PROBLEMS OF DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS IN PALEOPATHOLOGY

This work discusses on the problems of the differential diagnosis in paleopathology, describing one case of intense modification observed in a skeletal sample from the archaelogical site of Baucina (Sicily, VI century BCE). Difficulties in this setting originate mainly from the aspecificity or absence of pathological markers on ancient bones and confounding features arising from clinical phenocopies or taphonomic artifacts. On the base of an in-depth morphological analysis of the find, with aid of CT scan imaging and wide revision of the medical and paleopathological literature, we arrived to a convincing diagnosis.

Human Peopling and Population Dynamics in Sicily: Preliminary Analysis of the Craniofacial Morphometric Variation from the Paleolithic to the Contemporary Age

The geographic position, isolation, and the long and dynamic history of colonization created a human context in Sicily that allows for a particular anthropological study; information about “migratory flow” and “population influx” could be investigated in the cranial morphology of a localized geographical region. The research goals are the identification of temporal trends in facial morphology in order to assess the adaptations and the microevolutionary trends and to verify if the cranial morphology of humans was modified by the various genetic contributions and more or less related to the intense and significant migratory flows. This work includes a diachronic morpho…

The Human Biodiversity in the Middle of the Mediterranean. Study of native and settlers populations on the Sicilian context

[IT] Negli ultimi 200.000 anni, la specie umana si è diffusa in tutta la Terra, adattando la sua morfologia e fisiologia a un'ampia gamma di habitat. Lo scheletro umano ha quindi registrato i principali effetti ambientali e di conseguenza i reperti scheletrici assumono grande importanza nell'indagine dei processi evolutivi. Oggi le moderne tecniche di indagini quantitative delle principali caratteristiche morfologiche consentono di metterle in relazione con la variabilità genetica. La posizione geografica della Sicilia, l'isolamento e la sua lunga e dinamica storia di colonizzazione (diversi e numerosi contributi culturali e biologici) hanno creato un contesto peculiare che consente uno stu…

Proyecto de intervención antropológica en el sepulcrodel canciller villaespesa (catedral de tudela). Crónica de un intento fallido.

Goal: However, the project presented here tries, on the one hand, to focus their objectives on very specific perspectives that are linked to a matter of absolute actuality in the field of humanities research, the construction of power. From that perspective, it aims to analyze the use of the death as an instrument of power and representation by the dominant elites in society and in the articulation of collective political and cultural values. It also aims to orientate from a line of clear interdisciplinary work (history, art, literacy, philosophy, music, epigraphy, codicology, anthropology ect.), that can build a broader interpretive prism and deeper analysis.

Exploring prenatal and neonatal life history through dental histology in infants from the Phoenician necropolis of Motya (7th–6th century BCE)

The biological life history of infants from archaeological contexts can provide a unique insight into past human populations. Dental mineralized tissues contain a permanent record of their growth that can provide access to the prenatal and early infant life, and mortality, of human skeletons. This study focuses on the histomorphometric analysis of deciduous teeth from the ‘Archaic Necropolis’ of Motya (7th–6th century BCE, Sicily–Italy). The histomorphometric analysis is conducted on prenatal and postnatal enamel of eight anterior deciduous teeth from seven individuals from this Phoenician population to estimate their chronological age-at-death, health, and enamel growth parameters. Proteom…

The Cave of Vecchiuzzo: anthropology, paleopathology and hierarchy of the human group with a statistical overview (Petralia Sottana – Palermo, Italy)

Lo scavo della Grotta del Vecchiuzzo fu il primo effettuato nelle Madonie (Sicilia centrooccidentale). Fin dalla sua scoperta avvenuta per mano di Collisani e Carapezza nel 1936, il ritrovamento di manufatti nel vano principale indicò che la grotta era stata abitata. Gli scavi, effettuati a partire dal 1937, indicarono che la grotta era stata adibita ad abitazione o forse a santuario e che era stata abitata intorno al terzo millennio a.C. I resti scheletrici, attribuiti ad almeno quindici individui, sono stati studiati dal punto di vista antropologico, antropometrico e paleopatologico, combinando metodologie tradizionali a quelle più moderne. Sui dati odontometrici raccolti è stata effettua…

More data on ancient human mitogenome variability in Italy: new mitochondrial genome sequences from three Upper Palaeolithic burials.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the study of mitochondrial variability in ancient humans has allowed the definition of population dynamics that characterised Europe in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Despite the abundance of sites and skeletal remains few data are available for Italy. - AIM: We reconstructed the mitochondrial genomes of three Upper Palaeolithic individuals for some of the most important Italian archaeological contexts: Paglicci (South-Eastern Italy), San Teodoro (South-Western Italy) and Arene Candide (North-Western Italy) caves. - SUBJECTS AND METHODS We explored the phylogenetic relationships of the three mitogenomes in the context of Western Eurasian ancient and modern va…

Sepolture Medievali nel settore meridionale delle Terme Sud: Saggio II

Il capitolo riporta l'analisi antropologica del contesto delle tombe portate alla luce durante la campagna di scavo.

A detailed method for creating digital 3D models of human crania: an example of close‑range photogrammetry based on the use of Structure‑from‑Motion (SfM) in virtual anthropology

AbstractPhotogrammetry is a survey technique that allows for the building of three-dimensional (3D) models from digitized output data. In recent years, it has been confirmed as one of the best techniques to build 3D models widely used in several fields such as life and earth sciences, medicine, architecture, topography, archaeology, crime scene investigation, cinematography, and engineering. Close-range photogrammetry, in particular, has several applications in osteological studies allowing to create databases of 3D bone models available for subsequent qualitative and quantitative studies. This work provides a step-by-step guide of the photo acquisition protocol and the photogrammetric work…

NEW ANTHROPOLOGICAL DATA FROM THE ARCHAIC NECROPOLIS AT MOTYA (2013 EXCAVATION SEASON)

In this paper we present the most recent anthropological study on bones of the archaic tombs of Motya (Sicily, Italy), where a large necropolis has been brought to light since the first excavations of Joseph Whitaker. The newly acquired data suggest that this portion of the Motya archaic cemetery was not exclusively devoted to the incineration of particular classes of age but the urns and cists could contain multiple burials of very different ages. .

Soil development on sediments and evaporites of the Messinian crisis

Abstract Vast areas in the Mediterranean are characterised by evaporite deposits of the Messinian crises (c. 6–5.3 Ma BP). During this period, large deposits were built up in shallow lagoon-like systems and are now found in southern Italy, Albania, Cyprus and Turkey. So far, soil formation on evaporites has been studied predominantly in subarid to arid environments. Although the formation of soils has received new significance, little is known about the evolutional trajectories on evaporites of the Mediterranean. We therefore studied soil formation in the Caltanissetta basin (Sicily) where evaporites are most widespread. The lithologies included the sequence: marine clay deposits, laminated…

Human Remains and Funerary Rites in the Phoenician Necropolis of Motya (Sicily)

More data on ancient human mitogenome variability in Italy: new mitochondrial genome sequences from three Upper Palaeolithic burials

Recently, the study of mitochondrial variability in ancient humans has allowed the definition of population dynamics that characterised Europe in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Despite the abundance of sites and skeletal remains few data are available for Italy. We reconstructed the mitochondrial genomes of three Upper Palaeolithic individuals for some of the most important Italian archaeological contexts: Paglicci (South-Eastern Italy), San Teodoro (South-Western Italy) and Arene Candide (North-Western Italy) caves. We explored the phylogenetic relationships of the three mitogenomes in the context of Western Eurasian ancient and modern variability. Paglicci 12 belongs to sub-hapl…