Abnormalities and Pathologies Discovered in the Skeletal Sample from The 16th–19th Centuries Aroneanu Monastery Necropolis (Iaşi County, Romania)

This paper describes the frequency and anatomical abnormalities and pathologies identified on the skeletal sample discovered in 2014, in the Aroneanu Monastery Necropolis of Iaşi (Iaşi County, Romania). According to archaeological information, the necropolis was used since the first half of the 16th century until the beginning of the 19th century. The osteological material, consisting of 79 skeletons (children, adolescents, adults, matures and seniles), originated from inhumation tombs and reburials. The distribution by sex and age categories indicates a higher male frequency as opposed to females, resulting in a higher masculinity index. Most skeletons were recorded in the maturus category (59.49%), followed by infans I and II (21.52%), adultus (11.39%), senilis (5.06%) and juvenis (2.53%). The abnormalities and pathologies were evaluated both separately, by sex, and for the entire sample. In the cranial segment (for the entire sample), the Wormian bones recorded the highest frequency (15.18%), followed by the metopic suture (3.79%), cranial trauma, cribra orbitalia (with equal incidence – 2.53%) and porotic hyperostosis (1.26%). In the postcranial segment, osteoarthritis is the most frequent (11.39%), followed by spina bifida occulta, sacralization and extra facets on the tibiotalar joint – with equal incidence (3.79%). Lower incidences were recorded for the supratrochlear foramen of the humerus and lumbarization (1.26% each). In the male series, the frequency of pathologies and abnormalities is higher compared to the female series. No pathologies and abnormalities were observed on the skeletons of children and adolescents

Animal Resources in the Economy of the Noua Culture (Bronze Age) Communities: case study on the settlement at Crasnaleuca (Botosani County, Romania)

During the excavations carried out in 1992-1994 at Crasnaleuca settlement (Botosani County, Romania) were found materials coming from the Bronze Age (Noua Culture). The archaeozoological sample consists of 2656 remains, of which four belong to the birds, two to the fish, and the rest to the mammals (2650). The presence of mammal remains illustrates two important activities of the Crasnaleuca population: hunting and animal husbandry. Most of the mammals remains belong to the domestic species (93.7%); in this group, cattle (Bos taurus) has the highest representation (50.4% of the identified mammal remains), followed by sheep/goat (Ovis aries/Capra hircus) – 25.3% and pig (Sus domesticus) – 9.3%. Other identified species of domestic mammals are horse (Equus caballus) and dog (Canis domesticus). Wild mammal remains do not have a significant frequency (6.3%), which indicated that hunting was not an important occupation for the inhabitants at Crasnaleuca. Identified species are red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), hare (Lepus europaeus); red deer and wild boar have the highest proportion in the group of wild mammals

The Late Mediaeval Necropolis of Lăpuşna (Hânceşti County, Republic of Moldova). Preliminary Anthropological Results

The osteological material was exhumed in 2013 by archaeologists from the Archaeology Department of the Cultural Heritage Institute of the Academy of Science of Moldova, in the mediaeval necropolis of Lăpuşna (Hânceşti County, Republic of Moldova). Thirty graves were fully or partially researched, the deceased having been buried lying on their backs, with the upper limbs placed on the chest or abdomen. Based on the funerary inventory (which includes six mediaeval coins), the graves were chronologically placed between the XVth and the XVIIth centuries. The cemetery belonged to a local Christian rural community. The preservation status of skeletons is satisfactory. Twenty-two human skeletons (seven males, ten females, and five children) have been analyzed so far. Sex ratio in the osteological sample from Lăpuşna is subunitary, indicating a higher number of female skeletons, comparatively with the male ones. A quarter of the analysed subjects did not survive after adolescence. The maximum risk of mortality in this sample occurs during early childhood (0–7 years). 32% of deceases appear in the adultus category of age (20–30 years) and 45%, respectively, in the matures one (30–60 years). Life expectancy at birth is of 30.7 years. For individuals older than 20 years, life expectancy after this age, calculated separately on sexes, was of 16 years in men and of 19 years in women. At cranial level eight nonmetric traits and only two pathologies were identified. Regarding dentition, seven nonmetric traits and six pathologies were reported. At postcranial level, 14 nonmetric traits were distinguished, most of them classified as occupational markers. The most frequent postcranial pathology is osteoarthritis; this disease is present in nine individuals. The subjects affected with osteoarthritis are mature persons. Traces of osteoarthritis appears especially in the spine, hip joint, lower limb (mainly femurs), upper limb (especially radiuses), and clavicle. Primarily, responsible for the degenerative osteoarthritis is the advanced age, followed by mechanical stress and intense and toilsome physical activity. Only one female skeleton showed traces of healed fracture

Anthropological Analysis of the Skeletal Series exhumed from the Necropolis of Piatra Neamţ – Dărmăneşti (XIVth – XVth Centuries)

This article represents a bioanthropological study of a small osteological series (32 skeletons) discovered in 2012 in the necropolis of Piatra Neamţ – Dărmăneşti. According to the authors of diggings (Garvan Daniel, archaeologist, and his collaborators at Piatra Neamţ Museum of History and Archaeology) the necropolis is dated between the XIVth and XVth centuries. The general and child mortality rates were analyzed, by gender and age, as well as the average lifespan by calculating the average age at death. We noticed a high mortality rate in childhood stage (0–14 years: 43.75%). If we add to it the teenage mortality rate (14-20 years: 6.25%), we can see that half of the studied population died before reaching adulthood. In the 20-x years interval, the highest mortality rate was recorded for mature people (30–60 years – 25%); the incidence of death among adults (20–30 years) and subjects over 60 years is much lower (15.63% and 9.38%, respectively). The average lifespan for the entire population under study (0–x years) is 25.63 years, the value recorded by gender, being of 44.17 years in men and 40.36 years in women. Anthropological analysis indicates, on the average, a population of over-middle height in males and middle height in females, with mesocranic skulls in males and brachycranic skulls in females, orthocranic and acrocranic (in the male series), respectively chamecranic and tapeinocranic (in the female series) skullcaps. The forehead is eurimetopic (in the male series) and metriometopic (in the female series), with averagely wide (in males) and wide (in females) occipitals. The face is, on the average, leptoprosopic an leptene in males, respectively mesoprosopic and mesene in females, with hypsiconch orbits and leptorrhine nose. Mandible robustness is moderate in both genders

Spina Bifida Occulta in Medieval and Postmedieval Times in Eastern Romania

This paper provides bioarchaeological evidence of Spina Bifida Occulta (SBO) in human skeletons discovered in medieval and post-medieval sites of Eastern Romania and evaluates its prevalence and patterns by examining its relationship to age, sex, type of sites (urban, elite and rural), and its morphological patterns. The skeletons found in burial and reburial tombs from five necropolises of the 14th–19th centuries, discovered in Eastern Romania, were analysed to determine individuals’ age and sex, pathologies and anomalies. Sacral SBO was identified in 11 subjects, for an overall prevalence of 4%; sacral SBO seems to be more common in endogam groups, as it is assumed to be that of the Princely Court. Apparently, this defect is more frequent in men (9 cases were males), its prevalence decreasing with age (from an overall value of 5.47% in young adults to 2.85% in old ones), but no statistically valid association could be demonstrated between the presence/absence of SBO and sex or age. Morphologically, in 8 cases, the sacral SBO corresponded to a more than 50% opening in the posterior arch

Schooner Ernestina Commission: for the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011

<p>Supplemental material, Supplementary_material_4 for Middle Holocene subsistence east of the Romanian Carpathians: Bioarchaeological data from the Chalcolithic site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru by Luminiţa Bejenaru, George Bodi, Simina Stanc and Mihaela Danu in The Holocene</p

Supplementary_material_2 – Supplemental material for Middle Holocene subsistence east of the Romanian Carpathians: Bioarchaeological data from the Chalcolithic site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru

<p>Supplemental material, Supplementary_material_2 for Middle Holocene subsistence east of the Romanian Carpathians: Bioarchaeological data from the Chalcolithic site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru by Luminiţa Bejenaru, George Bodi, Simina Stanc and Mihaela Danu in The Holocene</p

Preliminary data on a child’s grave discovered in the Paleolithic site of Cosăuţi (Republic of Moldova)

This paper presents the preliminary results of a comprehensive study of the burial discovered during the investigations of the Upper Paleolithic site at Cosăuţi by the expedition led by Ilie Borziac. Due to various circumstances, the burial remained virtually unexplored until present. The article presents the main results of a preliminary study of skeletal remains that was carried out by an international, Moldavian-Romanian, group of researchers

Preliminary data on the child’s tomb discovered in the Paleolithic site of Cosăuţi (Republic of Moldova)

The study presents an exceptional anthropological discovery made in 1987 in the upper paleolithic site from Cosăuţi by Ilie Borziac. Due to unfavorable circumstances, the child's tomb remained properly unexploited scientific until present. Are given the preliminary results obtained by interdisciplinary research team formed especially for conservation and investigation the child's tomb from Cosăuţi.Văleanu Mădălin-Cornel, Bejenaru Luminiţa, Covalenco Serghei, Tentiuc Ion, Burlacu Vitalie, Lacătuşu Codrin. Preliminary data on the child’s tomb discovered in the Paleolithic site of Cosăuţi (Republic of Moldova). In: Annales d'Université "Valahia" Târgovişte. Section d'Archéologie et d'Histoire, Tome 16, Numéro 2, 2014. pp. 7-15

Supplementary_material_1 – Supplemental material for Middle Holocene subsistence east of the Romanian Carpathians: Bioarchaeological data from the Chalcolithic site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru

<p>Supplemental material, Supplementary_material_1 for Middle Holocene subsistence east of the Romanian Carpathians: Bioarchaeological data from the Chalcolithic site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru by Luminiţa Bejenaru, George Bodi, Simina Stanc and Mihaela Danu in The Holocene</p