International Journal of Osteoarchaeology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

High lamb natural mortality versus specialized culling at Bangga on the Southern Tibetan Plateau 3000 BP
AbstractPastoralism has a long history on the high-elevation Tibetan Plateau. However, the specific risks faced by early flocks on the plateau and ways that herders managed their animals have not been well explored. Dated to the third millennium BP, the archaeological settlement of Bangga represents an early agro-pastoral community at 3800 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.) and a rare opportunity to examine these issues. Mortality profiles have been a powerful tool for reconstructing livestock herding strategies from archaeological sites globally. Here, we used dental eruption and wear to reconstruct sheep mortality profile...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 19, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Zhengwei Zhang, Hailun Xu, Shargan Wangdue, Xuan Gao, Hongliang L ü, Xinyi Liu, Fiona Marshall Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Cranial deformation in the northwestern Caspian Sea region in the Bronze Age: Siberian parallels
DiscussionThe study confirmed the occipitoparietal flattening on the Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia using geometric morphometrics. This skull deformation finds analogies among deformed male neurocrania from the early chronological horizons of the Okunev culture. The similarity of head modifications in populations from different geographical regions indicates contact between these populations. This is confirmed by archaeological data and nonmetric cranial traits. (Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 19, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Aleksey A. Kazarnitsky, Andrey V. Gromov, Evgeniia N. Uchaneva, Ekaterina V. Pugacheva Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

From sacred symbolism to luxury display and consumption: the peacock in medieval Catalonia. Data from zooarchaeological, iconographic and literary evidences.
We present the study of the remains of this animal together with that of the other birds recovered from the same excavation. In addition, by referring to iconographic and litera ry sources, some reflections are made on the species in Catalonia in medieval times. The interpretation of the remains could range from a symbolic religious use of the animal to a more profane one, as an element of identification of social status and economic ostentation, in the field of gastronomy or as an ornamental animal. The study of the remains and their archaeological context seem to support this last hypothesis. (Source: International Journ...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 18, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Marina Fern ández, Maria Nadal, Jordi Ramos, Carme Miró, Philip Banks, Jordi Nadal, Santiago Riera, Lluís Lloveras Tags: SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Source Type: research

Birds of prey from 4th ‐18th centuries AD of the Volga River basin of Russia
AbstractThe article analyzes studies of bone assemblages of birds of prey from medieval and post-medieval archaeological sites in the Volga River basin territory. We provide data on the presence of birds of prey: Accipitriformes (Hawks and Eagles), Falconiformes (Falcons) and Strigiformes (Owls) within the Volga region during the Middle Ages and post-Middle Ages (4th-18th centuries AD) in bird communities from 15 archaeological sites. Archaeological bird of prey remains from the Volga Basin could contribute to the understanding of the interaction between different ethnic groups in the region within the context of human-nat...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 18, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Dilyara Shaymuratova, Arthur Askeyev, Oleg Askeyev, Igor Askeyev Tags: SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Source Type: research

Whose talon is this? A manual for the identification of ungual phalanges of European accipitrid birds of prey
AbstractClaws of avian raptors have been used to make symbolic objects and decorations in many geographic regions and cultures, thus their species identification increases our ability to draw more in-depth conclusions from zooarchaeological materials. It is the first ever manual for identification of ungual phalanges of European Accipitridae. It can be used in conjunction with a previously published manual for owls and falcons as well as independently. (Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 8, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Zbigniew M. Bochenski, Teresa Tomek, Krzysztof Wertz Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

The great auk in Norway: From common to locally extinct
AbstractA total of 477 bones of the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) from 53 localities and 55 periods in Norway are studied. All but two, are archaeological sites from the Holocene, mainly from 6000 –2000 cal years bp. The two non-anthropogenic sites date to the Ice Age: probably 36,000 –34,500 and 14,690–12,890 years bp. The bones are mainly unburned and well preserved but fractured. Except for the open-air sites in northern Norway, the bones are mainly from rock-shelters and caves. In combining archive data, chronological information, and morphometrical studies, we suggest the great auk disappeared from the ...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 8, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Anne Karin Hufthammer, Karl Ove Hufthammer Tags: SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Source Type: research

Notes on early childhood diets in early modern oulu, finland, based on the stable isotope case studies of archaeological dentin
AbstractIn mid-18th-century Sweden, the newly enhanced census records revealed higher-than-expected infant mortality rates in certain regions of the kingdom. This convinced contemporary elite men of common women deliberately refusing to breastfeed out of vanity and lack of care. One of the worst regions in terms of infant mortality was the province of Ostrobothnia, located in the area of what is now Finland. To explore the allegations, we measured the carbon ( δ13C) and nitrogen ( δ15N) stable isotope ratios in the collagen of incremental crown dentin segments of the permanent first molars (M1) of six individuals excavat...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 24, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Tiina V äre, Sanna Lipkin, Milton Núñez Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Considering passenger pigeon abundance and distribution in the Late Woodland zooarchaeological record of southern Ontario, Canada
AbstractThe passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) was once the most abundant bird species in North America. Flocks of these birds witnessed in the early 19th century were so vast that they were said to darken the sky for days as they passed. Early syntheses of passenger pigeon remains in archaeological contexts in the eastern United States, in contrast, found them to be relatively rare in relation to other fowl, leading to the suggestion that the colonial-era hyper-abundance of passenger pigeons was a post-European-contact phenomenon resulting from contact-induced demographic and ecological changes. In this paper, we p...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 23, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Trevor J. Orchard, Suzanne Needs ‐Howarth, Alicia L. Hawkins, Louis Lesage, Eric J. Guiry, Thomas C. A. Royle Tags: SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Source Type: research

The Great Auk in Norway. From common to locally extinct
AbstractA total of 477 bones of the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) from 53 localities and 55 periods in Norway are studied. All but two, are archaeological sites from the Holocene, mainly from 6000 –2000 cal yr BP. The two non-anthropogenic sites date to the Ice Age: probably 36,000–34,500 and 14,690–12,890 yr BP. The bones are mainly unburned and well preserved but fractured. Except for the open-air sites in northern Norway, the bones are mainly from rock-shelters and caves. In combinin g archive data, chronological information, and morphometrical studies we suggest: the great auk disappeared from the most southern ...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 22, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Anne Karin Hufthammer, Karl Ove Hufthammer Tags: SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Source Type: research

Early evidence of extra ‐masticatory dental wear in a Neolithic community at Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan
This study adds to our understanding of human behaviours, and socio-cultural aspects of life during this transitional period. (Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 21, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Sam Walsh Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Blue Fibers Found in Dental Calculus from Maya Sacrificial Victims
AbstractSurveyed in 2008-2010, the Midnight Terror Cave contains the comingled remains of at least 118 Maya sacrificial victims from the Classic Period (250 CE - 925 CE). In order to determine what the victims were consuming, microscopic analysis was carried out on dental calculus. Given the minimal calculus present, calculus from 3 teeth from one area of the cave (operation V) and 3 teeth from another area (operation VIII) was each combined to create 2 samples for analysis. Samples were sent to the PaleoResearch Institute for analysis where they were examined for pollen, phytoliths, and starches, and other inclusions.Asid...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 20, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Amy Chan, James E. Brady, Linda Scott Cummings Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Health, diet, and mortuary practices in the countryside of Byzantine and post ‐Byzantine Boeotia: The case of Hagios Sozon in Orchomenos
AbstractThis paper explores issues of health, diet, and mortuary practices in the countryside of Boeotia, Central Greece, during the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods (12th-19th centuries AD). Boeotia was one of the Byzantine Empire's most important economic and artistic centers with a flourishing life in the cities and the countryside alike and a varied (socially and culturally) population. The human remains unearthed in connection to the church of Hagios Sozon in Orchomenos were analyzed to investigate the everyday challenges and social makeup of the inhabitants in the countryside. The examination of paleopathological...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 20, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Paraskevi Tritsaroli, Le ïa Mion, Estelle Herrscher, Guy André, Giannis Vaxevanis Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Integrating histology in the analysis of multispecies cremations: a case study from early medieval England
AbstractMethodological options for differentiating commingled human from nonhuman calcined remains are limited. A zooarchaeological analysis of human cremations from three early medieval sites in the Avon Valley (Warwickshire, England) identified commingled animal remains in burials from the site of Bidford-on-Avon, but not at the contemporary sites of Wasperton and Alveston Manor. A histological study was conducted to further investigate whether additional fragments of nonhuman bone could be identified and to quantify potential differences in preservation or cremation intensity between the sites. Bone fragments (n=92) wer...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 14, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Katherine Mc Cullough French, Christian Crowder, Pam Jean Crabtree Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Health, diet and mortuary practices in the countryside of Byzantine and Post ‐ Byzantine Boeotia: the case of Hagios Sozon in Orchomenos
AbstractThis paper explores issues of health, diet and mortuary practices in the countryside of Boeotia, Central Greece, during the Byzantine (12th century) and Post-Byzantine periods (19th century). Boeotia was one of the Byzantine Empire ’s most important economic and artistic centers with a flourishing life in the cities and the countryside alike and a varied (socially and culturally) population. The human remains unearthed in connection to the church of Hagios Sozon in Orchomenos were analysed to investigate the everyday challen ges and social makeup of the inhabitants in the countryside. The examination of palaeopat...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - September 10, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Paraskevi Tritsaroli, Le ïa Mion, Estelle Herrscher, Guy André, Giannis Vaxevanis Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Age ‐at‐death estimation in archaeological samples: Differences in population means resulting from different aging methods can be predicted from the mean ages of method‐specific reference samples
ConclusionsSince large differences in mean age between reference samples used to develop different age-estimation methods are common, some care is needed in interpreting differences between individual age estimates or population mean age estimates in cases where different age-estimation techniques are used. (Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - August 31, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Denise U. Navitainuck, Werner Vach, Sandra L. Pichler, Kurt W. Alt Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research