The identification of extant european bird remains: a review of the literature

This paper reviews the literature on the identification of bird bones found in European sites. Such a review is useful both to Quaternary palaeontologists and to zooarchaeologists attempting to identify bird bones. The publications are considered systematically. We stress that the published works should not be used for identification in isolation, but that a comparative collection is essential. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The morphological distinction between bones and teeth of fallow deer (Dama dama) and red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Morphological characters for the separation of red and fallow deer remains are described. These encompass antlers, permanent dentition, and postcranial bones. The characters were tested on samples of known red and fallow deer from an array of contexts, thus helping to ensure their validity across different populations. An attempt is made to quantify the reliability of each character, using a simple arithmetic method of scoring and analysing the test data. This forms the basis for a more objective assessment of the identity of an unknown specimen.     

The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in ancient skeletons

The polymerase chain reaction has been used to extract ancient DNA from a wide range of different types of material. We have considered the possibility of finding residual bacterial DNA in bone that may have been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis using this technique. We propose a method of collecting samples and testing for the presence of degraded genetic material in ancient bone. The steps of the polymerase chain reaction are detailed and discussed, as are those for the preparation of the bone sample. Results obtained would suggest that this technique could have wide application in osteoarchaeological research by giving us new information on diseases of antiquity. Future avenues for the investigation of bacterial DNA in ancient bone are suggested.     

Camelus from the upper pleistocene of Mount Carmel,Israel

A Camelus metapodial, found among the animal bones excavated by Garrod from the Levalloiso-Mousterian of the Tabun Cave (Mount Carmel, Israel), adds to the relatively small number of Camelus finds reported from the Pleistocene of the Near East. The mammal faunas associated with these finds suggest relatively dry open conditions, but not desert conditions. The Tabun specimen is of moderate size, in contrast to the very large Camelus from Far'ah II; two species of camel may thus have been present in the Near East during the Upper Pleistocene.     

A very large camel from the upper pleistocene of the Negev desert

Bones of an Upper Pleistocene Camelus have been found in the northwestern Negev, they are of particular interest because they are larger than those of all the Old World camel species since the Plio-Pleistocene, and they are very much larger than the few fossil camels already known from the Middle East. It is suggested that they represent the only C. thomasi yet identified outside Africa.     

Foot anomalies in the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic population exhumed from the rock cut cave of São Paulo 2 (Almada,Portugal)

The study of developmental abnormalities of the tarsal bones in a Portuguese Late Neolithic population was performed, as part of an ongoing research project that includes the evaluation of foot defects in Portuguese skeletal populations from Neolithic times to modern 20th century samples. Two accessory bones were found, calcaneum secundarium and os trigonum, and three non‐osseous coalitions were detected, calcaneonavicular, cuboid‐navicular and third metatarsal‐third cuneiform. The newly presented frequencies corresponded to other published sources, except for the frequency of calcaneum secundarium, higher than in previous studies (8.6% left bones; 15.2% right bones). This result suggests population homogeneity maybe due to geographic isolation and/or marriage customs although the exact pattern of inheritance of the majority of these foot anomalies is unknown. No apparent sex bias was detected and side could not be tested since these human remains were uncovered from a commingled funerary context. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Charcoal scarcity in Epigravettian settlements with mammoth bone dwellings: the taphonomic evidence from Mezhyrich (Ukraine)

Fuel management during the Paleolithic periods is an important issue to understand past human subsistence. Numerous Palaeolithic sites relate an abundance of burnt bones in hearths and an absence or scarcity of wood charcoals, which leads studies to focus on burnt bone remains and the use of bones in hearths. Few works take into account the micro-residues of wood charcoals which can still be present in hearth areas and excavated sediments. We studied the Epigravettian site with mammoth bone dwellings of Mezhyrich (Ukraine) previously characterized by its high content of burnt bones and an “absence” of wood charcoal during the so-called mammoth steppe. The presence or absence and proportions of both wood charcoals and burnt bones were quantified in macro-, meso- and microscale sediment size fractions by an image analysis method. Our results show that excavations during field-works at Mezhyrich give only a partial image of the original anthracological record and that most charcoal materials are lost with standard archaeological and anthracological approaches. The scarcity of charcoals in this site was possibly due to an important mass reduction accentuated by the addition of bones in hearths. By applying our protocol we recovered a significant amount of wood charcoals which provides the first ¹⁴C dates from charcoals at Mezhyrich. Numerous charcoals are identified contributing subsequent information about vegetation, environment and burning practices. They indicate, by comparison with pollen data already collected, the presence of forest patches in a mammoth steppe landscape, which might have influenced the collecting behavior of Epigravettian populations.     

殷墟龟腹甲新缀三则

本文新缀龟腹甲三则,并分别作了说明与考释。内容涉及商代农业、田猎、祭祀、丧葬等诸多方面,其中第二则缀合,更为历组卜辞时代提前说提供了强有力的支持。     

郑州商城出土骨刻文与中国古代的“舞雩”祈雨之祀

殷墟甲骨文中已有关于求雨的"雩祭"了,此后历代相沿,可谓源远流长。早商时期郑州商城遗址出土的两例骨刻文"■■"和"■■"形近而义同,它们可能就是这种雩祭的原型。在郑州商城遗址发现这类祈雨的文字资料,这和郑州商城所在的地理环境及其当时一度干旱缺水的气候条件都有一定的关系。     

Lead concentrations in bones from a Neolithic long barrow

Lead concentrations were determined in ribs obtained from the Neolithic long barrow at Hazelton and compared with those in a series of modern bones. The mean lead concentration in the neolithic material was about two-and-a-half times less than the contemporary mean indicating that human activity has considerably increased the human body burden of lead.