Search results for "bone"

Aquila di Bonelli (Hieraaetus fasciatus), Status e biologia riproduttiva in Sicilia

2000

Bone diagenesis of archaeological human remains from Apulia (Italy) investigated by ATR-FTIR and XRF spectroscopy

2023

The analysis of the organic and mineral content of biological samples allows to define post-mortem alterations and the preservation status of ancient human remains. Here, we report a physical-chemical characterization of bone specimens from some skeletal remains found in Apulia (Italy) dating back to the prehistoric, classic-hellenistic, and medieval periods. Specific infrared band ratios from Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform InfraRed and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies were considered to evaluate the extent of the diagenetic process and the elemental composition of bone.Physical-chemical post-mortem transformations were related to the soil composition and specificity of tis…

The role of fire within Neolithic collective burials: Spatial analyses of cremains from the site of La Truie Pendue, France

2016

International audience; The use of collective graves is one of the main features of the western European Late Neolithic. A single gravesite received the successive deposition of dozens or sometimes hundreds of individuals. While cremations or even full-fired inhumation layers are often found within these funerary deposits, the actual role of fire is still poorly understood. Recently discovered within the important archaeological complex of Passy (Yonne, France), the burned collective grave of La Truie-Pendue provides an outstanding case study to examine the use of fire within Neolithic funerary rites. In this study, we develop a new contextual approach to bone alterations in order to recons…

Life after death: a physicochemical study of materials used by the ancient Maya in human bone ointments

2021

Ancient Maya believed in life after death. They used to prepare dead bodies during burial ceremonies whose purpose was to celebrate the dead and to help them passing through the way from earthly life to the beyond one. Bodies preparation included coloured scented body ointment application, with a deep symbolic connotation and probably also a conservative purpose. The aim of this research was to characterize pigments and binders used by ancient Maya in the preparation of body oint ments used to paint human bones. Emblematic painted bone samples from Xcambó (Maya archaeological site located in the municipality of Dzemul, in the Mexican state of Yucatán) were investigated through a non-destruc…

Mobility or migration: a case study from the Neolithic settlement of Nieder-Mörlen (Hessen, Germany)

2009

A combination of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of collagen and radiogenic strontium isotope analysis of tooth enamel was used to investigate diet and mobility at the early Neolithic settlement of Nieder-Morlen in Germany. The carbon and nitrogen ratios suggest a mixed terrestrial based diet that is consistent with data previously published for early Neolithic sites in Europe. The strontium isotope data indicate a high degree of human mobility with only one individual having an isotope ratio consistent with locally derived strontium. Unusually, a group of non-local juveniles with isotope ratios typical of upland regions is also present at the settlement but there are no adult b…

Using mechanical experiments to study ground stone tool use: Exploring the formation of percussive and grinding wear traces on limestone tools

2021

Ground Stone Tools (GST) have been identified in several Levantine archaeological sites dating to the Middle Paleolithic. These tools, frequently made of limestone, are often interpreted based on their morphology and damage as having been used for knapping flint, and sometimes for breaking animal bones or processing vegetal materials as well. However, the lack of experimental referential collections on limestone is a major obstacle for the identification of diagnostic traces on these types of tools and raw material. In this sense, the understanding of the specific function of these GST and the association between tool types and activity often remains unknown or merely speculative. Recent di…

Des os dans les fossés et des animaux dans les enclos : diversité des fonctions et limites des interprétations

1999

Des animaux vivants ont pu sejourner de maniere temporaire ou permanente dans certaines des enceintes qui parsement la Gaule au deuxieme Âge du Fer. Mais ils ont pu egalement y etre mis mort, manges ou abandonnes a la decomposition. La diversite des fonctions qu'ont pu remplir les enclos vis-a-vis de l'elevage et de l'usage des animaux est grande. Notre propos est d'essayer de voir dans quelle mesure il est possible de les restituer, et quels indices peuvent nous aider dans cette demarche.

Temperature monitoring in archaeological animal bone samples in the Near East arid area, before, during and after excavation

2008

Summary In order to estimate experimentally the intensity and amplitude of thermal shocks during and after excavation, we monitored temperatures of archaeological bones on the field at three Syrian sites of the arid steppe, Qaramel, Dja'de and Aswad. Water cleaning and sun drying appear to be the most damaging steps, with temperature variations of ca. 11,000 °C/h and 84 °C/h, respectively. Ancient DNA (aDNA) bone samples kept between −7 and +12 °C from their extraction to the lab suffered much lower thermal variations (6 °C/h). Estimation of the temperature variations at different depths in the soil suggests that aDNA has suffered negative thermal conditions shortly after burial and again d…

Dental calculus is not equivalent to bone collagen for isotope analysis: a comparison between carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bulk den…

2014

Palaeodietary reconstruction using the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone and dentine collagen is a well-established method and the biochemical processes involved are well known. Researchers have recently explored using bulk samples of dental calculus as a substitute for bone and dentine collagen in dietary analyses, because calculus can be sampled without causing damage to the teeth, and may be useful in situations where more destructive analyses are not possible, or where collagen is poorly preserved. Several questions remain about the use of bulk calculus as a source of carbon and nitrogen isotope data, however. It is not yet clear how much of an individual¿s life span dental cal…

A refugee newborn with heart failure and initial hydrops: Diagnostic clues of spectral Doppler examinations

2022

A newnborn admitted to NICU showed a severe clinical profile