0000000000130501
AUTHOR
Sineo L
CHILD INHUMATIONS ON THE ISLAND OF MOTYA. NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE ARCHAIC CEMETERY
The aim of this paper is to shed light on the interpretation of human remains and funerary rituals recently uncovered in the Archaic Necropolis of Motya. During the 20th century about 350 graves were brought to light by earlier explorations, showing that – apart from rare exceptions – adult cremation was the most common rite performed in archaic times (ca. 730-550 BC). This picture can be now changed in the light of the results of our recent fieldwork (seasons 2013-2017), showing that a large quantity of graves strikingly house remains of sub-adult individuals (i.e. foetuses, perinatals and children). While a few of them are cremated, the numerous inhumations recovered show clear patterns o…
La Valle dei Templi in epoca medioevale. Caratterizzazione antropologica e paleopatologica delle sepolture antistanti in Tempio della Concordia
Riassunto ― Il lavoro presenta i risultati delle analisi bio-archeologiche effettuate su resti scheletrici umani rinvenuti in quattordici sepolture di epoca medioevale rinvenute nel Parco Archeologico della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento (Sicilia). L’obiettivo è stato l’acquisizione delle informazioni necessarie per la ricostruzione del profilo biologico di ciascun individuo, al fine di determinarne il sesso, la stima dell’età biologica alla morte, la stima della statura e la valutazione delle patologie e degli indicatori di stress occupazionale mediante le correnti metodologie e tecniche diagnostiche di tipo antropologico. Sebbene il cattivo stato di conservazione di alcuni individui non ne…
The mummy of Rosalia Lombardo at the end of 2022: an update on the status quaestionis and a reflection on the level of evidence
In this communication we present key new evidence on the story of the famous Salafia embalming manuscript that further clarifies the genesis of a series of studies on this topic and corroborates our assumptions published in previous articles on this matter. In the second part of the paper, we provide a concise ethical analysis of Rosalia Lombardo’s case and try to establish a level of evidence in the assessment of her preservation by comparing facts and interpretations. Finally, we call for an independent assessment of the mummy’s state of preservation and the disclosure of the full content of the Salafia manuscript. Rosalia
Studio preliminare su composizione e provenienza di ocra dalla sepoltura epigra-vettiana di Grotta d’Oriente A, Favignana (Egadi, Sicilia)
La Grotta d’Oriente, sull’isola di Favignana (Egadi, Sicilia) ha restituito una serie di sepolture e resti umani ascrivibili all’Epigravettiano finale e al Mesolitico. La Sepoltura cosiddetta Oriente A, epigravettiana, è caratterizzata da un corredo fittile consistente in conchiglie e in un ciottolo con tracce di ocra rossa. Da un punto di vista della ricostruzione ar-cheologica e della definizione degli scenari di ecologia preistorica è molto importante la caratterizzazione chimica e la deter-minazione della provenienza di questo pigmento che, com’è noto, caratterizza molti scenari paleolitici. La ricerca presenta i dati preliminari dell’analisi SEM/EDS/EDAX dei pigmenti ocracei prelevati …
The «Painted» Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia (Marsala-TP) ‒ 2nd Century C.E. Preliminary Anthropological and Archaeological Report of Tomb 3 and Tomb 4
Summary ― The «Painted Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia» is the most important monument of the ancient Punic-Roman necropolis of Lilibeo (today's Marsala). It is the only known paradigmatic example in Sicily of pictorial wall decoration. Iulius Demetrius commissioned the monument in memory of his wife Crispia Salvia, a noblewoman descended from two very important Sicilian families. Here we report on a preliminary anthropological study of Tombs 3 and 4 (Crispia Salvia and Iulius Demetrius). We integrated the historical-cultural context with the osteological data. The results combining laboratory and archaeological research confirm the presence of two high-ranking individuals characterized by condi…
The Descent of Man by C.R. Darwin. A continuous debate since 1871
On the Descent of Man by Charles Robert Darwin. A continuous debate since 1871
An anthropological and paleopathological analysis of a peculiar skeleton from the Necropolis of Zancle (1st century BCE – 1st century CE): a case report
The work presents the results of the anthropological and paleopathological analysis carried out on human skeletal remains of an individual (T-173) found in a burial from the necropolis “sector 96”, Messina, Sicily, dating back to the Roman Empire (1st century BCE – 1st century CE). The study aimed to acquire the information necessary for the reconstruction of the biological profi le. In fact, T173 is an adult male which is particularly interesting from a paleopathological point of view, showing skeletal anomalies from the cranial to the post-cranial skeleton probably caused by variations of genetic, neoplastic, articular and dental nature. Furthermore, the analyses have highlighted the poss…
The Impact of Climate, Resource Availability, Natural Disturbances and Human Subsistence Strategies on Sicilian Landscape Dynamics During the Holocene
This paper presents a multidisciplinary summary of the most recent discoveries and hypotheses concerning factors driving the human subsistence economy and landscape shaping in Sicily during the Holocene. A number of scientific papers have recently pointed out the key role played by paleogeography, resource (water, food) availability and natural disturbances (volcanic eruptions, tsunamis) in local human activities. Modern anthropology and archaeology increasingly use biological remains (e.g. soils, bones, wood, plant macroremains, pollen) to better understand how human communities managed to survive and spread. Likewise, refined reconstructions of past human demographic fluxes and socio-econ…
IL POPOLAMENTO DI THARROS IN ETÀ FENICIA E PUNICA. ANALISI ANTROPOLOGICHE PRELIMINARI DALLA NECROPOLI MERIDIONALE DI CAPO SAN MARCO (PENISOLA DEL SINIS - OR)
Si riportano i primi dati dell’analisi antropologica eseguita sui resti scheletrici recuperati, da deposizioni primarie e secondarie, durante le recenti campagne di scavo effettuate nella necropoli meridionale di Tharros nell’ambito della Concessione ministeriale di ricerche e scavi archeologici in carico all’Università di Bologna. Tale studio rappresenta una nota preliminare dell’indagine bioarcheologica in corso ad opera del Laboratorio di Antropologia dell’Università degli Studi di Palermo con la Scuola di Specializzazione in Beni archeologici dell’Università di Bologna, sui resti antropologici tharrensi, e si inserisce in un più ampio progetto di ricerca rivolto alla ricostruzione del p…
Bioarchaeology of Human Remains in Sicily: Laws and Guidelines
The Human Embalming Project© team is currently focusing on the study of Sicilian archival documents and human bioarchaeological material. In the best spirit of the Code of Conduct of the Paleopathology Association, we would like to share information on the laws and guidelines applied in Sicily with a broader readership of colleagues.