A skeleton of a Late Neolithic elderly female (aged 50+) from the Lengyel site of Svodín‐Busahegy (4,900–4,700 cal BC) showed multiple injuries in various stages of healing. Even though the precise ...cause of the injuries cannot be determined, apparently, she had been facing repeating situations resulting in injuries, or possibly also mistreatment. The elderly female may thus represent a vulnerable member of society, possibly related to her appearance linked to a likely plagiocephaly.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Klippel-Feil syndrome cases from Slovakia Hukeľová, Zuzana; Krošláková, Mária
International journal of paleopathology,
June 2021, 2021-06-00, 20210601, Volume:
33
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This study analyzes two probable cases of Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) from the region of modern Slovakia and provides an overview of possible cases reported in ‘grey’ literature.
Two adult skeletons ...with probable KFS from Vráble-Veľké Lehemby and Radoľa-Koscelisko.
Macroscopic analysis was performed using standard osteological methods.
The two analyzed skeletons represent probable cases of KFS; one from the Neolithic, and one from the Middle Ages. Additional cases of potential KFS have been indicated within the ‘grey’ literature.
The study shows that KFS was present in prehistoric eastern Central Europe. The few cases of ancient rare diseases may be a result of past and present bioarcheological research, and many cases are hidden within ‘grey’ literature. A re-examination of older datasets is vital.
The described cases from modern Slovakia contributes to a limited list of archaeological cases, thus widening our knowledge about the occurrence of this rare condition throughout Europe in the past.
The state of past and present osteo-archaeological research in eastern Central Europe, poor preservation of some remains, and lack of pathognomonic features associated with KFS.
Systematic review of older skeletal assemblages and ‘grey’ literature.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
4.
First reported archaeological case of leprosy in Slovakia Hukeľová, Zuzana; Nováček, Jan; Daňová, Klaudia ...
International journal of osteoarchaeology,
September/October 2021, 2021-09-00, 20210901, Volume:
31, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In 2009 and 2010, a rescue excavation at Nitra‐Selenec II (Slovakia) was carried out by the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. A medieval cemetery dated to the end of 11th ...century was discovered, yielding 72 individuals, including the skeleton of young female manifesting skeletal changes consistent with leprosy. The lesions of rhino‐maxillary syndrome (facies leprosa) were observed together with atrophied/tapered metatarsal bones of “licked candy” appearance. In addition, cribra orbitalia, cribra cranii, bilateral periostitis of distal ends of the tibiae and fibulae, and vertebral hypervascularization were recorded. The results of light microscopic investigation agreed with the macroscopic diagnosis of leprosy. Reported cases of leprosy from eastern central Europe are few, coming mostly from the region of present‐day Hungary. Until recently, only three probable cases of leprosy (all dated to pre‐Crusade Middle Ages) were discovered in the area of former Czechoslovakia, all of them discovered in the modern Czech Republic. The case from the late 11th century, presented in this paper, can be considered the first evidence of the disease in the region of Slovakia.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The recent discovery of several late Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Europe, including Vráble in south-west Slovakia, has revealed evidence for increasing diversity in Neolithic mortuary ...practices, which may reflect inter-community war and socio-political crisis at the end of the LBK. Here, the authors combine osteological and radiocarbon analyses of inhumations from Vráble. Rather than a straightforward sign of inter-community conflict and war, this development reflects a culmination of internal conflict and a diversification in the ritual treatment of human bodies. The emerging variability in LBK methods of manipulating and depositing dead bodies can be interpreted as an experimental approach in how to negotiate social conflicts and community boundaries.
This poster presents the results of an archaeothanatological study of early Neolithic burials belonging to the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture (c. 5600-5000 cal BC). The dataset comprised 56 burials, ...from the settlements of Balatonszárszó, Hungary, and Vráble, Slovakia. Using high quality photographs from excavations, archaeothanatology was used to identify and categorise mortuary practice. The focus of this project was to identify evidence for diversity and intimacy in the treatment of the b...
This poster presents the results of an archaeothanatological study of early Neolithic burials belonging to the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture (c. 5600-5000 cal BC). The dataset comprised 56 burials, ...from the settlements of Balatonszárszó, Hungary, and Vráble, Slovakia. Using high quality photographs from excavations, archaeothanatology was used to identify and categorise mortuary practice. The focus of this project was to identify evidence for diversity and intimacy in the treatment of the b...
Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000-3000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the ...widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed from the historical period onward (3000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia and France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. At least 7% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring geography. We show that, under standard population genetics models with local panmixia, the observed level of dispersal would lead to a collapse of population structure. Persistent population structure thus suggests a lower effective migration rate than indicated by the observed dispersal. We hypothesize that this phenomenon can be explained by extensive transient dispersal arising from drastically improved transportation networks and the Roman Empire's mobilization of people for trade, labor, and military. This work highlights the utility of ancient DNA in elucidating finer scale human population dynamics in recent history.
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