BURNING BONES AT BETHEL: A CLOSER LOOK AT 2 KINGS 23,16a

2 Kgs 23,16a reports that Josiah defiled an altar at Bethel by burning human bones upon it, an act unparalleled in biblical legislation or literature. Since the remains of the deceased persons defile through physical contact alone (Lev 21,1-4.10-12; etc.), the burning of the bones seems gratuitous. The osteological and technological realities of cremation invalidate M. Haran's surmise that the burning made the defilement irreversible because ''the ashes penetrates into the ruins.'' The bones used by Josiah were obtained from nearby tombs, and tomb-robbing and the desecration of human corpses is well documented throughout the biblical world (cf Jer 8,1-2). In this context, the burning of these deceased persons, perhaps the ultimate such desecration, constituted an attack on them as ''despisers of Yahweh'' (cf Num 16) and on the living descendants who opposed the regime.     

Bones,sex, and dolls: Solving a mystery in Central Africa and beyond

Ethnographic parallels are used to explain the presence and significance of caprine or antelope metapodial bones principally in children's graves in Iron Age contexts in the Congo. Beyond Africa, in the Neolithic in France and Italy, but also during the Bronze Age in the Levant, the same mysterious bones have often been collected in similar contexts. It is likely that the natural shape of these bones led them to be seen as human figures and to be used as dolls. This is an example of how natural objects may be construed in a similar way in various societies and which raises many issues regarding what a doll actually is, its various functions and how it blurs boundaries between play and ritual.     

The first archaeological case of Madelung's deformity?

An elderly male medieval skeleton excavated from St Gregory's Priory presented with unilateral Madelung's deformity. The right radius and ulna were shortened due to premature fusion of the distal growth plate. The radius displayed lateral and dorsal bowing and the ulna was dislocated posteriorly. Pronation and supination was not possible and the available hand bones presented with disuse atrophy. Degenerative changes had reduced the mobility of the elbow joint and marked cubitus valgus was demonstrated. The unilateral presentation, shortening of the ulna and atrophy of the hand bones and the sex of the skeleton suggest a post-traumatic rather than an idiopathic form of Madelung's deformity. As far as we are aware this is the first archaeological example of this condition.     

The potential of bird remains for environmental reconstruction

Until relatively recently, studies of bird remains have been regarded as peripheral to mainstream research on early archaeological and palaeontological sites, rather than a potentially crucial factor in the reconstruction of the past environments in which hominids and other larger mammals were present This paper sets out to define the range of ecological information for a site which can be gained through study of the bird bones, using as an example the bones recovered in the excavations at Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collagen deamidation in archaeological bone as an assessment for relative decay rates

Attempts to extend methods for dating archaeological bones beyond that of radiocarbon dating, such as amino acid racemization, have met with limited success owing to the dependence on multiple environmental factors and controls. Despite facing similar challenges, deamidation of glutamine has recently been investigated as a potential indicator of ‘thermal age' in archaeological bones, as well as a measure of their preservation quality. In this study, we undertook a series of simulated diagenetic experiments to understand the various factors affecting deamidation. Further, we analysed bones from different Middle Palaeolithic layers from Grotte Mandrin (France), with the results suggesting potential use of deamidation for relative dating, but only in case of extremely well‐preserved layers. The results also suggested the possible use of attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy as a screening test for soluble collagen before proteomic analysis.     

Estimation of the Original Number of Individuals from Paired Bone Counts Using Estimators of the Krantz Type

Abstract

In 1968, G. S. Krantz proposed a method for estimating the original number of animals deposited at an archaeological site when bone counts have been reduced, whether by attritional processes or by a failure to find all the bones. His formula involved using the number of unmatched left, unmatched right, and matched pairs of a class of paired bone. In this paper we investigate estimators derived using Krantz's assumptions from both theoretical and practical viewpoints and make a number of recommendations; for example, that Krantz's estimators are useful only in relatively large assemblages. The method is applied to fish bones obtained from three sites in New Zealand, and practical difficulties with the procedure are described.     

Bone changes in the human skull probably resulting from scurvy in infancy and childhood

Scurvy in children is poorly known in the palaeopathological literature despite biomedical references indicating that bone changes do occur in some cases and should be observable in human skeletal remains. Research on infants' and children's skulls in museum and anatomical collections in the USA and Europe reveals a complex of features on the external surface of the greater wing of the sphenoid and adjacent bone tissue that may be caused by scurvy. The lesions are bilateral and are characterized by porosity and, in some cases, hypertrophic bone formation. These abnormal bone changes are probably the result of a reaction to chronic haemorrhage in the deep vasculature associated with temporalis muscle function. While these lesions resemble those seen in anaemia and infection, their distinctive anatomical location and association with chewing should differentiate them, in most cases, from other disease conditions. These features are also associated with porous, hypertrophic lesions of the orbital roof and provide additional evidence that caution is needed in attributing porous lesions of the orbital roof solely to anaemia. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The hyaena in dynastic Egypt: Fancy food or fantasy food?

The extensive city of Tell el‐Amarna was constructed by the Pharaoh Akhenaten, and occupied for only 15 years until his death in 1332 BCE. Among the sites excavated, there is the ‘Workmen's Village’, a small detached village with closely grouped houses, yards and animal pens. Among the identified animal bones excavated from there are those of the striped hyaena, Hyaena hyaena. Tomb and temple scenes, mainly from the Old Kingdom, show hyaenas as ritual offerings or associated with hunting events, even under close husbandry, restraint and special feeding. The meaning of these scenes is considered in relation to the definite evidence for butchery and muscle stripping seen on these bones. Hyaena meat may well have posed a threat to the consumer as a probable carrier of trichinosis, a disease now known from mummified human tissues from ancient Egypt. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Residual rickets or osteomalacia: a case dating from the 16–18th centuries from Krosno Odrzańskie,Poland

A skeleton from a 16–18^th century burial site in Krosno Odrzańskie, Poland, was examined using classical morphological, metric and macroscopic palaeopathological observations, as well as radiography and tomography of the skull and long bones. A wide variety of the observed bone deformations probably occurred as a consequence of past rickets and/or osteomalacia, whose primary cause may also have been chronic renal failure. Preservation of the bones enables a discussion of the cause of such pathological changes. The subject under study appears to be a very interesting example of an individual whose skeleton shows advanced pathological alterations associated with the subject's vitamin D deficiency, overall health conditions and relatively long lifespan. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distinguishing nonhuman predation on birds: pattern of damage done by the white-tailed eagle Haliaetus albicilla, with comments on the punctures made by the golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos

The study presents criteria to distinguish some of the nonhuman predation on birds whose remains may also be found at archaeological sites. Specifically, it deals with fragmentation patterns of bird bones in uneaten food remains of the white-tailed eagle Haliaetus albicilla and discusses perforations in victims' bones done by the white-tailed and golden eagles. The food remains show very low degree of fragmentation; bones of the pectoral girdle and wing predominate while head and leg elements are poorly represented. The proportion of perforated sterna differs between the two species of eagles and it is suggested that the differences are attributed to the species of prey rather than the way of handling them by the raptors.     

Translocated Testudinidae: the earliest archaeological evidence for land tortoise in Britain

Abstract

This paper calls attention to the discovery of what is believed to be the earliest archaeological evidence for land tortoise in Britain. The specimen derived from a late 19th-century context at Stafford Castle and was associated with bones of cats and dogs, which may have been kept as pets by the castle's caretakers. The date accords with the historically attested rise in tortoise importation and with changes in attitudes towards pet animals.     

An assessment of the value of bone density measurements to archaeoichthyological studies

This paper reviews the meaning of the term ‘density’ and the problems associated with the methods of density determination for animal bones in archaeology. It has often been assumed that density is the intrinsic property of most influence in controlling the rate of a bone's decay. Values for whole bone density have been published only for large mammal bone, however. Fish bone appears to be particularly vulnerable to decay, and usually a restricted range of skeletal elements are recovered from archaeological sites. The object of this study was to examine the relationship between fish bone density and the ability of the bone to survive on occupation sites and in archaeological deposits. A set of ‘density’ measurements was established for the bones of cod (Gadus morhua). The usefulness of these measurements as a predictive tool in archaeoichthyological studies is assessed. It was found that ‘density’ as measured did not explain adequately the relative survival of skeletal elements after mechanical abrasion and weathering, or within archaeological deposits.     

Death of mother and child due to dystocia in 19th century Portugal

While historical documents indicate that complications during pregnancy, labour or soon after birth was a common cause of death in past populations, to date only a few archaeological cases have been reported. Here we present an example, unearthed in a small Portuguese churchyard, of an adult female buried with an infant at her pelvis. The pair appear to have died during labour, as the infant's estimated age at death corresponds to a full term pregnancy, while the distribution of the bones at the adult's pelvic girdle is consistent with birth positioning. The association between the skeletons and their cause of death is analysed, discussed and compared with similar archaeological evidence. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Embryotomy in the 19th Century of Central Italy

An enormous earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009 brought to light human bodies buried in the underground rooms of the medieval St. John the Evangelist church (Casentino, Central Italy). Among the remains, we discovered a human fetus, whose post‐cranial bones were wrapped in bandages and cranial bones were reallocated inside a sort of hood. Anthropometrical investigation revealed an age at death of 29 ± 2 weeks of pregnancy for the little mummy. Radiograph analysis of the fetus showed that the skull was dissected and disconnected from the vertebral column, and the post‐cranial bones were completely disarticulated from the axial skeleton. The body was reassembled in a way of anatomic connection at a later stage. This mummified fetus dated to ad 1840 showed paleopathological evidence of a possible embryotomy and could be a rare and unquestionable case of embryotomy in archaeological context. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arsenic accumulation on the bones in the Early Bronze Age İkiztepe Population,Turkey

In this study, arsenic, copper and lead content of a group of human and animal bones recovered from the Early Bronze Age ?kiztepe site have been analyzed using ICP-MS method. Average arsenic value of 90 femur bones of a human was found to be 15.0 ± 5.79 ppm which was varied among age and sex groups, and among species. Origin of arsenic accumulation in bones was diagenetic because overall the groups were highly variable. The distribution of metallic items among the burials had a big affect on the arsenic uptake of the bones. Copper and lead values supported the diagenetic arsenic accumulation in the bones as well. Their values on the bones were not as high as those for the individuals involved in metal working activities in the ancient world. Judging from these data, it is concluded that ?kiztepe people did not produce the manufactured metallic items using arsenical copper but might have been imported from the other sites.     

Fishery in prehistoric and medieval Tallinn,Estonia

During archaeological excavations in central Tallinn, Estonia, many fish bones were collected among other archaeological finds. As these were salvage excavations conducted under limited time and cost restraints, only a very small part of the removed soil could be examined for fish bones. In such hasty conditions, the only option was to take soil samples from selected areas and carry out water sieving in the laboratory. This procedure resulted in the recovery of a variety of fish remains. Also, a previous conclusion that only large fish were captured is re-evaluated. This paper focuses on two recently excavated medieval sites in Tallinn: Tartu Road 1 and Vabaduse Square. In Vabaduse Square, a Late Neolithic settlement was also discovered under the medieval layers. The analysis of the three different assemblages of fish bones from the two sites, which were collected by somewhat different methods, contributes to our knowledge on fishing and fish consumption in Tallinn's past.     

Size does matter: methodological comments on sieve size and species richness in fishbone assemblages

Vale and Gargett (J. Archaeol. Sci. 29 (2002) 57) discuss the finds from sieving experiments through 6 mm, 3 mm, and 1 mm mesh sizes from Arrawarra-I, a coastal midden site in Australia. They claimed that the relationship between sieve mesh size and both taxonomic richness and abundance is not straightforward. We reanalyzed Vale and Gargett's data to estimate species richness in larger sample sizes. By fitting logarithmic series to the data, we calculated the alpha diversity, and used that statistics to predict number of species expected at a given sample size. This statistical method is called “the equivalent alpha diversity method for abundifaction”. We demonstrate that taxonomic diversity would have been higher (14 species rather then 10) for an NISP of 2000 bones, sieved through a 1 mm mesh. We also demonstrate that Vale and Gargett's conclusion is flawed due to their small sample size (432 identified bones out of 60,000), inadequate sampling methods and poor analytical methodology. By using Vale and Gargett's data, we reach the opposite conclusion, and show that the use of 3 and 1 mm mesh sieves is indeed important in measuring diversity of archaeological assemblages in general, and of fish assemblages in particular.     

THE DESIGN OF EVALUATION OF ASSAYS OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN A FOSSIL BONE*

The flame atomic absorption spectroscopy method of analysis of trace elements (Mn, Sr, and Cu) in a mammoth's bone and the method of estimation of the data using regression analysis are described. The concentration fields of the single elements in a cross-section through the bone are well described by a fourth degree polynomial. The minimum values and their coordinates have been determined. A method of determination of the original concentrations of trace elements in fossil bones is described further. The approximating features of the regression exponential equations and of the diffusion functions of various shapes were determined and a method for calculating the concentrations and diffusion properties of the bones once deposited in the soil is suggested. The original trace element concentration can be estimated by extrapolation of a suitable exponential or diffusion function.