Not just cattle: Cranial perforations revisited

The phenomenon of perforated cattle skulls is well known to archaeozoologists. It is a condition that has not only been reported during routine faunal analyses but, unusually for animal palaeopathological studies, it has also been the subject of dedicated research papers. A revolutionary moment in the understanding of this anomaly came with its detection in the skull of a European bison. As a result of this discovery, a developmental disorder of genetic origin is now accepted as the most probable cause. In this paper, it is suggested that the perforations are caused by a developmental disorder that is expressed during the pneumatisation of the frontal, parietal and occipital bones in animals with a large sinus frontalis. The first published example of this condition in pig supports this hypothesis. It is argued that the anomaly is a hereditary trait caused by a recessive gene, the phenotypic expression of which only appears in homozygous recessive individuals. Higher incidences of this condition in past cattle and pig populations in certain places at times, may therefore testify to the occurrence of population bottlenecks and/or inbreeding practices. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dietary change in Fijian prehistory: isotopic analyses of human and animal skeletal material

We examine evidence for prehistoric diet in the Fiji Islands through the analysis of stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) for 26 samples of human and animal bones from various archaeological sites, time periods, and local environments. The oldest individuals in this study, dating to about 2700 BP and living on the small island of Waya, consumed a predominantly marine-based diet. Subsequent populations on this island showed reduced consumption of marine resources, with greater reliance on terrestrial ones, throughout the cultural sequence. In contrast, populations of humans and pigs living inland on Viti Levu, the largest island, relied on terrestrial resources since at least 1500 BP. Thus, our results suggest that human and pig diets throughout Fijian prehistory relied variably on marine or terrestrial resources, and this distinction is largely a product of geography. This finding and our analyses provide a model for understanding ancient diets in Remote Oceania.     

On the possible ritual marking of a young XVIIIth dynasty pig skull from Tell el‐Amarna,Middle Egypt

A young pig skull, excavated from an ancient Egyptian village near Tell el‐Amarna, Middle Egypt, presents a number of unusual features which are suggestive of ante‐mortem human intervention with subsequent localised infection of the bone. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2O世纪3O年代科技兴农试验：定县猪种改良

五四新化运动后,科学主义、科技兴国的思想在中国渐为流传,但如何付诸实践,这是一个尚待探索的问题。20世纪二三十年代,晏阳初先生在定县进行的平民教育运动体现了他利用科学技术改造中国农村的志向、总体构想和实践,真正体现了“五四”之后中国知识分子开始把国外先进的科学技术应用于农村的开拓精神。我们选择了猪种改良这个角度,考察平教会是如何踏踏实实地进行科技下乡、改造农村落后面貌的。我们认为,晏阳初的这一思想和实践具有重要的历史价值。     

Palaeobiology of the Medieval Population of Albano (Rome,Italy): A Combined Morphological and Biomolecular Approach

Recent years have seen increased interest in skeletal populations from the Imperial Roman Age in Italy, but much less is known about diet and standards of living in the subsequent medieval period. To fill this gap, we conducted a morphological analysis of human remains from Albano, an Italian town near Rome, as well as a stable isotope analysis of bone collagen to reconstruct diet. The sample was recovered from a Medieval cemetery (1040–1220 cal. yr. BP) located in the gardens of the historical Palazzo Doria Pamphili in Albano. A minimum number of 40 individuals (31 adults and 9 sub‐adults) were examined using standard methods. Though the general health status of the population was good, signs of cribra orbitalia and diffuse enthesopathies were noted during the morphological examination. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of the bone collagen from 24 adult humans and three faunal bones indicate that the diet of the population may be described as predominantly terrestrial and C₃‐plant based although the data for some of the individuals suggest a modest consumption of C₄‐(millet) based or aquatic proteins. No evidence of significant dietary differences between the sexes was found. The comparison of the isotope data from Albano with those from populations recovered in the same region is consistent with a shift from a terrestrial, possibly plant foods‐dominated subsistence in the Early Middle Ages to a diet with a higher contribution from animal proteins, both terrestrial and aquatic, in the Later Middle Ages. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diet Variability and Stable Isotope Analyses: Looking for Variables Within the Late Neolithic and Iron Age Human Groups from Gougenheim Site and Surrounding Areas (Alsace,France)

Several human groups (from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age) have been analysed in France during the past decade (mainly for C and N stable isotope) as part of research programmes focusing on prehistoric dietary variability. The environment, cultural/social choices or even biological characteristics are among the parameters influencing food acquisition and consumption. This short report presents the first diachronic isotopic results on the palaeodiet in northeastern France. Because of the exceptional archaeological characteristics (human deposits in various positions in pits) of the bone collection from the site of Gougenheim and the surrounding areas (Late Neolithic‐Iron Age, Alsace, France), this assemblage provides a new isotopic dataset to study diet and the potential relationship with social elements or other factors involved in food choices. In order to obtain individual palaeodietary information, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses were performed on 23 adults and 20 immature human bone collagen samples as well as on 25 animal remains. Data were then combined with zooarchaeological and anthropological/archaeological results to reconstruct part of the dietary pattern (i.e. protein consumed) and to detect possible links between the deposit and individual or group social status, defined here by specific mortuary practices. For the Late Neolithic period, isotopic values show, among other things, a wide δ¹³C range within the female human group, which is statistically lower than the male one. Women probably consumed more diversified food sources, suggesting increased residential mobility. Although body deposits point to the presence of two distinct subgroups, no relationship with animal protein intake was identified. Moreover, the comparison with Iron Age individuals brought to light different dietary patterns between the two periods, indicating that stable isotope values were affected throughout time either by increased millet/legume consumption or environmental/anthropic changes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

唐至元代墓葬中出土的铁牛铁猪

铁牛、铁猪出现在两京地区的晚唐墓葬中,在墓葬中的位置一般是墓室的“丑亥”二位。而宋元墓葬中出土的形制、数量、位置以及出现区域发生了一些变化。在此基础上,本文结合文献论述了铁牛、铁猪的“压胜”性质和镇墓、驱邪作用。     

Dogomomo Xmas,Kwangwe's Races,and a Murder: W.E. Armstrong and the Rossel Island Money

W.E. Armstrong, British anthropologist, visited Rossel Island in 1921 and derived a theory regarding the islanders' monetary system, which attracted much debate at the time. However, his analysis was ultimately shown to be a misunderstanding of the situation. In this examination of Armstrong's field notes, I show how the linguistic difficulties he worked under, together with the complexity of the monetary exchange and the short term of his fieldwork, combined to lead him astray.