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.

Two examples of anthropic manipulation and postmortem processing of human remains at megalithic sites in inland Iberia: La Caba ña and Los Zumacales (Spanish northern sub‐plateau)
AbstractSeveral 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 Zu...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - December 2, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Ang élica Santa‐Cruz, Javier Velasco‐Vázquez Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Rickets and the industrial revolution in France: The example of Provence
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 c...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - December 1, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Marie Perrin, Aurore Schmitt, Yann Ardagna Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Bioarchaeological insights into the Late Helladic communities of South Kynouria, Peloponnese: The case of the LH IIIA2 ‐IIIB2 burial cluster of Socha
AbstractThis 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. T...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - November 30, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Paraskevi Tritsaroli, Grigoris Grigorakakis, Michael Richards Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Growing up in the suburbs: Growth faltering and disease burden in the children from 16th to 18th century Tallinn, Estonia
AbstractThis 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 respir atory 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 compa...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - November 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Linda Vilumets, Ülle Aguraiuja‐Lätti, Mary Lewis Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Dental wear in a marine economy: A case study from Philistine Ashkelon
AbstractIn 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...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - November 22, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Rachel Kalisher, Daniel M. Master, Shara E. Bailey, Timothy G. Bromage Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Neanderthal use of animal bones as retouchers at the Level XV of the Sope ña rock shelter (Asturias, northern Spain)
AbstractBone 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 Sope ña 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 c...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - November 17, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Antonio J. Romero, Jos é Yravedra, Aurora Grandal d'Anglade, Ana C. Pinto‐Llona Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Two cases of skeletal fluorosis from the historic cemetery at Zhangwan, Henan Province, China
In this study, we observed pathological lesions consistent with fluorosis on two human skeletons from the Ming Dynasty (1368 –1644 CE) excavated from a cemetery in western Henan Province. By using an electron microprobe to measure the fluoride content in the teeth, and by considering the living conditions in the area during the Ming Dynasty, we conclude that the remains show evidence of skeletal fluorosis. We also con sider the content of fluoride in the local groundwater, the local way of life, and other factors, to identify potential causes of skeletal fluorosis in this population and demonstrate that environmental f...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 31, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Yawei Zhou, Kailu Liu, Fei Yan, Elizabeth Berger Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Testing of morphological sex estimation traits with a sex ‐known collection: Ottoman period skulls
AbstractSexual 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....
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 31, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Berkay Ya şar, Mehmet Sağır Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

A natural death assemblage of fishes from an early modern archeological context in Antwerp (Belgium)
AbstractAn unusual concentration of tens of thousands small fish remains discovered during rescue excavations in the town of Antwerp, Belgium, is described. The material was found in a small depression with no associated archeological material but could be dated to the first half of the 16th century based on its stratigraphic position. About 3500 freshwater fish were found in articulating position and it is shown that they died naturally during a single depositional event after an exceptional flood. The species spectrum and the reconstructed fish lengths make it possible to document the season when the catastrophic mortali...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 26, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Wim Wouters, Wim Van Neer, Daan Celis Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

A test of the New Coimbra method of recording entheseal changes as applied to the foot skeleton
AbstractPrior studies have indicated that entheseal changes throughout the skeleton are largely reflective of age and body mass with mixed results concerning activity patterns. To add to this debate, this study tests the effectiveness of employing the New Coimbra method to record entheseal changes of the calcaneus (Calcaneal tendon enthesis), hallucal metatarsal (Peroneus longus m. tendon, andTibialis anterior m. tendon entheses), and fifth metatarsal (Peroneus brevis m. tendon enthesis) to understand past activity patterns. Presence and severity of entheseal changes were scored for 71 white adults from the William M. Bass...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 25, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Malorie E. Albee Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Cover Image
The cover image is based on the Research ArticleEarly childhood nurturing strategies in groups of the Yellow River's Middle Reaches from the late Yangshao culture (3500-2800 BCE): A stable isotope perspective by Shuai Lei et al.,https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3254. (Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Shuai Lei, Wanfa Gu, Qian Wu, Yingjun Xin, Yi Guo Tags: COVER IMAGE Source Type: research

Issue Information
No abstract is available for this article. (Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology)
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Tags: ISSUE INFORMATION Source Type: research

An osteometric analysis of elk (Cervus  elaphus manitobensis) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park
AbstractTeeth 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...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Claire E. Brandes, Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Pronounced hyperostosis frontalis interna and co ‐occurring lesions in the skull base suggestive of a pituitary tumor in a woman from medieval Germany
AbstractHyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is an osseous overgrowth characterized by symmetrical, irregular bone apposition on the internal table of the frontal bone, which preferentially occurs in females. In 1719, Morgagni described the condition as one sign of a triad comprising HFI, hirsutism, and obesity (Morgagni's syndrome). The etiopathogenesis of HFI is largely unresolved, but the condition is frequently associated with metabolic, endocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. In archaeological cases, which rely solely on dry bone diagnosis, the cause of HFI generally remains unknown, as is also the case regarding a...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Stefan Flohr, Carsten Witzel, Uwe Kierdorf Tags: SHORT REPORT Source Type: research

Long ‐term processes between Classic and Postclassic populations in the Mexico basin
This study considered 12 nonmetric cranial characters. The objective is to compare five series of two different cultural horizons: three populations of the Teotihuac án Classic period and two of the Mexica Postclassic period. For the selection of nonmetric traits, those not altered by intentional cephalic modification were considered. From the sample of materials, it was assessed whether the populations of the Classic period could have biological and cultural a ffinity between them, making a migratory interpretation which indicates differences in nonmetric characters between them. The mean measure of divergence (MMD) was ...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - October 4, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Abigail Meza ‐Peñaloza, Federico Zertuche, Josefina Bautista‐Martínez Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research