scholarly journals Unveiling an odd fate after death: The isolated Eneolithic cranium discovered in the Marcel Loubens Cave (Bologna, Northern Italy)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247306
Author(s):  
Maria Giovanna Belcastro ◽  
Teresa Nicolosi ◽  
Rita Sorrentino ◽  
Valentina Mariotti ◽  
Annalisa Pietrobelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Woman ◽  
Outer Surface ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Vertical Shaft ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Ritual Context ◽  
Geological Context

An isolated human cranium, dated to the early Eneolithic period, was discovered in 2015 at the top of a vertical shaft in the natural Marcel Loubens gypsum Cave (Bologna area, northern Italy). No other anthropological or archaeological remains were found inside the cave. In other caves of the same area anthropic and funerary use are attested from prehistory to more recent periods. We focused on investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of this individual, since the cranium shows signs of some lesions that appear to be the results of a perimortem manipulation probably carried out to remove soft tissues. Anthropological analyses revealed that the cranium belonged to a young woman. We analysed the taphonomic features and geological context to understand how and why the cranium ended up (accidentally or intentionally) in the cave. The analyses of both the sediments accumulated inside the cranium and the incrustations and pigmentation covering its outer surface suggested that it fell into the cave, drawn by a flow of water and mud, likely from the edges of a doline. The accidental nature of the event is also seemingly confirmed by some post-mortem lesions on the cranium. The comparison with other Eneolithic archaeological sites in northern Italy made it possible to interpret the find as likely being from a funerary or ritual context, in which corpse dismemberment (in particular the displacement of crania) was practiced.

Identification of domestic chicken bones in archaeological sites

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-200
Author(s):  
Hui Deng ◽  
Jun Li
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Chicken ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Bone Morphology ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Advance Research ◽  
Place Of Origin ◽  
Future Work

AbstractIn recent years, with the participation of genetics and other disciplines, the controversy on the origins of the domestic chicken has returned. As the resource of primary data, archaeology plays an extremely important role in this dispute. Taking an archaeological standpoint, this paper aims to establish a set of bone morphological identification standards for domestic chicken bones unearthed at archaeological remains, beginning with the bone morphology as the most basic but also the least studied aspect. By this set of standards, we reanalyze available chicken bone materials and relevant pictorial and textual materials for domestic chicken candidate samples as mentioned by previous scholars. The results show that no confirmed domestic chicken bones have been found in China’s early to mid-Holocene remains to date; meanwhile, there is no substantial archaeological evidence to support China as the earliest place of origin of domestic chicken. Future work seeking to advance research on the origin of the domestic chicken should first pay proper attention to the archaeological background; only continuing scientific analyses and exploration on the origin of domestic chicken based on scientific morphological identification will prove the most convincing methodology.

Post Mortem Computed Tomography of the Bones and Soft Tissues

2021 ◽  
pp. 271-303
Author(s):  
Ayeshea Shenton ◽  
Peter Kralt ◽  
S. Kim Suvarna
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Post Mortem

scholarly journals Niède Guidon: a cientista brasileira responsável pelo tesouro arqueológico nacional

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Jéssica Da Silva Gaudêncio
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Journal ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
Carbon 14 ◽  
The City

ResumoO presente artigo aborda a trajetória científica da arqueóloga Niède Guidon, brasileira nascida no interior de São Paulo e Doutora em Pré-História pela Université Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne. Chegou na cidade de São Raimundo Nonato (Piauí) em 1970 em busca de vestígios arqueológicos provenientes daquela região. Ao deparar-se com resultados de análises enviadas à laboratórios franceses, no qual datavam através da técnica com Carbono-14 artefatos e vestígios arqueológicos com mais de 18 mil anos BP[1], Niède ampliou suas pesquisas e reuniu esforços pela preservação do local que hoje é conhecido como Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara, patrimônio cultural da humanidade pela Unesco. Em 1986, publicou suas descobertas na prestigiada revista científica britânica Nature, dando destaque internacional para os sítios arqueológicos do nordeste brasileiro. A partir daí Guidon continuou seu trabalho e suas descobertas arqueológicas constataram artefatos com datações de 100 mil anos BP, desenvolvendo novas teorias para a origem do homem americano, refutando assim a teoria mais aceita do Estreito de Bering. Isto causou a indignação de diversos arqueólogos internacionais e nacionais que questionavam a veracidade de suas pesquisas. Mesmo com todas essas polêmicas, Niède Guidon e demais pesquisadores seguem com seus estudos nos mais de 1300 sítios arqueológicos da região do Piauí, sugerindo que mais resultados ainda estão por vir.Palavras-chave: Niède Guidon; Arqueologia; Pré-história brasileira.AbstractThis article deals with the scientific accomplishments of the archaeologist Niède Guidon, a Brazilian born in the interior of São Paulo who earned a Ph.D. in Prehistory from the Université Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne. He arrived in the city of São Raimundo Nonato (Piauí) in 1970 in search of archaeological remains from that region. When he first received the results from French laboratories of Carbon-14 analyses, a method capable of dating artifacts that are at least eighteen thousand years old, Niède expanded his research and joined efforts to preserve the location now known such as Serra da Capivara National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Center. In 1986, he published his findings in the prestigious British scientific journal Nature, gaining international prominence for the archeological sites of northeastern Brazil. From there Guidon continued his work and his archaeological discoveries, finding artifacts dating to 100,000 years before the present (BP), developed new theories for the origin of American humankind, thus refuting the more accepted theory of the humankind’s migration across the land bridge between Asia and North America. This caused indignation among several international and national archaeologists who questioned the veracity of his research. Even with controversies, Niède Guidon and other researchers have continued their studies in more than 1300 archaeological sites in the Piauí region, which suggests that more findings can be expected.Keywords: Niède Guidon; Archeology, Brazilian Prehistory.[1] Before the Present – Antes do Presente – escala utilizada pelas disciplinas científicas na datação de eventos do passado em relação à data presente.

scholarly journals First evidence of terrestrial ambrein formation in human adipocere

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara von der Lühe ◽  
Robert W. Mayes ◽  
Volker Thiel ◽  
Lorna A. Dawson ◽  
Matthias Graw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Molecule ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Transformation Products ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Geological Samples ◽  
Microbial Decomposition ◽  
Chemical Indicators ◽  
Waxy Substance

AbstractTo date, the only known occurrence of ambrein, an important perfumery organic molecule, is in coproliths found in about one in a hundred sperm whales. Jetsam ambergris coproliths from the whale are also found occasionally on beaches worldwide. Here we report on the surprising occurrence of ambrein in human adipocere. Adipocere is a waxy substance formed post-mortem during incomplete anaerobic decomposition of soft tissues. Adipocere samples obtained from grave exhumations were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition to the typical fatty acids of adipocere, lesser amounts of ambrein were identified in the samples, in abundances similar to those of the major accompanying faecal steroids. The distribution of these compounds suggests that ambrein was produced post-mortem during the microbial decomposition of faecal residues and tissues. It is assumed that the adipocere matrix of saturated fatty acidsaided the preservation of ambrein over extended periods of time, because adipocere is stable against degradation. The association of ambrein formation in ageing faecal material, under moist, oxygen-depleted conditions, now requires more attention in studies of other mammalian and geological samples. Indeed, ambrein and its transformation products may be useful novel chemical indicators of aged faecal matter and decomposed bodies.

scholarly journals Lessons from Star Carr on the vulnerability of organic archaeological remains to environmental change

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (46) ◽  
pp. 12957-12962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty High ◽  
Nicky Milner ◽  
Ian Panter ◽  
Beatrice Demarchi ◽  
Kirsty E. H. Penkman
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Rapid Loss ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
Exceptional Preservation ◽  
Environmental Materials ◽  
The Last Glacial ◽  
Organic Remains

Examples of wetland deposits can be found across the globe and are known for preserving organic archaeological and environmental remains that are vitally important to our understanding of past human–environment interactions. The Mesolithic site of Star Carr (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) represents one of the most influential archives of human response to the changing climate at the end of the last glacial in Northern Europe. A hallmark of the site since its discovery in 1948 has been the exceptional preservation of its organic remains. Disturbingly, recent excavations have suggested that the geochemistry of the site is no longer conducive to such remarkable survival of organic archaeological and environmental materials. Microcosm (laboratory-based) burial experiments have been undertaken, alongside analysis of artifacts excavated from the site, to assess the effect of these geochemical changes on the remaining archaeological material. By applying a suite of macroscopic and molecular analyses, we demonstrate that the geochemical changes at Star Carr are contributing to the inexorable and rapid loss of valuable archaeological and paleoenvironmental information. Our findings have global implications for other wetland sites, particularly archaeological sites preserved in situ.

Geoarchaeological evidence of multiple climatic and anthropic triggers driving the breakdown of the Terramare civilization (Bronze Age, Northern Italy)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Zerboni ◽  
Anna Maria Mercuri ◽  
Assunta Florenzano ◽  
Eleonora Clò ◽  
Giovanni Zanchetta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Po River ◽  
Commercial Exchange ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Dramatic Shift

<p><span>The Terramare civilization included hundreds of </span><span>banked and moated villages, located in the alluvial plain of the Po River of northern Italy, and developed between the Middle and the Recent Bronze Ages (XVI-XII cent. BC). This civilization lasted for over 500 years, collapsing at around 1150 years BC, in a period marked by a great societal disruptionin the Mediterranean area. The timing and modalities of the collapse of the Terramare Bronze Age culture are widely debated, and a combined geoarchaeological and palaeoclimatic investigation – the SUCCESSO-TERRA Project –is shading new light on this enigma. The Terramare economy was based upon cereal farming, herding, and metallurgy; settlements were also sustained by a well-developed system for the management of water and abundant wood resources. They also established a wide network of commercial exchange between continental Europe and the Mediterranean region.The SUCCESSO-TERRA Project investigated two main Bronze Age sites in Northern Italy:(i) the Terramara Santa Rosa di Poviglio, and (ii) the San Michele di Valestra site, which is a coeval settlement outside the Terramare territory, but in the adjoining Apennine range. Human occupation at San Michele di Valestra persisted after the Terramare crisis and the site was settled with continuity throughout the whole Bronze Ages, up to the Iron Age. The combined geoarchaeological, palaeoclimatic, and archaeobotanical investigation on different archaeological sites and on independent archives for climatic proxies (offsite cores and speleothems) highlights the existence of both climatic and anthropic critical factors triggering a dramatic shift of the landuse of the Terramare civilization. The overexploitation of natural resources became excessive in the late period of the Terramare trajectory, when also a climatic change occurred. A fresh speleothem record for the same region suggests the occurrence of a short-lived period of climatic instability followed by a marked peak of aridity. The<span> </span>unfavourable concomitance between human overgrazing and climatic-triggered environmental pressure, amplified the on-going societal crisis, likely leading to the breakdown of the Terramare civilization in the turn of a generation.</span></p>

High Strain Rate Compressive Properties of Soft Tissue

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb R. Van Sligtenhorst ◽  
Duane S. Cronin ◽  
G. Wayne Brodland
Keyword(s):  
High Strain Rate ◽  
Strain Rate ◽  
Material Properties ◽  
Fiber Orientation ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
High Strain ◽  
Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar ◽  
Strain Rates ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Fresh Tissue

High strain rate material properties and constitutive equations are essential for the development of numerical and physical models to assess the performance of soft materials subject to high rate deformation, with potential applications including protective equipment and vehicle crashworthiness. However, these properties are not available for many soft tissues. This is because specialized testing methods must be employed to obtain the necessary data. Fresh bovine tissue from the semimembranosis muscle was obtained and tested using a polymeric Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar. Samples were tested from 1.4 to 200 hours post mortem to observe the effect of rigor and other possible temporal effects on the material properties. Since this muscle had relatively uniform fiber orientation, it was possible to obtain specimens with fiber directions parallel, perpendicular, and at 45 degrees to the compression axis. The stress-strain curves for the muscle were concave upwards, as is typical of soft tissues at high strain rates. Fiber orientation was determined to have negligible effect at the tested strain rates. The testing revealed that the stiffness of the tissue increased with post mortem time until approximately 6 hours. At times greater than 200 hours post mortem, the tissue properties were found to be very similar to the properties of fresh tissue. These findings suggest that properties of fresh tissue might be estimated using more easily obtained post-rigor tissue.

Bird Bones, Burials, and Bundles in Plains Archaeology

1975 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Ubelaker ◽  
Waldo R. Wedel
Keyword(s):  
Missouri River ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Museum Collections ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Time Perspectives ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Plains Archaeology ◽  
Minor Portion ◽  
Important Time ◽  
Indian Medicine

Plains archaeologists have usually devoted little attention to the bird remains that normally comprise a relatively minor portion of the yield from their excavations. Bird bones from several archaeological sites on the Missouri River are shown to have been purposefully and selectively modified by man. They exhibit a remarkable similarity to prepared bird skins and other ceremonial objects found in Omaha, Osage, Arikara, and other Plains Indian medicine bundles in various museum collections. The ethnographic specimens are believed to identify the archaeological remains as to function; conversely, the archaeological materials add important time perspectives to native use of the ritual items in museum collections and in the documentary record.

scholarly journals L’instrumentalisation des sites archéologiques incas. Questions d’éthique

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-65
Author(s):  
Antoinette Molinié
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Positive Energy ◽  
National Narrative ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Symbolic Function ◽  
Machu Picchu ◽  
The Status

On the occasion of Peru’s Independence, the champions of the Creole nation elevated the Inca State Indian to the status of a respectable ancestor, thus eliminating the Amerindian historicity of the population. The archaeological remains provide support to an indigenist ideology that ignores the sociological Indian, considered to be ontologically inferior. Today, these Inca vestiges contribute to the construction of the national narrative: the Inca solar cult is thus reinvented on the site of Sacsayhuaman. To what extent can the work of archaeologists serve to corroborate partisan ideologies? The presidents of the Peruvian and Bolivian Republics were inducted as pre-Hispanic rulers, the first on the Inca site of Machu Picchu, the second at the Tiwanaku Sun gate. To what extent can the vestiges of a civilization be instrumentalized by politics? The Inca sites are now assailed by New Age mystics from the United States and Europe under the leadership of local neo-shamans. They are indeed reputed to carry positive “energy”, one that is exploited by mystical tourism agencies. To what extent can the heritage of the nation, maintained by public services, be the object of private profits, ideologies that may be sectarian and possibly irreparable damages? In the culture of traditional Andean communities, the pre-Hispanic ruins had a classificatory and symbolic function. This function disappears when the setting of a myth is replaced by a historical site. How can we respect the indigenous perception of archaeological remains? These are the ethical questions that this article seeks to raise on the basis of specific and concrete cases of archaeological sites on which the author has carried out excavations.

scholarly journals Temperature reduction in internal soft tissues in relation to rectal temperature in dogs in the early post-mortem period

2018 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-234
Author(s):  
Piotr Listos ◽  
◽  
Magdalena Gryzińska ◽  
Justyna Batkowska ◽  
Małgorzata Dylewska
Keyword(s):  
Rectal Temperature ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Temperature Reduction
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