Biological Homogeneity and Familial Segregation in the Iron Age Population of Alfedena (Abruzzo,Italy), Based on Cranial Discrete Traits Analysis

The Iron Age necropolis of Alfedena has been well-known since the last century. In this study 10 non-continuous traits of the cranial skeleton are examined in a series of 94 adult individuals (54 males and 40 females). The division of the Alfedena necropolis into tomb circles has permitted the investigation of the possible existence of familial segregation. Our analysis has shown us that the individuals inhumated in the different tomb circles have a common genetic substrate probably attributable to the strong endogamy present in this population.     

A Discrete Variant in the Third Plantar Tarsometatarsal Joint: Patterns of Occurrence in a Prehistoric Population from West-central Illinois

A small pit in the articular surfaces of the third tarsometatarsal joint has been noted with particularly high frequency in North American Indians. This pit varies in depth, and covers most of the inferior third of the articular surfaces of the third metatarsal and the lateral cuneiform; it is accompanied by remodelling of the inferior surfaces of the bones involved. In the present study, patterns of occurrence are examined in a prehistoric skeletal population from west-central Illinois. This population is extremely well preserved, enabling a thorough examination of feet as well as hands for most individuals. The sample included 496 adults and juveniles above the age of 6 years. Of this total population, 18 per cent exhibit the variation, which occurs more frequently in females and is unrelated to size. Furthermore, 29 per cent of the individuals in which it occurs exhibit this variant only unilaterally, with no significant side differences. Various lesions, trauma and acquired or activity-related aetiologies are explored, as are the patterns of sex association, occurrence near an area of ligamentous attachment and lack of age and size association. It is hypothesized that a discrete genetic trait is represented in the third tarsometatarsal joint of this population in the form of an anomalous interosseous plantar ligament. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Osteoarchaeol., 7 : 124–132 (1997) No. of Figures: 3. No. of Tables: 2. No. of References: 26.     

利用齿冠测量值判断古人骨是否血亲的新方法

为了科学鉴别同性合葬墓中死者是否血亲、异性合葬墓中死者是否夫妇,日本体质人类学家和考古学家合作利用牙齿具有较高遗传性、恒齿形态不变、成人和儿童可以直接比较的特点,发明了通过比较死者之间齿冠测量值Q型系数来判断他们是否血亲的方法,这个方法被证明可以有效地判断古人骨是否血亲。列举的实例演示了如何把齿冠测量值与考古背景资料结合起来分析古人骨是否血亲及其关系的具体做法。     

Hornell,Hasslöf and Boatbuilding Sequences

Hornell's publications on ‘native watercraft’ form a unique ‘library’ dealing with boatbuilding and boat use. His quest for the origins of water transport, on the other hand, was unsuccessful. In a clarification of the issues involved, Hasslöf criticized Hornell's use of the term ‘carvel’ and proposed ‘shell‐first’ and ‘skeleton‐first’ as best able to characterize boatbuilding traditions. Those terms subsequently gave way to ‘plank‐first’ and ‘frame‐first’. Certain north‐west European vessels, each built in both those sequences, were identified by Hasslöf as a link between ‘plank‐first’ and ‘frame‐first’. Such a transition would have been facilitated by the use of ‘framing‐first’, a building sequence used in north‐west Europe and in the eastern Mediterranean from the early 1st millennia AD.     

Scurvy in adults and youngsters: the Dutch experience. A review of the history and pathology of a disregarded disease

Prior to the Dutch maritime expansion of the 17th and 18th centuries, scurvy was known in the Low Countries as an endemic disease. From the end of the 16th century the disease started to draw much more attention due to increasing long sea journeys of sailors. Already in the Dutch medical literature of the 16th century, a strong relation was expressed between the prolonged taking of foodstuffs of poor quality and the risk of contracting scurvy. Although from that time, many Dutch physicians recommended oranges, scurvy grass and brook‐lime, it took 200 years before inadequate therapy on the fleet was replaced by systematic prevention. Why did the old time effective recommendations for the therapy of scurvy stay inadequate for mariners? To understand, maritime and medical history were unfolded and evaluated with respect to palaeopathological findings reported for 39 cases of active scurvy and one case of healed scurvy. The palaeopathology of scurvy in adults and still growing youngsters was investigated from the remains of 50 Dutch whalers who had been buried during the 17th and 18th centuries on an island of the Spitsbergen Archipelago. Conforming the clinical literature, the original haematomas from scurvy were found as a black staining at the tips of dental roots. In the weight‐bearing bones of the lower extremities large black stains were positioned bilaterally around endofractures of the metaphyses, bilaterally on joint surfaces and bilaterally at epiphyseal discs of youngsters. In the non‐weight‐bearing bones they were often found unilaterally, such as at insertions of muscles. Immunoenzymatic staining of microscopic sections proved that the black stains were from remnants of denatured haemoglobin. No microscopic bone repair activities had happened. In a case of healed scurvy it could even be demonstrated how many times the recovery process had taken place from the layers of appositional bone which had replaced the original subperiosteal haematomas. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of historical human skeletal remains: a case study using skeletal and dental age,history and DNA

Excavation of an early historical (circa 1900) church cemetery in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, revealed the graves of six individuals. All but one had been previously excavated and the individuals were re‐interred elsewhere. The remaining grave contained a coffin burial of an infant including most of the skeleton, crowns of forming deciduous teeth, scalp and hair. The remains were excavated and historical research was carried out to determine possible families who had used the cemetery. Skeletal and dental age estimates pointed to a particular individual described in historical records. This identification was confirmed through more precise ageing by dental microstructure, sex determination using DNA, and finally, maternal relatedness by comparison of mtDNA with a living female relative. In addition to describing the analytical methods used, this paper demonstrates the importance of accurately identifying historical burials, particularly when living relatives remain in the community. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

从麦积山看魏塑“秀骨清像”的文化底蕴

“秀骨清像”是魏塑的典型造像风格,它具有深厚的文化底蕴。以麦积山石窟造像为据,其中蕴含的是人的自觉、名士清谈、玄与佛的时代精神。     

The taphonomic attributes of a Late Cretaceous plesiosaur skeleton from New Zealand

The pre-burial history of a partial elasmosaurid plesiosaur skeleton is reconstructed from analysis of the distribution and modification of bones preserved in a calcareous concretionary mass. The specimen lacks the skull, cervical vertebrae, left limb bones and some girdle elements, but the remaining bones are interpreted to have been deposited on the sea floor from a semi-buoyant carcass and their relative positions modified by the action of scavengers. Bioerosive agents caused loss of bone, particularly on joint surfaces and vertebral centra, as the carcass lay exposed on the sea floor, perhaps for several years before burial.     

Dietary patterns during the late prehistoric/historic period in Cikobia island (Fiji): insights from stable isotopes and dental pathologies

The dietary patterns of eight adults and one child interred in the Korotuku burial mound (Cikobia, northern Fiji), dated from the late prehistoric/historic period (around AD 1850), have been investigated using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures and dental and oral pathologies. Bone collagen isotopic compositions showed that (1) males and females had similar diets in terms of terrestrial C₃ resources and marine fish components and proportions; (2) the proportion of marine fish comprised around 25% of the protein fraction of the diet, and the proportion of vegetal food was high; and (3) one canid that was also studied had a different diet, probably rich in shellfish. Oral and dental examinations of the humans evidenced (1) a low level of dental macrowear, (2) a high rate of carious lesions—interproximal and cervical—of about 15%, and (3) a low amount of abscessing, as well as the presence of alveolar bone recession and calculus in most of the adults. This evidence suggests a diet relying mainly on vegetal food with very limited shellfish consumption. When viewed in the light of ethnohistoric information, this pattern suggests a particular sociocultural behaviour, including food selection, since the analyses of the canid remains indicate that more diversified food resources were available than those consumed by the humans. Overall observations suggest that the deceased in the Korotuku burial mound might be members of an elite living on the island, thus pointing to possible social stratification in the late prehistoric/historic Cikobia community.