Fruits of Their Labour: Urbanisation,Orchard Crops,and Dental Health in Early Bronze Age Jordan

The analysis of dental remains, which outlast most other tissues in the human body, provides insight into past diet, activity patterns and ancestry. The remains from Bab edh‐Dhra' represent the only skeletal sample available to assess the impact of agricultural intensification in the Early Bronze Age of the southern Levant (ca. 3500–2000 bce ). This era ushered in a period of ‘urbanisation’, evidenced by fortified towns, planned roadways, developments in irrigation and growing population density. During this time, the cultivation, trade and consumption of orchard taxa (such as figs, grapes and olives) increased. This paper examines changes in the teeth associated with agricultural intensification involving orchard crops as well as grains. Dental caries, ante mortem tooth loss and dental wear are examined for Early Bronze IA (EBIA; 3500–3300 bce ) and Early Bronze II–III (EBII–III; 3100–2300 bce ) teeth from the site of Bab edh‐Dhra', located in modern‐day Jordan. Due to the commingling, general tooth groups (e.g. molars) and specific tooth types (e.g. lower left canine) were used to compare periods. Although age and sex could not be identified for every tooth, analyses of crania and os coxae showed no significant difference in demographic profiles of EBIA and EBII–III. No statistically significant increase was found over time in dental caries frequency; however, teeth for which the cause of pulp exposure could be determined suggested that caries increasingly led to exfoliation. Indeed, ante mortem tooth loss rose significantly with time, whereas dental wear decreased. In general, changes in oral health were consistent with an archaeological record of greater consumption of softer, stickier foods, such as fruits. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metastatic Cancer in the Middle Age: The Possible Case of a Female Skeleton from Bormio (Italy)

Secondary signs of cancer are difficult to assess in the archaeological context, as other lesions may mimic metastases on dry bones. Furthermore, the low life expectancy, lower level of environmental cancer risk factors and pollution than the present times can contribute in limiting the frequency of signs of cancer in archaeological populations. This study focuses on a female adult skeleton from the necropolis of Bormio (North Italy), dating back to Middle Ages, which shows multiple lytic lesions on cranium, upper limbs, ribs and pelvis; lesions are oval in shape, with a diameter ranging from 1–2 to 80 mm. The lesions appearance and distribution at macroscopic and radiographic level, together with sex and age indications, suggest the diagnosis of metastatic cancer. Possible diagnostic hypotheses of the possible sites of original cancer were performed as well, based on modern epidemiological data. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Age Estimation by Tympanic Bone Development in Foetal and Infant Skeletons

This article analyses age‐related changes in the development of the temporal bone in a sample of foetal and infant skeletons to contribute to the estimation of age by means of this skeletal element in bioarchaeological and forensic contexts. The sample was selected from a contemporary documented skeletal collection and is constituted by the temporal bones of individuals of both sexes (n = 37) with ages from 23 weeks of gestation up to 11 postnatal months. Different states of fusion of the tympanic ring and development of the tympanic plate were scored separately, and intra‐observer consistency was evaluated. Both documented chronological age and skeletal estimated age were examined in relation to successive stages of fusion and development in the pre‐ and postnatal periods. It was found that the state of fusion of the tympanic ring is especially useful in the discrimination of foetal and postnatal individuals, whereas the development of the tympanic plate is helpful in the differentiation of individuals from and below 3 postnatal months. Even though a certain degree of overlap between successive stages was observed, the fusion of the tympanic ring and the development of the tympanic plate constitute good indicators of age in foetal and infant skeletons. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Paths of the European Conquest of the Atlantic: Osteological Evidence of Warfare and Violence in Gran Canaria (XV Century)

European expansion in the Atlantic in the Late Middle Ages often implied the use of violence, involving tactics and weaponry unknown to some of the affected populations. Among the first places to suffer this violence were the Canary Islands, whose conquest lasted the whole of the 15th century. Documentary information about this historical episode is abundant, whereas archaeological evidence testifying to it is very rare. However, an individual from an indigenous funerary context of Gran Canaria (placed in a collective burial cave and wrapped in a shroud made of vegetable fibres) displays a large number of wounds, both on his skull and on the rest of the skeleton, probably caused by swords, suggesting a mortal attack conducted by one or more aggressors. Based on the study of injuries, it is considered a potential explanation of their origin, concluding that most likely this case may be associated with the process of the conquest of the Island. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Addressing data comparability in the creation of combined data sets of bioapatite carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions

Before amalgamating published isotope data, comparability should be demonstrated. This paper compares carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of 30 enamel samples measured by two laboratories. The aims were to see what, if any, isotopic variation was observed, to determine the causes as needed and to correct if possible. Bioapatite was acidified at 90°C in 2006 and at 26°C in 2017, while δ values were corrected via one‐point normalization in 2006 and by two‐point normalization in 2017. One case (of the 30) produced different δ values between the analysis dates, suggesting contamination. Repeated carbon isotope ratio measurements were not meaningfully different. Repeated oxygen isotope ratio measurements were significantly different, even following correction for acid‐carbonate fractionation at different temperatures and the renormalization of 2017 δ values using one point; however, differences were not meaningful for interpretations. Results were used to calculate real interpretative differences (RIDs) for comparing enamel bioapatite as 0.6‰ for δ¹³C values and as 1.6‰ for δ¹⁸O values.     

Radiographic analysis of dental development used in age determination of infant and juvenile skulls from a medieval archaeological site in Norway

Age determination based on radiographic examination of teeth and tooth development stages was performed on the infant and juvenile skeletons from St Olav's churchyard in Trondheim. All the 248 skulls with jaws and teeth were radiographed. Based on the apical closure of the second molar, 198 skulls were determined to be older than 15 years. In 38 of the remaining skulls the age could be determined radiographically based on tooth development stages. The age was below 8 years in 25 individuals (66 per cent). The correlation between the radiographic and a direct inspection age determination method was 0.969. The greatest discrepancies between the two methods were found in the age group 12–15 years.