High altitude inkan shrines: a view from cerro Cuzco, Potosi department, Bolivia

A la luz de los nuevos datos arqueológicos obtenidos en cerro Cuzco (Potosí, Bolivia), en este trabajo trataremos sobre un conjunto de montañas antiguamente sacralizadas por los inkas, las cuales intervinieron en la conformación de una jurisdicción territorial asociada con el wak'a de Porco. La articulación de los registros arqueológico e histórico permitió explorar diversos aspectos que envuelven los adoratorios de altura inkaicos de esta región, en los cuales se destacan tanto su relación con la explotación de yacimientos mineros como su vínculo con los cultos a la divinidad prehispánica del rayo.In light of new data obtained at Cerro Cuzco (Potosi, Bolivia), this article deals with a group of mountains sanctified by the Inkas which intervened in the formation of the territorial jurisdiction associated with the wak'a of Porco. The articulation between the archaeological register and archival records allows for the exploration of different aspects in the high altitude Inkan shrines located in this region -well known for the exploitation of mineral deposits as well as for cults of worship dedicated to the pre-Hispanic lightning divinity.Fil: Cruz, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Crubézy, Eríc. Université Paul Sabatier; FranciaFil: Gérard, Patrice. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Franci

Millau « Condatomagus »

Date de l'opération : 1990 (SU) Inventeur(s) : Azémar Rémi ; Crubézy Eric Le dolmen 2 de Saint-Martin-du-Larzac, situé au lieu-dit La Bouissière (Fig. n°1 : Vue aérienne de l’ensemble de lanécropole de Saint-Martin-du-Larzac depuis l’est: dolmens 2,3 et 4), est localisé à 100 m à l'ouest du dolmen 3 (infra). Fouillé dans les années 1930 par L et O. Geniès, il avait livré un matériel d'une richesse exceptionnelle. Face au risque éventuel de fouille clandestine, Rémi Azémar avec la collaborati..

Genetic studies in French Guiana populations: Synthesis

International audienceTwelve blood group and protein systems from a total of 819 individuals from six tribal groups (Apalaí-Wayana, Emerillon, Kaliña, Palikur Wayampi, and Wayana) living in French Guiana and Brazil were compared with each other and integrated with previous results from 17 other South Amerindian populations studied for the same genetic markers. Using correspondence analysis, map methodologies, and maximum linkage cluster analysis developed with the UPGMA method, we attempted to establish the genetic position of these tribes among South American Indians. Peripheral positions for the Emerillon and the Palikur were observed. Ethnohistorical data in French Guiana suggest that a strong founder effect for the former and endogamy for the latter could have generated the genetic differentiation of these two ethnic groups. However, when considered in a wider context, all French Guiana Natives cluster together in an intermediate position as compared with 17 other Amerindian groups studied for the comparison

Application of the iPLEXTM Gold SNP genotyping method for the analysis of Amerindian ancient DNA samples: Benefits for ancient population studies

Important developments in the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technique have generated new perspectives regarding SNP genotyping, which are particularly promising for ancient population-based studies. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the application of a MALDI-TOF MS-based SNP genotyping technique, called iPLEX® Gold, to analyze Amerindian ancient DNA samples. The first objective was to test the sensitivity of the method, which is recommended for DNA quantities between 10 and 5ng, for ancient biological samples containing DNA molecules that were degraded and present in minute quantities. The second objective was to detail the advantages of this technique for studies on ancient populations. Two multiplexes were designed, allowing the major Amerindian mitochondrial and Y haplogroups to be determined simultaneously. This analysis has never been described before. Results demonstrated the reliability and accuracy of the method; data were obtained for both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA using picogram (pg) quantities of nucleic acid. This technique has the advantages of both MS and minisequencing techniques; thus, it should be included in the protocols for future ancient DNA studies.Fil: Mendisco, Fanny. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université de Strasbourg; FranciaFil: Keyser, Christine. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université de Strasbourg; FranciaFil: Hollard, Clémence. Université de Strasbourg; FranciaFil: Seldes, Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; ArgentinaFil: Nielsen, Axel Emil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; ArgentinaFil: Crubézy, Eric. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Ludes, Bertrand. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université de Strasbourg; Franci

Procedures and Frequencies of Embalming and Heart Extractions in Modern Period in Brittany. Contribution to the Evolution of Ritual Funerary in Europe.

The evolution of funeral practices from the Middle Ages through the Modern era in Europe is generally seen as a process of secularization. The study, through imaging and autopsy, of two mummies, five lead urns containing hearts, and more than six hundred skeletons of nobles and clergymen from a Renaissance convent in Brittany has led us to reject this view. In addition to exceptional embalming, we observed instances in which hearts alone had been extracted, a phenomenon that had never before been described, and brains alone as well, and instances in which each spouse's heart had been placed on the other's coffin. In some identified cases we were able to establish links between the religious attitudes of given individuals and either ancient Medieval practices or more modern ones generated by the Council of Trent. All of these practices, which were a function of social status, were rooted in religion. They offer no evidence of secularization whatsoever

Population genetic dynamics in the French Guiana region

International audienceThree sets of genetic markers (blood group plus protein polymorphisms, mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome) were compared in four French Guiana and one Brazilian Amerindian populations. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between five gene diversity statistics and historical or present-day population sizes showed significant values, indicating loss of diversity due to population bottlenecks. The three sets of markers furnished distinct admixture estimates, and the blood group plus protein polymorphisms could have overestimated the European contribution to their gene pool. Correspondence analysis distinguished the coastal from the interior populations, possibly reflecting past migration events

Human evolution in Siberia: from frozen bodies to ancient DNA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Yakuts contrast strikingly with other populations from Siberia due to their cattle- and horse-breeding economy as well as their Turkic language. On the basis of ethnological and linguistic criteria as well as population genetic studies, it has been assumed that they originated from South Siberian populations. However, many questions regarding the origins of this intriguing population still need to be clarified (e.g. the precise origin of paternal lineages and the admixture rate with indigenous populations). This study attempts to better understand the origins of the Yakuts by performing genetic analyses on 58 mummified frozen bodies dated from the 15^thto the 19^thcentury, excavated from Yakutia (Eastern Siberia).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>High quality data were obtained for the autosomal STRs, Y-chromosomal STRs and SNPs and mtDNA due to exceptional sample preservation. A comparison with the same markers on seven museum specimens excavated 3 to 15 years ago showed significant differences in DNA quantity and quality. Direct access to ancient genetic data from these molecular markers combined with the archaeological evidence, demographical studies and comparisons with 166 contemporary individuals from the same location as the frozen bodies helped us to clarify the microevolution of this intriguing population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We were able to trace the origins of the male lineages to a small group of horse-riders from the Cis-Baïkal area. Furthermore, mtDNA data showed that intermarriages between the first settlers with Evenks women led to the establishment of genetic characteristics during the 15^thcentury that are still observed today.</p

French Guiana Amerindian demographic history as revealed by autosomal and Y-chromosome STRs.

International audienc

The Role of Subjective Temporality in Future-Oriented Mental Time Travel

In this chapter we examine the tendency to view future-oriented mental time travel as a unitary faculty that, despite task-driven surface variation, ultimately reduces to a common phenomenological state. We review evidence that FMTT is neither unitary nor beholden to episodic memory: Rather, it is varied both in its memorial underpinnings and experiential realization. We conclude that the phenomenological diversity characterizing FMTT is dependent not on the type of memory activated during task performance, but on the kind of subjective temporality associated with the memory in play