scholarly journals The Sequence of Human Occupation in the Atacama Oases, Chile: A Radiocarbon Chronology Based on Human Skeletal Remains

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Torres-Rouff ◽  
Mark Hubbe
Keyword(s):  
Human Development ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
South Central ◽  
San Pedro ◽  
New Information ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Future Work

The San Pedro de Atacama oases have been permanently occupied since ca. 2500 B.P. and over this time developed a rich culture that was intertwined with social developments in the south-central Andes. However, despite decades of archaeological research, the region still lacks a strong chronological framework based on absolute dates. Here we present 53 new AMS 14C dates from osteological remains from San Pedro de Atacama, in order to contribute to an understanding of the Atacameño cultural sequence. These dates suggest that some cemeteries were occupied for long periods, frequently transcending cultural phases, and that in fact a number of cemeteries within the same ayllu were in use concurrently. We also show that, not surprisingly, population displacement through time primarily follows oscillations in the sources of water. The new information presented here suggests that future work in the region should emphasize detailed analyses that consider intra-ayllu variability, given that diversity within periods is masked by the uniform use of cultural phases to describe human development.

scholarly journals Grindstone: Grinding... and Human Sacrifice? Why?

2020 ◽  
pp. 241-258
Author(s):  
Gábor Ilon
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Classification System ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Food Preparation ◽  
Human Sacrifice ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
Action Sequence ◽  
Unchanged Form

Three features, dated to diverse periods of prehistory (Neolithic: Transdanubian Linear Pottery Culture; Bronze Age: Tumulus culture; Iron Age: Celtic Period) are presented in the current study. One of our main goals is to encourage the introduction of an otherwise generally accepted protocol for the investigation and sampling of similar phenomena to Hungarian archaeological research. The method focuses on the examination of 1, complete or partial human skeletal remains; 2, complete or partial animal skeletal remains;3, offerings according to social position; 4, tools for food preparation and equipment of the ritual feast; 5, traces of burning or fire; 6, patterns of the action sequence burning–fragmenting–scattering, together with material analyses for all samples. This way a categorization of the results might open a possibility for a more adequate interpretation. The features under study fall into category A in Joanna Brück’s classification system of human skeletal remains,1 but I regard the phenomena also containing grindstones a subcategory. The ritual in the course of which these were created might have been practiced for millenia in an unchanged form; its possible interpretation was described by István Tóth. According to our view such actions represent the liminal zone between the worlds of the living and the dead.

scholarly journals Florida Bioarchaeology: Past, Present, and Future

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shevan Wilkin ◽  
Kristina Killgrove
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
Modern Methods ◽  
General Field ◽  
Future Work

In an effort to situate the bioarchaeology of Florida within the general field, we synthesize in this article past and current research and offer prospection for future work with human remains in the state. We first detail the beginnings of archaeology in Florida, and the initial public and governmental interests regarding the area’s past occupants. Next, it is essential to consider regional and taphonomic issues in preservation of human skeletal remains and then summarize the time scale of bioarchaeological work. Past and present research programs in Florida bioarchaeology are then discussed in depth by research topic, including questions asked and methods used. Where possible, we note the location at which skeletal collections are currently stored. The future of Florida bioarchaeological study in an era following the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is also explored, including how new alliances between tribes and researchers can open a path to utilizing modern methods on previously excavated ancestral materials and new collections.

Bioarchaeological perspectives on the social experience of prehistoric and historic communities

Antiquity ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (360) ◽  
pp. 1656-1658
Author(s):  
Kathryn M. Baustian
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Human Biology ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
The Past ◽  
Archaeological Interpretation ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
The Social

Traditionally, reconstructions of social complexity in past societies have relied on a plethora of indicators including, but not limited to, ancient texts, monumental architectural and archaeological evidence for hierarchical leadership, surplus storage, craft specialisation and the density of populations. With the exception of mortuary patterns, particularly the quantity and quality of grave goods, bioarchaeological data have featured less prominently in archaeological interpretation. Over the past 40 years, however, the study of human skeletal remains has been more firmly integrated into theoretical explorations of the past, and the broader development of biocultural models has contributed more fully to archaeological research. The first of the two volumes reviewed here is exemplary of current bioarchaeological approaches that draw on human biology, cultural development and physical environments to understand the human experience.

scholarly journals Pre-Clovis occupation of the Americas identified by human fecal biomarkers in coprolites from Paisley Caves, Oregon

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (29) ◽  
pp. eaba6404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa-Marie Shillito ◽  
Helen L. Whelton ◽  
John C. Blong ◽  
Dennis L. Jenkins ◽  
Thomas J. Connolly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Lipid Biomarkers ◽  
Radiocarbon Date ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
People First ◽  
Alternative Sources ◽  
Lithic Artifacts ◽  
Fecal Biomarkers

When and how people first settled in the Americas is an ongoing area of research and debate. The earliest sites typically only contain lithic artifacts that cannot be directly dated. The lack of human skeletal remains in these early contexts means that alternative sources of evidence are needed. Coprolites, and the DNA contained within them, are one such source, but unresolved issues concerning ancient DNA taphonomy and potential for contamination make this approach problematic. Here, we use fecal lipid biomarkers to demonstrate unequivocally that three coprolites dated to pre-Clovis are human, raise questions over the reliance on DNA methods, and present a new radiocarbon date on basketry further supporting pre-Clovis human occupation.

Literature of Chinese Art reviewed by W. Perceval Yetts - 8. An Early Chinese Culture. By J. G. Andersson. Reprint from Bull. Geolog. Survey of China, No. 5. 10¼ × 7¼, 68 pp. + 17 pl. + 46 pp. in Chinese. Peking: 1923. - 9. The Cave-deposit at Sha Kuo T‘un in Fengtien. By J. G. Andersson. Palœontologia Sinica, Series D, Vol. I, Fasc. 1. 11½ × 9, 43 pp. + 12 pl. + 24 pp. in Chinese. Peking: 1923. - 10. Painted Stone Age Pottery from the Province of Honan, China. By T. J. Arne. Palæontologia Sinica, Series D, Vol. I, Fasc. 2. 11½ × 9; 40 pp. + 13 pl. Peking: 1925. - 11. Preliminary Report on Archæological Research in Kansu. By J. G. Andersson. With a Note on the Physical Characters of the Prehistoric Kansu Race. By Davidson Black. Mem. Geolog. Survey of China, Series A, No. 5. 10½ × 7¼, 56 pp. + 12 pl. + 51 pp. in Chinese. Peking: 1925. - 12. The Human Skeletal Remains from the Sha Kuo T‘un Cave Deposit in comparison with those from Yang Shao Tsun and with Recent North China Skeletal Material. By Davidson Black. Palæontohgia Sinica, Series D, Vol. I, Fasc. 3. 11½ × 9, 120 pp. + 14 pl. + 16 pp. in Chinese. Peking: 1925.

1926 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-561
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
North China ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Chinese Art ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
China Series ◽  
Cave Deposit

Bioarchaeological Practice and the Curation of Human Skeletal Remains in a Greek Context: The Phaleron Cemetery

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni-Anna Prevedorou ◽  
Jane E. Buikstra
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Insufficient Time ◽  
Human Burials

ABSTRACTHuman skeletal remains constitute remarkably informative finds, both biologically and socioculturally. Their recovery, preservation, conservation, storage, and analysis are complex issues that need to be addressed within any given biocultural context. Given the country's geography and the long history of human occupation, Greek field archaeology is intense and ongoing, with both rescue and systematic excavations. Human burials are thus frequently encountered in excavations throughout Greece, resulting in the accumulation of osteological material. Some of the common challenges of bioarchaeological research in Greece consist of insufficient time, funding, and documentation in the field; unmet conservation needs and lack of storage space; as well as the long time-gap between excavation and analysis. Here, we give a brief overview of excavation, curation, and bioarchaeological practice within a Greek archaeological framework. We focus on the newly launched Phaleron Bioarchaeological Project on a vast necropolis from the wider Athens region in order to present our methodological approach. Finally, we consider the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in managing large-scale bioarchaeological projects and serving long-term heritage preservation goals.

The Buhl Burial: A Paleoindian Woman from Southern Idaho

1998 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Green ◽  
Bruce Cochran ◽  
Todd W. Fenton ◽  
James C. Woods ◽  
Gene L. Titmus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asian ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
South Central ◽  
Minimum Age ◽  
North American Indian ◽  
The Town

In January 1989 highway workers encountered human skeletal remains in a gravel quarry in south-central Idaho near the town of Buhl. Excavation revealed the remains of a young Paleoindian woman, 17–21 years of age at the time of death, with craniofacial attributes similar to other North American Indian and East Asian populations. She was buried in windblown and colluvial sediments immediately overlying Bonneville flood gravel. Grave goods include a large stemmed biface, an eyed needle, and a bone implement of unknown function. Isotopic analysis suggests a diet of meat and fish, including anadromous fish. Radiographs show numerous periods of dietary stress throughout the woman's childhood. AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) dating indicates an age of 10,675±95 B.P., and geomorphological studies verify this single radiocarbon date suggesting it is the burial's minimum age. Following Idaho State law, the skeleton was claimed by the Shoshone-Bannock tribes of Idaho and reburied.

Alexandria, Kom el-Dikka. Seasons 2014–2015. Appendix: Islamic cemetery at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria: research in the 2014 and 2015 excavation seasons

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 33-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Majcherek ◽  
Emanuela Kulicka
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
Detailed Report ◽  
Residential Quarter ◽  
Mediterranean Archaeology ◽  
Site Conservation ◽  
Excavation Area ◽  
Late Roman

The Polish–Egyptian mission at Kom el-Dikka, ran by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, stepped up the already advanced preservation processes aimed at establishing an Archaeological Park at the site. Conservation work was carried out in the theater portico, the bath complex and the residential quarter of late Roman date in the eastern part of the excavation area. In turn, the western part was the focus of archaeological research centered on the exploration of some late Roman structures located underneath. The early medieval/Islamic cemetery overlying these remains was explored first. A detailed report from this work is appended to this article. The human skeletal remains from the cemetery were examined by anthropologists. The western gate to the bath complex, leading from the theater portico, was fully exposed. Finds from present and earlier work at the site continued to be studied: glass vessels, pottery, lamps, bone objects, painted wall plaster, and a vast collection of coins.

Handle with care: thoughts on the return of human bone collections

Antiquity ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (300) ◽  
pp. 419-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Payne
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Skeletal Remains ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Medieval Women ◽  
Dna Evidence ◽  
New Information ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

The repatriation of human remains (Editorial Antiquity 78: 5) is a matter in which two viewpoints, both equally valid, are confronted. Human skeletal remains are part of the record of our past. They tell about our shared past – about the story of human adaptive radiation and dispersion. Recent research using modern and ancient DNA evidence is adding considerably to this understanding, and puts our diversity into context by the finding that we share something like 99 per cent of our genetic makeup with all other human beings. Research on human skeletal remains tells us also about how our predecessors lived and died, and has considerable potential to contribute to medical research. Medieval skeletons from a deserted medieval village in Yorkshire, for instance, have showed that osteoporosis was just as common among medieval women as it is now, giving fresh insight into the causes of osteoporosis and calling into question ideas that blame our modern lifestyle. The techniques used in this study were not available when the remains were first excavated; this illustrates the value of long-term retention of skeletal material, which allows application of new techniques so that new information can be obtained from old collections.

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