this article is to show which dental and jaw
pathologies can be found in ancient societies and whatinfomation these societies will have
about the past societies working on these pathologies

Documents the results of archaeological excavations at Megiddo in northern Israel, concentrating on two tombs excavated in 2016: a monumental chamber tomb from Middle Bronze III and a simpler pit burial from Late Bronze I"-Provided by publisher.

Despite abundant archaeological, pictorial and textual evidence of ancient Egyptian life and death, we have little detailed infor mation about the staple diet of most of the population. No w exper imental work by a postdoctoral We llcome Research Fellow in Bioarchaeology at the Institute is revealing how the ancient Egyptians made their daily bread.

From a bioarchaeological perspective, we examine the incidence of traumatic lesions present on skeletons of the inhabitants of the ancient city of El Palmillo, during the Classic period (AD 250-850). El Palmillo was a Zapotec settlement in the Valley of Oaxaca, located in the municipality of Santiago Matatlan. The study sample (n = 16) is composed of 10 females, 5 males, and 1 indeterminate individual. We compare the location of the traumatic lesions, the archaeological context, and the observed significant differences between the sexes. Based on the osteological evidence, we seek to explain why the female skeletons of this site present more facial traumas than do the male skeletons. The texts written about pre-Hispanic Zapotec populations are limited, as are archaeological studies focused on women, so a specific consideration of this sector of the population is important to establish a historical reference. The variation in the presence and location of traumatic lesions between mal...

Desde la perspectiva bioarqueologica y arqueologica, la ninez no se muy considerada en investigaciones en Mesoamerica y Oaxaca. Para comprender mejor este problema, examinamos las diferencias en el tratamiento funerario para ninos y adultos y evaluamos los ejes de variacion entre estas diferentes muestras definidas por edad. De los mas de 100 esqueletos humanos en la coleccion osteologica de El Palmillo que data del periodo Clasico (250-850 d.C.), se pudo realizar un estudio a partir de la evaluacion de la edad biologica. Se utilizo un analisis estadistico de conglomerados para conocer la distribucion de los entierros en el sitio por edad, posicion, ubicacion, cronologia, entre otras variables. Finalmente, comparamos nuestros resultados con las practicas mortuorias, hasta el momento publicadas en Monte Alban, para evaluar si existe un patron constante en el tratamiento funerario zapoteco o si hay diferencias entre los sitios.

Mortuary contexts with multiple interments are among the many variations on pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican burial practices. Ancient societies in Oaxaca, Mexico are well known for burying their dead in both single and multiple graves. Tombs have long been interpreted as reflecting the elevated social status of the people buried within them. Multiple burials may also reflect variations in social identity, particularly when identifiable clusters of graves demonstrate variability. Such clusters may reveal variation according to gender, age, ethnicity, and/or social class. In this paper, we apply a bioarchaeological approach to the discussion of 42 sets of human remains in 41 Early Formative period (1400-1200 BCE) burial features from San Sebastián Etla in the Valley of Oaxaca. We contend that clusters of burials identified within this mortuary context reflect aspects of ancient identity and collective memory for those who produced and were interred at the site. Based on the spatial distribution of these burials, their depositional context and orientation, and the minimum number of individuals (MNI) identified at the site, the San Sebastián Etla mortuary context may represent a formal cemetery. If so, it would be among the oldest cemeteries not only in highland Oaxaca but also in all of Mesoamerica.

In 1956, the Institute of Archaeology and the National Museum in Belgrade carried out excavations at the site of Supska, near Ćuprija, in Central Serbia. Based on the material culture findings, the site is mostly known as a Late Neolithic one; however, archaeological findings from other periods were discovered too. In the 1956 excavations, the cultural layers, and archaeological features with the Vinča culture archaeological materials were examined, as well as one grave, marked as Grave 1. The results of this excavation have been previously published in one monograph; however, an anthropological analysis of the individual found in Grave 1 has not been conducted before. In this paper, we present the results of contextual, bioanthropological, stable isotopes and C 14 analyses of human skeletal remains found in Grave 1. The results showed that a young adult, who had experienced nonspecific metabolic stress during childhood, as evidenced by traces of linear enamel hypoplasia and porotic hyperostosis, was buried in this grave. AMS date revealed that this individual lived between 1280-1390 cal. AD, while the results of the stable isotope analyses suggested that it had mixed diet based on C 4 plants (such as millet) and/or C 3 plants, with larger amounts of animal protein, possible deriving from freshwater fish.

Fieldwork at Amarna from autumn 2018 through autumn 2019 included excavation at a previously uninvestigated cemetery, the North Desert Cemetery, located approximately 600 metres south-west of the North Tombs. Several post excavation projects also continued. Those reported on here comprise the study of skeletal materials from the North Cliffs Cemetery, hair and textiles from the North Cliffs and North Desert Cemeteries, and pottery from the North Cliffs Cemetery. A site management and outreach project also continued.

Fieldwork at Amarna in autumn 2017 and spring 2018 included excavation at a previously uninvestigated pit-grave cemetery, the North Cliffs Cemetery, on the low desert near the North Tombs. Initial results suggest the burials here are closer in character to those at the South Tombs Cemetery (excavated 2006–13) than at the North Tombs Cemetery (excavated 2015, 2017). Several post-excavation projects continued on materials from the North and South Tombs Cemeteries, including skeletal remains, coffins, hair, textiles, head cones, pottery and botanical materials, in addition to the ongoing recording of Kom el-Nana relief fragments and pottery from the Stone Village. A new site management programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Antiquities, was also launched.

Letter protesting the City's action in blocking final stage of excavation to identify Confederate soldiers buried under a cemetery road. Also City's failure to mark soldiers' graves that have been identified. Headstones provided by the US Govt were obtained by fraud.

At the time of its annexation in the 1st c. BC, cremation was not a customary practice in the Roman province of Syria. This contrasts with the western provinces of the Empire, where burning the body for burial remained the method of choice until the turn of the 2nd c. AD. As such, the discovery of cremation burials in the Roman Near East raises questions about the identities and origins of the buried individuals. This article focuses on one such example from Berytus, the first Roman colony in the Near East (modern Beirut, Lebanon). It implements a multidisciplinary approach through osteological, chemical, and material analyses to explore various aspects of mortuary practice and identity. Osteological and isotopic results indicate that the buried individual was likely a female of non-local origin. On the other hand, FTIR-ATR analysis, along with the macroscopic examination of the bones, suggest the burning of a fresh body at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, exceptional environmental conditions led to the formation of calcite crystals within the urn and on the human remains, which were identified using Raman spectroscopy. Similarly, unique burial conditions resulted in the preservation of textile pseudomorphs, which offer rare insights into body treatment practices that are typically absent from the archaeological record of the Levantine coast. By contextualizing the different bioarchaeological and material findings, this study reconstructs the life-history of the interred individual and examines the social and cultural significance of this burial within the context of the Roman colonization of Beirut.

SAŽETAK. Lasersko skeniranje napredna je mjerna tehnologija koja ima znatnu primjenu u mnogim područjima ljudske djelatnosti u svrhu efikasnog, učinkovitog i prije svega vremenski i prostorno pouzdanog rješavanja nastalih problema. Jedna od najvažnijih je primjena laserskog skeniranja u forenzici. Primjena laserskog skeniranja u istraživanju prometnih nesreća relativno je nova i još uvijek nedovoljno istražena mogućnost. Zbog toga se ovaj rad bavi mogućnostima primjene laserskog skeniranja pri rekonstrukciji prometnih nesreća. Ključne riječi: lasersko skeniranje, Image Master, rekonstrukcija prometnih nesreća. Razvoj tehnologije nudi mnogobrojne mogućnosti koje su na početku prošlog stoljeća bile nezamislive. Automobilska industrija razvija se velikom brzinom. Automobili današnjice kreiraju se tako da izdrže velike brzine te istovremeno pružaju sigurnost korisnicima. Međutim, automobilske nesreće događaju se unatoč svim mjerama opreza. Razlozi za to su mnogobrojni: vremenski uvjeti, nepoštovanje horizontalne i vertikalne prometne signalizacije, loša mreža prometnica, nepažnja vozača, vožnja pod utjecajem alkohola i vrlo često prekoračenje dopuštene brzine. Ipak, kada se nesreća jednom dogodi, potrebno je što brže ukloniti ostatke vozila s prometnice i ponovno uspostaviti normalno odvijanje prometa.

El objetivo de este documento se centró en hacer un primer abordaje de los tratamientos mortuorios del monumento Orocú (P-328 Or), asociados con el período Bagaces (300-800 d.C.). Estos espacios se estudiaron como una expresión material de la realidad de su organización social. Se prestó atención a los lugares destinados para sepultar a las personas, las formas en que dispusieron los cuerpos, así como las características, las cantidades y las distribuciones espaciales entre sí de las ofrendas colocadas en los entierros. La estrategia metodológica incluyó el trabajo de campo realizado en 1997 y la identificación de los distintos materiales asociados con los contextos. En Orocú se determinó que en el interior de los montículos 7 y 13 se llevó a cabo la sepultura de individuos en fosas hechas directamente en el suelo y que luego cubrieron con tierra y piedras. En el montículo 7 se estableció que enterraron miembros de la comunidad sin restricción de sexo o edad, desde infantes hasta adultos, pero resaltó el entierro de un infante que presentó el mayor conjunto ofrendario, pues tuvo el único objeto en piedra verde y la colocación de varias ofrendas cerámicas; resaltando las vasijas provenientes del Valle Central. Las inhumaciones en Orocú se realizaron en distintos momentos del 300 al 800 d.C., pero en el montículo 7 se registró el último evento entre el 597 y el 670 d.C., dato obtenido de una muestra ósea de un individuo del único entierro múltiple, el cual estuvo conformado por siete personas colocadas entre articuladas e inarticuladas. Este dato radiométrico es el primer fechamiento de un espacio funerario de sitios ubicados en la costa este del golfo de Nicoya.

In the Dnipro steppe territory during the Middle Bronze Age, a high frequency of skull trepanation was recorded, indicating the region as a center of cranial surgery. Evidence of medical intervention for the treatment of the impression fracture was found on the skull of an individual of the Inhul Catacomb culture from the barrow near the village of Novoivanivka, Dnipro region.

Resumen Existe clara evidencia de la interacción entre las regiones arqueológicas de Sinaloa y Durango; desde luego, mucha de ella se encuentra en los contextos funerarios. Además, entre ambas regiones hay un punto de contacto, la Sierra Madre Occidental, en donde se desarrollaron civilizaciones con sus propias prácticas, pero muy relacionadas con los dos lados de ese cuerpo montañoso. Actualmente en esa sierra habitan pueblos con tradiciones y prácticas cuyo origen se remonta a la época prehispánica, sobre todo aquéllos relacionados con el denominado complejo Gran Nayar. Asimismo, hay un importante corpus de datos etnohistóricos. De tal modo, mediante la analogía etnográfica es factible interpretar algunos contextos funerarios, lo que nos permitirá ir más allá de la mera descripción y aclarar ciertas particularidades del registro funerario, como algunos cuerpos incompletos pero articulados a ciertos objetos asociados.

The aim of our paper is to demonstrate a case (KD429) with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) from the 2nd-3rdcentury-CE Carpathian Basin. The skeleton of KD429 was subject to a detailed macromorphological evaluation, focusing on the detection of pathological lesions likely related to tuberculosis (TB). It was the presence of endocranial alterations, especially the TB-specific granular impressions, based on which the diagnosis of TBM was established in KD429. Besides KD429, only eight cases with TB have been published from the Sarmatianperiod (1st-5th centuries CE) Carpathian Basin. Reports of archaeological cases with TB, like KD429, can provide invaluable information about the spatio-temporal distribution of the disease in the past. Nonetheless, to get a more accurate picture about the burden that TB may have put on the Sarmatians, the systematic macromorphological (re-)evaluation of their osteoarchaeological series would be advantageous. Interestingly, the skeleton of KD429 was unearthed from not a grave-pit but a storage pit from the archaeological site of Kiskundorozsma-Daruhalom-dűlő II (Hungary). At the current state of research, the motive behind the exclusion of KD429 from the "normal" burial custom cannot be determined; therefore, it remains an open question whether their disease (TBM) played a role in it or not.

In 2022, during the construction works on the route of the Е-761 Corridor, a bronze sword with a fully cast hilt was recorded in gravel pit no. 8, on the right bank of the West Morava river. Additional surveys of the location determined that the wider area represents the former riverbed from which the sword most likely originates. The find represents an exceptional example of a sword with three parallel transverse midribs, whose ornamental motifs clearly point to the Gundelsheim type (i.e., the former Erlach type). The decoration on the upper and lower discs of the pommel clearly indicates south-western German workshops, since it is one of the most common and most representative, if not the most favorite ornamental combinations on the swords of the Gundelsheim type in this region. The sword was X-rayed and subject to XRF analyses at the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences. The blade was also analysed for use-wear. With the other bronze swords of the so-called Central European type in the territory of the Balkans (Riegsee and Reutlingen), the sword from the bed of the West Morava river certainly represents the herald of changes that occurred during the Late Bronze Age in parts of the Mediterranean and its hinterland. It should be highlighted that this sword represents the first example of this type recorded south of the Sava and Danube, with a quite narrow dating, to a period of 1200–1100 BC.

Archaeological evidence from funerary contexts is largely ignored in current scholarship on the First Plague Pandemic, despite the important information that burials and cemeteries can provide about how plague might have affected societies. Skeletal (mainly dental) remains are used in the paleogenomic search for victims of plague (Yersinia pestis), but significant contextual information is to be gained from plague-positive graves through bioarchaeological study of the complete individual and their broader funerary context, both of which are largely absent from current scholarship. We argue that future scholarship on the First Plague Pandemic must bring burial archaeology to the growing body of evidence, and archaeologists themselves must lead or be involved in this research. We present three ways in which burial archaeology can be used effectively to study the impact of first-pandemic plague on individuals and communities: by reconsidering whether we should be looking for an archaeology of "crisis" for this disease event, by evaluating burial archaeology (especially of multiple burials) in its proper sociocultural context, and by examining bioarchaeological evidence from entire cemeteries where plague genomes are recovered in any quantity. We conclude by offering an example of how such archaeological evidence can be more inclusively and effectively incorporated into interdisciplinary plague studies, to the benefit of the field.

Children represent an important segment of the community and have an important role in the reconstruction of the health status of ancient populations. Child mortality is often used in anthropology as adequate measure of social and sanitary conditions within a community, for determining the progress of a population and for obtaining an overview of the adaptation of a population to changes in the surroundings. In this paper, the results of a bioanthropological analysis of non-adult skeletal remains from the medieval necropolis of Brskovo-Doganjice (Mojkovac, Montenegro) will be presented. The medieval city of Brskovo was an important mining centre in the Balkans during the 13 th and 14 th centuries and, according to historical sources, the very beginnings of mining in medieval Serbia are linked to it. The necropolis was researched in the period between 2019 and 2022, and 149 graves were registered on that occasion, with 50 skeletal remains belonging to individuals that were 0-17 years old. Special attention will be given to changes which could be indicators of the quality of life of children in a medieval mining settlement.

The aim of this paper is to provide a state of the research on the eating habits concerning the Iron Age populations of Catalonia, with particular attention to the Iberian period, under the Museu d Arqueologia de Catalunya project Eating and Drinking in the periphery of the Graeco-...

Paleoradiology uses CT scanning, digital radiography, and 3D imaging to non-invasively characterize the lives and the experience of health and disease for past people. This paper presents an analysis of micro-CT scans of leprosy in three archaeological maxillae from Dahwa, Oman (2500-2000 BCE) to characterize the natural history of disease progression on an ultra-structural level and address environmental and social factors that shaped the experience of health in Arabia during the Bronze Age. The human skeletal remains from Bronze Age Oman present a challenge for paleopathological analysis because they are fragmentary and commingled. We demonstrate microstructural characteristics of lesions in the ventral maxilla and palate that are strongly consistent with a diagnosis of lepromatous leprosy (e.g., atrophy of the anterior nasal spine, resorption of the medial alveolar process, deterioration of the piriform aperture margin, and atrophy of the nasal septum) and the utility of micro-CT for non-invasively characterizing pathology in isolated maxilla from fragmentary, commingled archaeological contexts. The presence of disfigurement, probably resulting from leprosy, in this community provides new evidence about the early migrations of pathogens responsible for leprosy, which despite being an ancient disease is still relatively poorly understood.

This preliminary study of the Motopure drill point assemblage identified five morphotypes related to the diameter of the perforation they might create. Further analysis (ie. micro wear analysis) will be undertaken to determine what materials were drilled

Sex estimation based on amelogenin peptides in dental enamel has opened up possibilities to study prehistoric demography in a new light. The application of this technique is of particular importance for the analysis of prehistoric collective burials, where the commingled and disarticulated nature of human remains makes sex estimations challenging. This paper presents data on the sex of 35 individuals from the Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic site of Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal), obtained by amelogenin peptide analysis of dental enamel. The results are combined with observations on chronological and spatial distribution of the burial structures as well as strontium isotope data obtained from the same teeth. The new evidence enables the analysis of sex-specific mobility patterns, even at a site where the large majority of human remains discovered to date (MNI = 565) are heavily commingled and highly fragmented. The results show a greater number of males (n = 6) than females (n = 2) among the local individuals, and a balance between males (n = 14) and females (n = 13) among nonlocal ones, suggesting similar mobility for both sexes. These results are contextualized with the evidence available both for the Iberian Peninsula and the European continent. The greater female mobility observed at sites with similar chronologies in Central Europe, which has been interpreted in terms of female exogamy and patrilocality, is not replicated at Perdigões, where males and females have similar strontium isotope values.

Sex estimation based on amelogenin peptides in dental enamel has opened up possibilities to study prehistoric demography in a new light. The application of this technique is of particular importance for the analysis of prehistoric collective burials, where the commingled and disarticulated nature of human remains makes sex estimations challenging. This paper presents data on the sex of 35 individuals from the Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic site of Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal), obtained by amelogenin peptide analysis of dental enamel. The results are combined with observations on chronological and spatial distribution of the burial structures as well as strontium isotope data obtained from the same teeth. The new evidence enables the analysis of sex-specific mobility patterns, even at a site where the large majority of human remains discovered to date (MNI = 565) are heavily commingled and highly fragmented. The results show a greater number of males (n = 6) than females (n = 2) among the local individuals, and a balance between males (n = 14) and females (n = 13) among nonlocal ones, suggesting similar mobility for both sexes. These results are contextualized with the evidence available both for the Iberian Peninsula and the European continent. The greater female mobility observed at sites with similar chronologies in Central Europe, which has been interpreted in terms of female exogamy and patrilocality, is not replicated at Perdigões, where males and females have similar strontium isotope values.

Resumen ¿Qué importancia y significado tenían los niños zapotecas durante el periodo Clásico (200-700 d.C.)? El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo principal reconstruir las breves historias de vida de los niños inhumados en Monte Albán, Oaxaca, México, en dos unidades domésticas (Casa estacionamiento A y A'). Se aplicó la historia de vida y osteobiografía para entrelazar la observación macroscópica de lesiones óseas (criba orbitalia, hiperostosis porótica y reacciones periostales) con el contexto arqueológico de los individuos. Se analizaron un total de 20 niños e infantes menores de cinco años,

The reconstruction of ancient diets by means of stable isotopes analyses acquires a deeper meaning when their results are compared with other odonto-skeletal indicators which are strongly contextualized in the light of historical and archaeological evidence. Nevertheless, the outcomes can be contradictory or, more realistically, they may not completely satisfy our hypotheses on how complex and diverse conditions - such as health status, life style, diet and nutrition - can actually interrelate in the life course of an individual.In this study we present and discuss evidences from Isola Sacra and Velia, two Roman Imperial Age coastal towns. The õ15N and õ13C values are compared with demographic and health status parameters, such as age, sex, stature, auricular exostoses, DISH, cribra orbitalia, enamel defects. 

Milwaukee. He holds, from the University of Texas at Arlington, a B.S. in Biology and Psychology, an M.S. in Experimental Psychology, and an M.A. in Sociology. His dissertation project, reflecting his commitment to advancing educational practices, focuses on critically analyzing teaching and learning methodologies in anthropology education. His research interests are varied and include evolutionary mismatch theory, evolutionary medicine, and monotropism. In his spare time, he likes to ponder, through the lens of neuroscientific findings, philosophical questions about the nature of reality, perception, and consciousness. Katrina Frank has studied cultural anthropology for over seven years. She received a BA in Anthropology from Illinois State University and an MS in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. As a Latina, she has always been passionate about Latinx/e studies and learning more about her culture. In her research, Katrina has found that media is one of the most common ways that people are exposed to new cultures and that learning about how cultures are represented can help us to understand how we view ourselves and others in our society. Jo Gansemer recently received her MS in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. She specializes in biological anthropology with a specific focus on primatology. Her interests are multi-disciplinary and include non-human primate behavior, hormones, ethnoprimatology, and conservation. Her graduate research analyzed the relationship between hair cortisol concentration and parity in South African vervet monkeys.

According to the standard nomenclature, skeletal land marks are all identified by their given names in the world of human skeletal anatomy. But it is also clear that the discovery of new anatomical features continues because human beings have so many anatomical variations caused by genetics, functions, geographical adaptations, and diseases; they are all described and given names. Therefore, an anatomical feature that is rare and undescribed is certainly a discovery and it deserves to be recorded. The discovery of anatomical features on the epiphyseial ends of the femur reported here adds two new names, namely the intercondylar fossa foramen and the trochanteric fossa foramen in that long list of human skeletal anatomical structures. The intercondylar fossa foramen is an outlet found in the intercondylar fossa of the distal femur. It passes through the diaphysis of the femur and emerges in the trochanteric fossa of the femoral neck; and vice versa is the trochanteric fossa foramen. This feature was first observed on one skeletonized archaeological individual and later on five cadaveric remains. There seems to be a presence of this anatomical variation within the Tanzanian population. Only a small percentage of people have this unusual anatomical feature of the intercondylar fossa foramen, which might be a developmental ossification failure or a particular genetic-based trait. These features were assessed in the laboratory of the Anatomy Department at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) using a Dino-lite digital microscope and X-ray images.

The results of a survey of the archaeological site of Tilly Este, located in the bay of the same name on Carlos III Island, Strait of Magellan, Chile, are presented. The site is a multicomponent maritime hunter-gatherer shell midden that includes pre-contact and post-contact historic occupations. The record
indicates the presence of occupational events of different intensity including technology associated with a greater diversity of activities during historical times. The latter were associated with abundant green obsidian lithic materials and a bone industry that contrasts with pre-contact (sixteenth century) occupations. The zooarchaeological evidence (marine and terrestrial mammals, birds, fish and mollusks) shows the richness and biodiversity of the bay, and the area surrounding the island. The archaeological information, together with ethnohistorical observations and the presence of a fishing hedge in the area, indicate that this bay has played an important role in human activity for at least the last 1000 years.