Innovative nanomaterials for bone remains consolidation: performance evaluation and impact on 14C dating and on palaeogenetic analysis

An innovative protocol for the consolidation of ancient bone remains based on the use of nanometric hydroxyapatite (HAP) was set up and tested through a multidisciplinary approach. A new protocol for the synthesis of HAP nanoparticles was developed, and the composition of the obtained nanomaterial were investigated through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD); sizes, shape and morphology of the synthesized particles were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The consolidation performance was evaluated by testing the new nanomaterial on degraded ancient bone findings. An increase of the mineral density and of the micro-hardness of the bone were observed. The new consolidation method was also tested to assess possible effects on the palaeogenetic analysis and radiocarbon dating on the treated bones. The consolidation treatment has no substantial impact on the genetic characterisation of the skeletal remains and does not introduce any contaminations that could affect radiocarbon dating. This consolidation procedure represents a more compatible conservation tool with respect to traditional procedures: it has been shown that the treatment is effective, easily-applicable and not detrimental for 14C dating and palaeogenetic analysis.

Natural Conditions and Adaptation to them Among the Population of the Caspian Region in the Early Iron Age

The article presents the results of research on the reconstruction of natural and climatic conditions and human adaptation to them. In order to identify the evolutionary stages of the natural environment of the Western Caspian region in the second half of the Holocene, buried sub-kurgan soils and bone remains in the Bogomolny Sands 1 mound were analyzed. Spore-pollen, anthropological and isotope analyses were carried out on soil and bone samples. Bioclimatic fluctuations of the natural environment were established based on the reconstruction of paleolandscapes (soils, vegetation) and associated changes in socio-cultural factors (changes in paleo-diet, anthropological characteristics).

Archaeoichthyological Research of Settlements of the Golden Horde Period of the Saratov Volga Region

The article presents a study of fish remains from the Bagaevka settlement with the involvement of the results of identifications of fish remains from other settlements in the region of the Golden Horde city Ukek, functioning in the second half of the 13th – 14th century. The purpose of the work was a comprehensive analysis of the remains of fishes from the Bagaevka settlement, as a large Golden Horde rural settlement of Ukek region, including species, quantitative, dimensional and age composition of the fishes on the basis of the archaeoichthyological collection and interpretation of the obtained results taking into account archaeological data. The 19 species of fishes were determined from bone remains and scales, the main species of which were large-sized: Russian sturgeon, Beluga, Starred sturgeon, Catfish and Zander. The predominance of large-sized species indicates that fishing was carried out on the Volga. The identified dimensional-species composition of fishes (large species with a large body weight), as well as the discovered fishing equipment, directly indicate the presence of collective fishing of the inhabitants of the Bagaevka settlement. Cutting and processing of all incoming fish was carried out on the territory of the settlement. Fishing in this settlement, as well as throughout the Saratov Volga region, has already acquired the features of a specialized subsidiary farming.

Insect Marks on Bones from La Guillerma Archaeological Locality (Salado River Depression, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

The La Guillerma archaeological locality is located in the northeast sector of Buenos Aires province (Argentina). Two of its sites (LG1 and LG5), dated between ca. 1400- and 600-years BP, have a great amount of faunal remains including deer, rodents, fish and small birds that are subjected to taphonomic agents and processes (e.g., weathering, manganese, roots). Previous studies have shown osteophagic behaviour in different insects (e.g., Coleoptera, Blattodea). In this paper, we evaluate their incidence on La Guillerma faunal assemblage. We performed an analysis on marks that were identified in bone remains of various taxa and applied the criteria for identifying bone alteration by insects (i.e., by measuring each trace and comparing them with the types of insect marks described in the literature). Fifteen specimens (LG1 = 6 and LG5 = 9) exhibited different types of modifications (e.g., pits with striae in base, pits with emanating striae, striations) that are related to the action of insects. Although the proportion of affected bones is low in relation to the total sample, we highlight our study as the first detailed analysis of insect marks on archaeological bones from Argentina. We also emphasize the significance of addressing insect-produced modifications on Argentinean archaeological sites.

Osteonecrosis of the humeral head in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient under tenofovir disoproxil fumarate–emtricitabine–lopinavir/ritonavir for 10 years: a case report

Background Human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients are 100 times more likely to develop aseptic osteonecrosis compared with the general population. While 90% of cases concern the femoral head, the involvement of humeral bone remains rare. Case presentation We report a case of aseptic osteonecrosis of the left humeral head complicating antiretroviral therapy in a female, 46-year-old, Bissau-Guinean human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient received in a context of progressive pain in the left shoulder followed by limitation of articular movements. Standard x-ray of the shoulder allowed us to make the diagnosis by showing a typical image of osteonecrosis. The treatment was medical combined with physiotherapy. Conclusions Aseptic osteonecrosis should be systematically looked for in human immunodeficiency virus patients on antiretroviral treatment. In addition to femoral head aseptic necrosis, the involvement of the humeral bone should also be considered.

Osteophagia by Nasutitermes guayanae (Blattodea: Isoptera: Termitidae) on human bone remains in the Andean Amazon, Caquetá, Colombia

ABSTRACT We present the first report of Nasutitermes guayanae feeding on human bone remains found in an urban area of the municipality of Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in the Colombian Amazon piedmont. The record indicates an expansion in the diet of these termites. The observation suggests that the association of N. guayanae with decomposing bodies may be a possible tool for the estimation of postmortem intervals.

Spearheads of the Keliysky Stone Box Burial Ground (Ingushetia Highlands)

For the first time, the paper publishes all 20 spearheads and one spear counter-weight, discovered as a result of excavations in 1987–1988, in Keliysky stone boxes burial ground of Highland Ingushetia. A brief description of the burials containing these artifacts is published. The main feature of this burial ground is that the burial structural stone boxes, despite being intended primarily for individual burials, were used for multiple (up to five times) subburials. And only a small part of the spearheads were revealed in the burials in situ, while the rest were either re-laid (together with the bone remains of the buried), moved to the end of the stone box, placed onto the stone box overlap or buried in the ground above the stone box. The authors of the paper assume that the population who made the stone-bearing burial ground (at least its significant part) is of a foreign cultural origin. Accordingly, the artifacts accompanying the buried, including of defensive and offensive weapon parts, are largely imported. The published collection of spearheads, containing a small variety of types, allows us to consider the Keliysky burial ground to be a reference monument for the spearheads typology in the North Caucasus of the 13th–14th centuries AD.

Children's burial of the 7th century from Beslan kurgan cemetery in the focus of complex interdisciplinary research

The comprehensive study of children's burials has become one of the most topical areas of archaeological research in recent decades. Peculiarities of the burial rites of juvenile individuals, their diseases and physical development parameters serve as an important indicator of the social status, reflecting as in a mirror the historical moment and specific cultural traditions. Our article presents the results of a study of an unusual child burial in archaeological context and anthropological data. It was carried out in a suburb on the periphery of barrow 876 in podpoi burial 2 of the Beslan kurgan catacomb cemetery (RNO-Alania), dating to the middle of the 7th century AD. Multidisciplinary analysis of the bone remains suggests that this 4-5 year old individual, with a bronze chain around his neck, at the time of burial had experienced repeated physiological stresses and significant physical exertion during his short life and was almost two times behind modern standards in terms of growth rate. But this child's head was intentionally deformed, and his frontal bone shows traces of extensive trepanation with no signs of healing, which does not rule out the high lifetime social status of this buried child and/or his parents.

Multi-Taxa Neo-Taphonomic Analysis of Bone Remains from Barn Owl Pellets and Cross-Validation of Observations: A Case Study from Dominica (Lesser Antilles)

Paleo- and neo-taphonomic analyses of bone assemblages rarely consider all the occurring taxa in a single study and works concerning birds of prey as accumulators of microvertebrate bone remains mostly focus on small mammals such as rodents and soricomorphs. However, raptors often hunt and consume a large range of taxa, including vertebrates such as small mammals, fishes, amphibians, squamates and birds. Bone remains of all these taxonomic groups are numerous in many paleontological and archaeological records, especially in cave deposits. To better characterize the predators at the origin of fossil and sub-fossil microvertebrate accumulations and the taphonomic history of the deposit, it is thus mandatory to conduct global and multi-taxa taphonomic approaches. The aim of this study is to provide an example of such a global approach through the investigation of a modern bone assemblage from a sample of pellets produced by the Lesser Antillean Barn Owl (Tyto insularis) in the island of Dominica. We propose a new methodology that allows us to compare different taxa (rodents, bats, squamates and birds) and to experiment with a cross-validation process using two observers for each taxonomic group to test the reliability of the taphonomic observations.

CREMATED REMAINS IN THE GROUND BURIALS FROM THE YURYEVSKAYA GORKA CEMETERY IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURAL INTERRELATION IN THE NORTH OF EASTERN EUROPE IN MID - THIRD QUARTER OF THE FIRST Mill. AD

Трупосожжение - наиболее распространенный тип погребальной обрядности в I тыс. н. э. в Северной и Центральной Европе. Изучение погребальных памятников редко сопровождается подробным анализом самих материалов кремации. Впервые представлено разностороннее исследование костных останков из семи погребений эталонного могильника памятников удомельского типа третьей четверти I тыс. н. э. - Юрьевской Горки. В погребениях идентифицированы молодые и взрослые мужчины из одиночных и парных захоронений, выявлены кости животных, определены породы деревьев, горевших в погребальном костре: дуб и сосна. Индивидуальная изменчивость изотопного состава стронция находится в границах 0,71390 - 0,71536 промилле, что может быть интерпретировано в целом как свидетельство умеренной мобильности людей, оставивших могильник. Сопоставление локализации и состояния кремированных останков в захоронениях различных культур Восточной Европы середины - второй половины I тыс. н. э. позволяет предполагать наличие общих черт в погребальной обрядности этого времени. Cremation is the most common type of funerary rituals in Northern and Central Europe in the first millennium AD. The study of funerary sites is rarely accompanied by the analysis of cremated remains. This paper is the first to present a comprehensive study of bone remains from seven graves at the Yuryevskaya Gorka cemetery which is a reference cemetery of the Udomlya type dating to the third quarter of the first millennium. Young and adult males from individual and paired burials, animal bones were identified; wood species used in funeral pyre were determined (oak and pine). Individual variability of the strontium isotope composition is within 0,71390-0,71536 %o which may be taken to be an evidence of moderate mobility of people who have left behind this cemetery. Comparison of the distribution and conditions of cremated remains in graves attributed to various cultures of Eastern Europe in the mid - second half of the first millennium suggests common features of burial rites practiced at that time.