The excavations undertaken at the Campo de Hockey site in 2008 led to the identification of a major Neolithic necropolis in the former Island of San Fernando (Bay of Cádiz). This work presents the ...results of the latest studies, which indicate that the site stands as one of the oldest megalithic necropolises in the Iberian Peninsula. The main aim of this work is to present with precision the chronology of this necropolis through a Bayesian statistical model that confirms that the necropolis was in use from c. 4300 to 3800 cal BC. The presence of prestige grave goods in the earliest and most monumental graves suggest that the Megalithism phenomenon emerged in relation to maritime routes linked to the distribution of exotic products. We also aim to examine funerary practices in these early megalithic communities, and especially their way of life and the social reproduction system. As such, in addition to the chronological information and the Bayesian statistics, we provide the results of a comprehensive interdisciplinary study, including anthropological, archaeometric and genetic data.
•Intra- and interobserver error analysis shows excellent reliability.•The first maxillary deciduous molar showed a significant sexual dimorphism.•The size variable increased the discriminatory power ...for the maxillary molar.
Estimating the sex of immature skeletal remains is important when reconstructing the biological profile of unknown individuals in anthropological practice. Teeth have a distinct importance as they are the most frequently recovered physical elements of an individual. They persist after death due to their hardness and resistance to postmortem insults. The aim of this study was to analyse the sexual dimorphism of the occlusal surface of the first deciduous molar using geometric morphometric techniques. This study evaluated 38 first maxillary deciduous molars (21 males, 17 females) and 30 first mandibular deciduous molars (15 males, 15 females) from the Granada osteological collection of identified subadults (Granada, Spain). The landmark and semilandmark coordinates were analysed by principal components analysis, canonical variate analysis and discriminant analysis. Only the first maxillary deciduous molar showed a significant sexual dimorphism, with cross-validation values for shape variables of 93.23% for males and 83.17% for females, and 100% for males and 87.50% for females when both shape and size variables were considered. Despite there being acceptable cross-validation classification for the first mandibular deciduous molar (82.35% for males and 92.31% for females for shape variables and 82.35% for males and 92.31% for females for shape and size variables), no significant differences indicating sexual dimorphism were identified. The results show that the first upper deciduous molar can assist in sex estimation, and that geometric morphometric analysis is a suitable technique to answer questions related to shape that cannot be observed with the naked eye.
To evaluate the presence of Dicrocoelium sp. in a child from a Late Antique funerary context from Cantabrian Spain and discuss whether the infection is true infection or pseudoparasitosis.
Four ...skeletons, including one from a 5–7 year old child, have been analysed from the archaeological site of El Conventón, dated between the sixth and seventh centuries AD.
The paleoparasitological study was conducted through the analysis of soil samples from different parts of the skeleton and funerary context using the rehydration, homogenization, and micro-sieving method, and visualized through brightfield microscopy.
A soil sample from the pelvic region tested positive for Dicrocoelium sp. (possibly D. dendriticum).
The child was infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum, which based on archaeological and historical contexts may be related to hygiene or dietary behaviour.
We present one of the few cases of the identification of a Dicrocoelidae parasite directly associated with a human skeleton that provides historical knowledge of a zoonotic disease.
The diagnosis of a zoonosis through the identification of ancient parasites is complex. In addition, Dicrocoelium sp. in association with skeletal human remains is rare due to the potential low prevalence of this parasite.
Highlight the importance of paleoparasitological analysis to link parasitic infection diseases with socioeconomic issues by using funerary contexts with skeletal remains.
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To evaluate the presence of a trauma that results in pelvic ring disruption and its clinical implications in two individuals from ancient Egypt.
Two complete skeletons of adult women, dated to the ...Middle Kingdom (c. 1980–1760 BCE), from two tombs in the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa (Aswan, Egypt).
The anatomical elements were examined macroscopically in Egypt.
Unilateral sacroiliac luxation with disruption of the pubic symphysis was detected in both individuals. The presence of an overlapped symphysis was evident in female QH34aa. A healed fracture of the iliopubic ramus are present in female QH122. Antemortem bone alterations in the pelvis demonstrate that they survived the trauma.
Pelvic trauma due to a lateral compression was detected in the os coxae. Both women survived but probably had severe sequelae that impaired their quality of life. At least one of them might have received some type of medical treatment.
Both cases shed light on pelvic fractures, their mechanisms of production, and their effects on bone and its functionality, as well as revealing possible associated lesions of soft tissues and vital organs.
The pelvis, or at least the pubic symphysis, must be well preserved to allow the correct diagnosis of this type of lesion.
Studies are warranted on the detection of this type of fracture, focusing on the subtle bone changes that indicate its presence. There is also a need to develop methodologies that combine the study of bone and soft tissue alterations.
This study explores the relation between dental enamel hypoplasia and socio-economic status and health conditions in the nineteenth- to twentieth-century Granada, Spain. The Granada osteological ...collection of infants and young children was analyzed. Macroscopic enamel defects were examined and scored in 1791 deciduous teeth of 177 individuals aged between 6 months of gestation and 85 months postnatal. Detailed information on the last address where the children’s family lived, and the costs and type of coffin used in the burial, facilitated the estimation of the socio-economic status of the families. The prevalence of affected children was relatively high (19.8%) and there were no significant differences in the distribution of enamel defects between municipal districts of the city of Granada and the type of coffin. According to the age at onset of the physiological stressful events, 23.8% of children exhibited enamel hypoplasia during the prenatal period, 19.1% during the perinatal period, and 57.1% in the postnatal period. Analyzing the chronological distribution, two peaks of occurrence of stressful events were observed in the decades of the late 1930s and the mid-1940s, and in the early 1970s. The prevalence of enamel hypoplasia of the individuals analyzed does not seem to be associated with the socio-economic status of their families. However, the chronological distribution showed two peaks of high frequency related to different historical periods of economic and social crisis. The analysis of dental enamel hypoplasia provides an excellent index of developmental stress levels in the past.
El hallazgo de parásitos procedentes de contextos arqueológicos nos permite conocer las condiciones socio-económicas y los hábitos alimentarios de las poblaciones pasadas, aportando una visión ...novedosa en el estudio de dichas sociedades. Pese a su probado interés en la contribución al conocimiento de los estudios arqueológicos, antropológicos y biológicos, apenas se han llevado a cabo investigaciones paleoparasitológicas en España. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de los análisis paleoparasitológicos desarrollados sobre restos esqueletizados de ocho individuos procedentes de la necrópolis romana de Dianium (Dénia, Alicante, España), fechada entre los siglos III a V d.C. Este análisis se ha realizado mediante visualización por microscopía óptica de campo claro. Los resultados han evidenciado la presencia de Ascaris lumbricoides en uno de los individuos. Estos resultados se han integrado con los hallazgos paleopatológicos y antropológicos. La presencia de este parásito se vincula a la falta de higiene, derivada de contaminación ambiental y alimentaria.
In archeology or forensics, the analysis of the ilia is often used to determine the age and sex of unknown individuals. However, sex determination using the skeletal remains of individuals who did ...not develop secondary sexual characteristics remains controversial. Accurately estimating the sex of subadults is hampered by a small number of studies based on identified skeletal collections of juvenile individuals. Here, we analyzed the sexual dimorphism of the subadult ilia using geometric morphometric techniques and individuals from the osteological collection of identified subadults from San José’s graveyard (Granada). Seventy-one left ilia from 40 males and 31 females aged between birth and 1 year were included in the analysis. Three landmarks and 27 semi-landmarks of the ilia were placed. By principal component analysis, we found that the size and shape of the ilia could be used to differentiate males and females.
To interpret traumatic cranial lesions on two individuals buried at the Neolithic necropolis of Campo de Hockey, Spain.
Skeletal remains and grave goods associated with two individuals recovered in ...good condition from a single grave.
Crania were macroscopically and radiographically analysed.
Of all the individuals recovered from this site, only two present perimortem skull injuries. Fractures were located on the right side of the skulls, one on the frontal bone and the other on the parietal bone.
The individuals present signs of interpersonal violence. In both cases, the injuries are perimortem and may have contributed to the deaths of the individuals.
The identification of interpersonal violence in the two individuals buried in the tomb, alongside the archaeological context of the burials, provides unique insight into Neolithic burial practices in the Iberian Peninsula and the role that paleopathology can play in the recognition of social complexity.
The skeletal remains of the two individuals were fragmented, rendering the identification of perimortem lesions difficult.
New imaging techniques, including CT-scan, will provide more detailed analyses.
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