Dental pulp calcifications in prehistoric and historical skeletal remains
Abstract Background The prevalence of hard tissue formations in the dental pulp varies considerably. Beside ageing processes and irritations of the dental pulp, etiological associations with cardiovascular disease and dietary habits have been discussed, which are of particular research interest. The aim of this pilot study is to provide new insights on structural and etiological factors involved in the development of pulp calcifications by investigating skeletal remains from different (pre)historic periods. Methods The jaws of 46 skeletons excavated in central Germany, were examined for the presence of pulp stones using digital volume tomography (DVT). A total of 1122 teeth were examined wi…
Massive migration from the steppe was a source for Indo-European languages in Europe
We generated genome-wide data from 69 Europeans who lived between 8,000-3,000 years ago by enriching ancient DNA libraries for a target set of almost four hundred thousand polymorphisms. Enrichment of these positions decreases the sequencing required for genome-wide ancient DNA analysis by a median of around 250-fold, allowing us to study an order of magnitude more individuals than previous studies and to obtain new insights about the past. We show that the populations of western and far eastern Europe followed opposite trajectories between 8,000-5,000 years ago. At the beginning of the Neolithic period in Europe, ~8,000-7,000 years ago, closely related groups of early farmers appeared in G…
Generation of tumor-reactive CTL against the tumor-associated antigen HER2 using retrovirally transduced dendritic cells derived from CD34+ hemopoietic progenitor cells.
Abstract Ag-specific CD8+ CTL are crucial for effective tumor rejection. Attempts to treat human malignancies by adoptive transfer of tumor-reactive CTL have been limited due to the difficulty of generating and expanding autologous CTL with defined Ag specificity. The current study examined whether human CTL can be generated against the tumor-associated Ag HER2 using autologous dendritic cells (DC) that had been genetically engineered to express HER2. DC progenitors were expanded by culturing CD34+ hemopoietic progenitor cells in the presence of the designer cytokine HyperIL-6. Proliferating precursor cells were infected by a retroviral vector encoding the HER2 Ag and further differentiated…
Lombards on the move--an integrative study of the migration period cemetery at Szólád, Hungary.
In 2005 to 2007 45 skeletons of adults and subadults were excavated at the Lombard period cemetery at Szólád (6th century A.D.), Hungary. Embedded into the well-recorded historical context, the article presents the results obtained by an integrative investigation including anthropological, molecular genetic and isotopic (δ(15)N, δ(13)C, (87)Sr/(86)Sr) analyses. Skeletal stress markers as well as traces of interpersonal violence were found to occur frequently. The mitochondrial DNA profiles revealed a heterogeneous spectrum of lineages that belong to the haplogroups H, U, J, HV, T2, I, and K, which are common in present-day Europe and in the Near East, while N1a and N1b are today quite rare.…
Ancient DNA from European early neolithic farmers reveals their near eastern affinities.
The first farmers from Central Europe reveal a genetic affinity to modern-day populations from the Near East and Anatolia, which suggests a significant demographic input from this area during the early Neolithic.
A historical case of beaten-copper cranium
The authors present the oldest historical case of a so-called beaten-copper cranium. The typical pattern was identified on a skull from a child, probably a boy, who died at approximately 6 years of age and was buried in a provisional cemetery used during the siege of Hanau, Germany, in 1635 and 1636. Morphological and radiological analyses of the severe digitate impressions ubiquitous on the child's endocranium support the diagnosis of chronically elevated intracranial pressure due to hydrocephalus.
Early Neolithic diet and animal husbandry: stable isotope evidence from three Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Germany
Abstract The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during the 6th millennium BC. However, though LBK sites are abundant in the German loess areas, there are only a few studies that reconstruct the diet of these first farmers using biochemical methods. Here we present the largest study undertaken to date on LBK material using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen to reconstruct human diet and animal husbandry strategies. We analyzed the bone collagen of 97 human individuals and 45 associated animals from the sites of Derenburg, Halberstadt and Karsdorf in the Middle Elbe–Saale region of Central Germany. Mean adult human values are −19.…
Rib lesions in skeletons from early neolithic sites in Central Germany: On the trail of tuberculosis at the onset of agriculture
As an infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Paleopathological and paleomicrobiological studies indicate a long standing association of the causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its human host. Since the occurrence and the epidemic spread of this pathogen seem to be closely linked to social and biological factors, it is of particular interest to understand better the role of TB during periods of social and nutritional change such as the Neolithic. In this study, 118 individuals from three sites in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) dating to the Linear Pottery Culture (5400-4800 BC) were examined macroscopically to identify TB related bone lesions…
4000 years of human dietary evolution in central Germany, from the first farmers to the first elites
Investigation of human diet during the Neolithic has often been limited to a few archaeological cultures or single sites. In order to provide insight into the development of human food consumption and husbandry strategies, our study explores bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope data from 466 human and 105 faunal individuals from 26 sites in central Germany. It is the most extensive data set to date from an enclosed geographic microregion, covering 4,000 years of agricultural history from the Early Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. The animal data show that a variety of pastures and dietary resources were explored, but that these changed remarkably little over time. In the human δ15N h…
A distinct section of the early bronze age society? Stable isotope investigations of burials in settlement pits and multiple inhumations of the Únětice culture in central germany
OBJECTIVES: Inhumations in so-called settlement pits and multiple interments are subordinate burial practices of the Early Bronze Age Unětice culture in central Germany (2200-1700/1650 BC). The majority of the Unětice population was entombed as single inhumations in rectangular grave pits with a normative position of the body. The goal of the study was to test archaeological hypotheses that the deviant burials may represent socially distinct or nonlocal individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised up to two teeth and one bone each of 74 human individuals from eight sites and faunal comparative samples. The inhumations included regular, deviant burials in so-called settlement or s…
Tracing patterns of activity in the human skeleton: an overview of methods, problems, and limits of interpretation.
Studies of patterns of activity in human skeletal remains have grown in number over the last few years. Different methods have been used to reconstruct activity patterns in past populations. In this review of the available literature the common themes of these studies have been isolated in order to show that many studies do not truly conform to the standards of the field. Inadequate sample size, too far-reaching conclusions and neglect of other possible explanations are among the problems easily recognised in the literature. Many assumptions are lacking a sound experimental basis, and it becomes increasingly evident that there are many more problems and limits of interpretations than have b…
Holes in teeth - Dental caries in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations in Central Germany.
This study provides diachronic insight into the epidemiology of carious defects in teeth of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations in Central Germany over a period of 4000 years. The data were retrieved from skeletal remains uncovered at 21 sites throughout the Middle Elbe-Saale region (MES), comprising a total of 494 individuals with preserved teeth. The data generated were examined for age- and sex-related differences in order to gain information about the dietary habits and socio-economic structures of the period with the goal of identifying potential diachronic changes. The results indicated that dietary habits changed over the course of the Neolithic period: the prevalence of carie…