New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)

Until the early 5th century BC, Phaleron Bay was the main port of ancient Athens (Greece). On its shore, archaeologists have discovered one of the largest known cemeteries in ancient Greece, including a range of burial forms, simple pits, cremations, larnaces (clay tubs), and series of burials of male individuals who appear to have died violent deaths, referred to here as “atypical burials”. Reconstructing the osteobiographies of these individuals will help create a deeper understanding of the socio-political conditions preceding the rise of Classical Athens. Here, we assess the habitual manual behavior of the people of Archaic Phaleron (ca. 7th – 6th cent. BC), relying on a new and precise three-dimensional method for reconstructing physical activity based on hand muscle attachment sites. This approach has been recently validated on laboratory animal samples as well as on recent human skeletons with a detailed level of long-term occupational documentation (i.e., the mid-19th century Basel Spitalfriedhof sample). Our Phaleron sample consists of 48 adequately preserved hand skeletons, of which 14 correspond to atypical burials. Our results identified consistent differences in habitual manual behaviors between atypical burials and the rest. The former present a distinctive power-grasping tendency in most skeletons, which was significantly less represented in the latter (p-values of <0.01 and 0.03). Based on a comparison with the uniquely documented Basel sample (45 individuals), this entheseal pattern of the atypical burials was exclusively found in long-term heavy manual laborers. These findings reveal an important activity difference between burials typical for the Phaleron cemetery and atypical burials, suggesting that the latter were likely involved in distinctive, strenuous manual activities. The results of this pilot study comprise an important first step towards reconstructing the identity of these human skeletal remains. Future research can further elucidate the occupational profiles of these individuals through the discovery of additional well-preserved hand skeletons and by extending our analyses to other anatomical regions

Ancient DNA reveals admixture history and endogamy in the prehistoric Aegean (advance online)

The Neolithic and Bronze Ages were highly transformative periods forthe genetic history of Europe but for the Aegean—a region fundamentalto Europe’s prehistory—the biological dimensions of cultural transitionshave been elucidated only to a limited extent so far. We have analysed newlygenerated genome-wide data from 102 ancient individuals from Crete, theGreek mainland and the Aegean Islands, spanning from the Neolithic tothe Iron Age. We found that the early farmers from Crete shared the sameancestry as other contemporaneous Neolithic Aegeans. In contrast, the endof the Neolithic period and the following Early Bronze Age were marked by‘eastern’ gene flow, which was predominantly of Anatolian origin in Crete.Confirming previous findings for additional Central/Eastern Europeanancestry in the Greek mainland by the Middle Bronze Age, we additionallyshow that such genetic signatures appeared in Crete gradually from theseventeenth to twelfth centuries bc, a period when the influence of themainland over the island intensified. Biological and cultural connectednesswithin the Aegean is also supported by the finding of consanguineousendogamy practiced at high frequencies, unprecedented in the globalancient DNA record. Our results highlight the potential of archaeogenomicapproaches in the Aegean for unravelling the interplay of genetic admixture,marital and other cultural practice

Diet and food strategies in a southern al-Andalusian urban environment during Caliphal period, ecija, Sevilla

The Iberian medieval period is unique in European history due to the widespread socio-cultural changes that took place after the arrival of Arabs, Berbers and Islam in 711 AD. Recently, isotopic research has been insightful on dietary shifts, status, resource availability and the impact of environment. However, there is no published isotopic research exploring these factors in southern Iberian populations, and as the history of this area differs to the northern regions, this leaves a significant lacuna in our knowledge. This research fills this gap via isotopic analysis of human (n = 66) and faunal (n = 13) samples from the 9th to the 13th century Écija, a town renowned for high temperatures and salinity. Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes were assessed from rib collagen, while carbon (δ13C) values were derived from enamel apatite. Human diet is consistent with C3 plant consumption with a very minor contribution of C4 plants, an interesting feature considering the suitability of Écija to C4 cereal production. δ15N values vary among adults, which may suggest variable animal protein consumption or isotopic variation within animal species due to differences in foddering. Consideration of δ13C collagen and apatite values together may indicate sugarcane consumption, while moderate δ15N values do not suggest a strong aridity or salinity effect. Comparison with other Iberian groups shows similarities relating to time and location rather than by religion, although more multi-isotopic studies combined with zooarchaeology and botany may reveal subtle differences unobservable in carbon and nitrogen collagen studies alone.OLC is funded by Plan Galego I2C mod.B (ED481D 2017/014). The research was partially funded by the projects “Galician Paleodiet” and by Consiliencia network (ED 431D2017/08) Xunta de GaliciaS

Tooth mutilation in the plaza del castillo Islamic site (VIIITH century AD) from Pamplona (Navarra)

En las excavaciones arqueológicas realizadas en la Plaza del Castillo (Pamplona, Navarra) (PZC), se identificó un conjunto funerario con ritual islámico de más de 150 individuos estando representados ambos sexos y todas las edades. La ocupación islámica de Pamplona se desarrolló a la largo del siglo VIII dC, iniciándose en el siglo IX dC la monarquía cristiana. La datación por radiocarbono (AMS - Espectrometría de Masas por Acelerador), confirma el siglo VIII dC como momento de uso de la maqbara. Para este trabajo se han analizado macroscópicamente y por Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido (SEM) diferentes dientes anteriores con signos de mutilación intencional en mujeres adultas. La mutilación afecta las facetas mesial y distal de incisivos y canino. La mutilación en dientes no se ha descrito previamente para esta región. Se discute el posible origen tipológico, técnica empleada de las mutilaciones y comparación con otras poblaciones.Excavations from Plaza del Castillo (Pamplona, Navarra) (PZC) found more than 150 islamic human remains of both sexes and range of age. The Islamic invasion of Pamplona is historically documented during VIIIth century AD and the Christain monarchy during IXth century AD. Radiocarbon dating (AMS - Accelerator Mass Spectometry) confirms maqbara use at the VIIIth century AD. This paper reports a macro- and Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis applied to several anterior teeth with sings of intentional mutilation in adult females. Tooth mutilation involved the removal of the mesial and distal angles of the incisor and canine teeth. Tooth mutilation has not previously been reported from this region. Types of modifications and their technical methods are discussed between PZC site and those from other regions

New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)

Until the early 5th century BC, Phaleron Bay was the main port of ancient Athens (Greece). On its shore, archaeologists have discovered one of the largest known cemeteries in ancient Greece, including a range of burial forms, simple pits, cremations, larnaces (clay tubs), and series of burials of male individuals who appear to have died violent deaths, referred to here as “atypical burials”. Reconstructing the osteobiographies of these individuals will help create a deeper understanding of the socio-political conditions preceding the rise of Classical Athens. Here, we assess the habitual manual behavior of the people of Archaic Phaleron (ca. 7th – 6th cent. BC), relying on a new and precise three-dimensional method for reconstructing physical activity based on hand muscle attachment sites. This approach has been recently validated on laboratory animal samples as well as on recent human skeletons with a detailed level of long-term occupational documentation (i.e., the mid-19th century Basel Spitalfriedhof sample). Our Phaleron sample consists of 48 adequately preserved hand skeletons, of which 14 correspond to atypical burials. Our results identified consistent differences in habitual manual behaviors between atypical burials and the rest. The former present a distinctive power-grasping tendency in most skeletons, which was significantly less represented in the latter (p-values of &lt;0.01 and 0.03). Based on a comparison with the uniquely documented Basel sample (45 individuals), this entheseal pattern of the atypical burials was exclusively found in long-term heavy manual laborers. These findings reveal an important activity difference between burials typical for the Phaleron cemetery and atypical burials, suggesting that the latter were likely involved in distinctive, strenuous manual activities. The results of this pilot study comprise an important first step towards reconstructing the identity of these human skeletal remains. Future research can further elucidate the occupational profiles of these individuals through the discovery of additional well-preserved hand skeletons and by extending our analyses to other anatomical regions. © 2021 Elsevier Lt

Early Medieval Muslim Graves in France: First Archaeological, Anthropological and Palaeogenomic Evidence

International audienceThe rapid Arab-Islamic conquest during the early Middle Ages led to major political and cultural changes in the Mediterranean world. Although the early medieval Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula is now well documented, based in the evaluation of archeological and historical sources, the Muslim expansion in the area north of the Pyrenees has only been documented so far through textual sources or rare archaeological data. Our study provides the first archaeo-anthropological testimony of the Muslim establishment in South of France through the multidisciplinary analysis of three graves excavated at Nimes. First, we argue in favor of burials that followed Islamic rites and then note the presence of a community practicing Muslim traditions in Nimes. Second, the radiometric dates obtained from all three human skeletons (between the 7th and the 9th centuries AD) echo historical sources documenting an early Muslim presence in southern Gaul (i.e., the first half of 8th century AD). Finally, palaeogenomic analyses conducted on the human remains provide arguments in favor of a North African ancestry of the three individuals, at least considering the paternal lineages. Given all of these data, we propose that the skeletons from the Nimes burials belonged to Berbers integrated into the Umayyad army during the Arab expansion in North Africa. Our discovery not only discusses the first anthropological and genetic data concerning the Muslim occupation of the Visigothic territory of Septimania but also highlights the complexity of the relationship between the two communities during this period