Correspondence re Piombino-Mascali et al on Mummy Research, Ethics and Editorial Comments

2021

The Arrival of Steppe and Iranian Related Ancestry in the Islands of the Western Mediterranean

2019

A series of studies have documented how Steppe pastoralist-related ancestry reached central Europe by at least 2500 BCE, while Iranian farmer-related ancestry was present in Aegean Europe by at least 1900 BCE. However, the spread of these ancestries into the western Mediterranean where they have contributed to many populations living today remains poorly understood. We generated genome-wide ancient DNA from the Balearic Islands, Sicily, and Sardinia, increasing the number of individuals with reported data from these islands from 3 to 52. We obtained data from the oldest skeleton excavated from the Balearic islands (dating to ∼2400 BCE), and show that this individual had substantial Steppe p…

Natural autofluorescence in archeological bone

2017

The human bone present a natural autofluorescence which is tipically induced by natural antibiotiscs absorbed by collagen and in part is due to phenomena not weel know and referred to an enigmatic endogenous fluophore. Is iintristing for us to see the autofluorescence in the various age of the observed samples.

An execution in medieval Sicily: Computerised tomography scan analysis and 3D reconstruction of an ancient forensic context

2019

The bioarchaeological and forensic approach is increasingly applied in the study of funerary contexts in archaeology. Here, we present a case of an atypical medieval burial recently discovered in Piazza Armerina (Sicily), in which the integrated use of traditional bioarchaeological and forensic anthropology methods was crucial. The skeleton was lying in a prone position and was characterised by a peculiar injury pattern. We recorded six clear stab wound marks on the posterior surface of the sternum. The use of computerised tomography scan and 3D modelling techniques has made it possible to obtain a reliable reconstruction of the cause and modality of death, pointing to the execution of the …

Fatal cranial injury in an individual from Messina (Sicily) during the times of the Roman Empire.

2013

Forensic and archaeological examinations of human skeletons can provide us with evidence of violence. In this paper, we present the patterns of two cranial lesions found on an adult male (T173) buried in a grave in the necropolis ‘Isolato 96’, Messina, Sicily, dating back to the Roman Empire (1st century BC - 1st century AD). The skull reveals two perimortem traumatic lesions, one produced by a sharp object on the right parietal bone and the other one on the left parietal bone, presumably the result of a fall. The interpretation of fracture patterns found in this cranium are an illustration of how forensic approaches can be applied with great benefit to archaeological specimens. 2013 Elsevi…

The last of the large-sized tortoises of the Mediterranean islands

2022

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya Altres ajuts: Operational Programme Research, Development and Education Project (CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/16_027/0008360) Archaeological investigations carried out in the cave Zubbio di Cozzo San Pietro, Bagheria, Sicily, revealed the presence of a few skeletal elements of a large-sized tortoise in a funerary area dating to the Copper/Bronze Age. The tortoise has been AMS-dated revealing an age of 12.5 ± 0.5 kyr BP and therefore it pre-dates the funerary activities. The morphology of the retrieved skeletal elements differs from that of the only native tortoise currently living in Sicily, Testudo hermanni. The tortoise's size significantly exc…

A paleoimaging study of human mummies held in the Mother Church of Gangi, Sicily:Implications for mass casualty methodology

2021

Correspondence

New perspectives on the human occupation of the Gulf of Palermo during the Metal Ages: the funerary cave of Zubbio di Cozzo San Pietro (Bagheria) and…

2020

Abstract The Archaeological Superintendency of Palermo (Sicily), with the chair of Anthropology at the University of Palermo, carried out a preliminary investigation in the Zubbio of Cozzo San Pietro (Bagheria) – a cave known so far only from a speleological point of view - which proved to be a funerary cave dating to the Copper/Bronze Age. In the course of archaeological work during the installation of the electricity grid in the Mondello area (Palermo), part of a necropolis consisting of three oven-shaped tombs was exposed. The tombs multiple depositions, whose remains were found in a very bad state of preservation. Based on the type of funerary structures and the equipment found in them,…

The Harvesting Memories Project: Historical ecology and landscape changes of the Sicani Mountains in Sicily

2022

The Harvesting Memories project aims to investigate the historical landscape dynamics in an inner area of the Sicani Mountains district in Western Sicily (Contrada Castro, Corleone-Palermo). The interdisciplinary approach of the project allowed us to combine and integrate methods from different disciplines such as historical ecology, landscape archaeology, archaeobotany and GIS-based spatial analysis. In this paper some results have been summarized. The comparison between land mosaic change during the last 60 years, the relationship between site catchment area and land suitability and the correlation between archaeobotanical and phytosociological data. This approach underlined the relevance…

The spread of steppe and Iranian-related ancestry in the islands of the western Mediterranean

2020

Steppe-pastoralist-related ancestry reached Central Europe by at least 2500 bc, whereas Iranian farmer-related ancestry was present in Aegean Europe by at least 1900 bc. However, the spread of these ancestries into the western Mediterranean, where they have contributed to many populations that live today, remains poorly understood. Here, we generated genome-wide ancient-DNA data from the Balearic Islands, Sicily and Sardinia, increasing the number of individuals with reported data from 5 to 66. The oldest individual from the Balearic Islands (~2400 bc) carried ancestry from steppe pastoralists that probably derived from west-to-east migration from Iberia, although two later Balearic individ…

Historical Suitability and Sustainability of Sicani Mountains Landscape (Western Sicily): An Integrated Approach of Phytosociology and Archaeobotany

2020

Since 2015, the ongoing project &ldquo

The Sicilian Countryside in the Early Middle Ages: Human–Environment Interactions at Contrada Castro

2021

Within the project ‘Harvesting Memories: Ecology and Archaeology of Monti Sicani Landscapes’, this paper aims to reconstruct human–environment interactions in the inland areas of Western Sicily during the Early Middle Ages through a comparative analysis of environmental archaeological data. We analyse carpological and anthracological finds and faunal remains originating from different layers of the rural settlement of Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo), excavated in 2017–2019. The site was mainly occupied between the Byzantine and Islamic periods (late 8th to 11th c. AD). The examination of wood charcoal enabled the identification of plant species selected and exploited in the landscape of…

Cat Taming In the Western Mediterranean. Issues, Problematics and Unpredictability In The Light Of Bio-Archaeological Approaches to a Museum Specimen.

2017

The vast wealth of cultural artifacts and ancient biological samples can today be investigated using a great variety of methods and technologies. The result is a growing diffusion of studies on DNA, isotopes and morphometrics, and the exponential growth of publications and bio-archaeological discoveries of inestimable value for different areas of interpretation, such as phylogeny, history and archaeology. This paper describes the morphological and molecular study of a rare specimen of Felis from an Early Bronze Age horizon. The report offers the opportunity for a brief discussion on cat taming, on the origin of this practice and on the archaeological importance of this specimen for the reco…

The utility of 3D medical imaging techniques for obtaining a reliable differential diagnosis of metastatic cancer in an Iron Age skull.

2018

Abstract In this report we present a case of neoplastic disease affecting an Iron Age skull that provides some of the earliest evidence of metastatic cancer (MC) in Western Europe. The cranium comes from the indigenous site of Baucina (Palermo, Sicily) and was recovered in a multiple burial context dated to the 6th–5th centuries BCE. The skull was attributed to an adult female and was characterized by numerous perforating lytic lesions. CT and 3D imaging analyses were crucial for obtaining a diagnosis of MC. Based on the morphology of the lytic lesions and the biological profile of our specimen, we can tentatively suggest breast carcinoma as the primary origin of the clinical manifestations…

Beckett RG et al. A Paleoimaging study of human mummies held in the mother church of Gangi, Sicily: Implications for mass casualty methodology

2021

Una cerva nella grotta del Tuono a Marettimo. Recupero, analisi e significato scientifico

2022

The Egadi archipelago includes three islands: Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo. The island of Favignana is the closest to Sicily, about 7 km from the mainland coast and about 13 km from Trapani. Levanzo and Marettimo are roughly 13 and 36 km from Trapani, respectively. During the last glacial, Favignana and Levanzo were reachable by land since they were joined to the mainland as a result of glacial marine regression. On the other hand, Marettimo was never connected to Sicily, even during the last glacial maximum, due to a sea channel about 1.8 km wide and very deep. According to the most recent and reliable reconstructions, the island of Favignana was separated from Sicily around 7.35 thous…

Archivio per l’Antropologia e la Etnologia

2017

This paper describes the study of human fibrocartilaginous entheses in a multiple indigenous sicanian Sicilian burial dated between VI and V century BC. The tomb, a cave burial, was altered by grave robbers. From the collected osteologic material it was possible to perform the sorting method and to extrapolate the NMI. The research was focused on the scoring and on the analysis of the Entheseal Changes (EC) of the long bones of upper limb and calcaneus; to extrapolate likely patterns of muscle activity according to the approach of the MSM applied in literature we have utilized the Coimbra Method. This method is a new record method who intends to replace Hawkey and Merbs already-established …

Sometimes Pigs Fly

2020

The relationship between the Demeter cults and the offering of piglets is a cornerstone of many discussions about ancient Greek religion. However, this connection has rarely been supported by systematic zooarchaeological studies. The new excavations at the sanctuary of S. Anna greatly increase the zooarchaeological record of Sicily, while also providing an excellent case study for exploring the broader issues of ancient Greek ritual practice. Our results highlight the almost exclusive presence of pig bones, mostly belonging to very young individuals. The taphonomic analysis of the remains point to a cultic context, in which the piglets were used for sacrificial purposes and as part of sacre…