Urban life in early Islamic Morocco: new light from the excavations at Walīla (Roman Volubilis)

This article presents a research update from the INSAP-UCL excavations at the UNESCO site of medieval Walīla (Roman Volubilis), Morocco. Though the site is best known as the Roman city of Volubilis, in the Middle Ages, and by then called Walīla, it took on a new importance as a Berber centre, the probable locale of an Umayyad or Abbasid garrison and the capital of Idrīs I, the founder of one of the earliest Islamic states in Morocco. It is the only site in Morocco – and in North Africa more generally – where excavations have uncovered substantial evidence of eighth-century urbanism. As such, Walīla provides an exceptional opportunity to investigate the nature of a Berber town and its transformation into, for a short time, the centre of one of the earliest Islamic states in North Africa. This article presents a summary of our results from the four seasons of fieldwork that have taken place so far, between 2018 and 2022

Dental twinning in the primary dentition: new archaeological cases from Italy

Dental twinning (or “double teeth”) is a rare developmental condition that implies the fusion of two or more adjacent teeth. Clinical literature reports individual cases and extensive population studies to clarify causation, distribution, heritability and differential diagnosis of the different types of dental twinning (i.e. fusion, gemination, and accretion) whereas, documentation for past populations is still scarce. Aims: the present study documents four new archaeological cases of dental twinning of deciduous teeth from four different Italian archeological sites and positions them within the framework of the known literature.Materials and methods: the observed cases include five deciduous teeth from four subadults from Sardinia (Monte Sirai, 7th-4th cent. BCE and Santa Filitica, 7th cent. CE), Campania (Velia, 1st-2nd cent. CE) and Latium (Villamagna, 13th-15th cent. CE). The identification, descriptions and differential diagnoses of the anomalies were performed with the use of morphological analyses and, in one case, radiographic means.Results: all cases fall within the category of double teeth; each involving a different set of processes (gemination and dental fusion), teeth (deciduous central incisors, lateral incisors and canines), locations (upper and lower) and occurrence (unilateral and bilateral). Conclusion: to this day, cases reported in literature of dental twinning in archaeological samples are sparse and limited to specific geographical areas. This study adds four more cases from Italy suggesting such anomalies should be recorded in dental analyses in order to, one day, obtain a more reliable modelling of the frequencies and distributions in past populations

Dental twinning in the primary dentition: new archaeological cases from Italy

Dental twinning (or “double teeth”) is a rare developmental condition that implies the fusion of two or more adjacent teeth. Clinical literature reports individual cases and extensive population studies to clarify causation, distribution, heritability and differential diagnosis of the different types of dental twinning (i.e. fusion, gemination, and accretion) whereas, documentation for past populations is still scarce. Aims: the present study documents four new archaeological cases of dental twinning of deciduous teeth from four different Italian archeological sites and positions them within the framework of the known literature.Materials and methods: the observed cases include five deciduous teeth from four subadults from Sardinia (Monte Sirai, 7th-4th cent. BCE and Santa Filitica, 7th cent. CE), Campania (Velia, 1st-2nd cent. CE) and Latium (Villamagna, 13th-15th cent. CE). The identification, descriptions and differential diagnoses of the anomalies were performed with the use of morphological analyses and, in one case, radiographic means.Results: all cases fall within the category of double teeth; each involving a different set of processes (gemination and dental fusion), teeth (deciduous central incisors, lateral incisors and canines), locations (upper and lower) and occurrence (unilateral and bilateral). Conclusion: to this day, cases reported in literature of dental twinning in archaeological samples are sparse and limited to specific geographical areas. This study adds four more cases from Italy suggesting such anomalies should be recorded in dental analyses in order to, one day, obtain a more reliable modelling of the frequencies and distributions in past populations

Geoarchaeology of the ancient city of Utica (Tunisia) and evolution of the palaeoenvironment of the Medjerda delta

Phoenician Utica remains today largely unknown, as is its role in the Phoenician expansion in the western Mediterranean. Aristotle and Pliny the Elder mention Utica as a maritime and port city and estimate its origin around the 11th c. BC. However, in the present state of research, no archaeological evidence is earlier than the 9th c. BC, and the location of the Phoenician and Roman port infrastructures remains unknown. Today, the ancient city is located on a promontory in the heart of the Medjerda delta, 10 km inland. This project proposes an interdisciplinary effort to understand the Medjerda delta landscape changes during the Holocene. It starts from an archaeological problem and proposes the contribution of geoarchaeology to the understanding of the relationship between ancient societies and their environment. The fluvial palaeoenvironments and sedimentary processes are studied through the mechanical extraction of cores (15-20 m deep) to reach the early Holocene. Selected sediment samples are then studied in laboratory, using different and complementary approaches. The location of port infrastructures will bring initial answers to the question of the foundation of the city. The study of river palaeoenvironments of the Medjerda delta during the Holocene aim at a better understanding of the nature of the settlement, as well as the function of the city of Utica over time. This study will also assess the impact of the ancient city on the environment and understand how the city adapted to the mobility of this Mediterranean delta. Furthermore, the analysis of sedimentary processes causing the filling of the harbour basin will lead to speculation about the causes of the abandonment of the structures and more generally the decline of the city in favor of Carthage. It will also examine whether natural or anthropogenic factors have influenced this deltaic progradation over the centuries

Can you fail your way to success?

Do one or more formative examination failures predict a summative examination failure

The language of the urban domestic architecture as an expression of identity in the Roman world

[EN] This volume reveals the results of the International Seminars “Il linguaggio dell’architettura domestica urbana come espressione d’identità”, which took place in Rome on February 25th, 2020 and “The language of urban domestic architecture as an expression of identity in the Roman world. The African and Eastern provinces”, which was held online on March 18th, 2021. These forums were framed within the line of research of the Archaeology of political spaces: urban domestic architecture of Roman ages developed in Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma (CSIC) and the Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla. The different case studies analysed throughout the nine chapters of this book make up a significant cast at a spatial level that includes general reflections on Roman houses and their Etruscan and Greek influences, the residential spaces of the city of Rome, as well as the expansion of the lifestyle of Roman society to the western and eastern provinces. For all these reasons, this publication can be considered a solid base and a framework for projecting broader questions about the urban domestic space in the Roman Empire.[ES] En el presente volumen se exponen los resultados de los Seminarios Internacionales “Il linguaggio dell’architettura domestica urbana come espressione d’identità”, que tuvo lugar en Roma el 25 de febrero de 2020 y “The language of urban domestic architecture as an expression of identity in the Roman world. The African and Eastern provinces”, que se celebró online el 18 de marzo de 2021. Estos foros se enmarcaron dentro de la línea de investigación de la Arqueología de los espacios políticos: arquitectura doméstica urbana de época romana desarrollada en la Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma (CSIC) y la Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla. Los distintos estudios de casos analizados a lo largo de los nueve capítulos de este libro componen un elenco significativo a nivel espacial que abarca reflexiones generales sobre las casas romanas y sus influencias etruscas y griegas, los espacios residenciales de la ciudad de Roma, así como la expansión del estilo de vida de la sociedad romana a las provincias occidentales y orientales. Por todo ello, esta publicación puede considerarse una sólida base y un marco de trabajo para proyectar cuestiones más amplias sobre el espacio doméstico urbano en el Imperio Romano.Esta publicación ha sido posible gracias a la Ayuda Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación: Arqueología de los espacios políticos. Arquitectura doméstica urbana romana (IJC2018- 037041-I); al Proyecto del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) y Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI): Vivere In Urbe. Arquitectura residencial y espacio urbano en Augusta Emerita (PID2019-105376GB-C44) y al Proyecto FEDER-UPO: La creación y trasmisión de modelos adrianeos en el mediterráneo. Villa Adriana y la Bética (UPO-1266148).Peer reviewe

It takes two: Evidence for reduced sexual conflict over parental care in a biparental canid

In biparental systems, sexual conflict over parental investment predicts that the parent providing care experiences greater reproductive costs. This inequality in parental contribution is reduced when offspring survival is dependent on biparental care. However, this idea has received little empirical attention. Here, we determined whether mothers and fathers differed in their contribution to care in a captive population of coyotes (Canis latrans). We performed parental care assays on 8 (n = 8 males, 8 females) mated pairs repeatedly over a 10-week period (i.e., 5–15 weeks of litter age) when pairs were first-time breeders (2011), and again as experienced breeders (2013). We quantified consistent individual variation (i.e., repeatability) in 8 care behaviors and examined within- and among-individual correlations to determine if behavioral plasticity within or parental personality across seasons varied by sex. Finally, we extracted hormone metabolites (i.e., cortisol and testosterone) from fecal samples collected during gestation to describe potential links between hormonal mechanisms and individual consistency in parental behaviors. Parents differed in which behaviors were repeatable: mothers demonstrated consistency in provisioning and pup-directed aggression, whereas fathers were consistent in pup checks. However, positive within-individual correlations for identical behaviors (e.g., maternal versus paternal play) suggested that the rate of change in all behaviors except provisioning was highly correlated between the sexes. Moreover, positive among-individual correlations among 50% of identical behaviors suggested that personality differences across parents were highly correlated. Lastly, negative among-individual correlations among pup-directed aggression, provisioning, and gestational testosterone in both sexes demonstrated potential links between preparental hormones and labile parental traits. We provide novel evidence that paternal contribution in a biparental species reaches near equivalent rates of their partners

Parasite fate and involvement of infected cells in the induction of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to Toxoplasma gondii

During infection with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the presentation of parasite-derived antigens to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is essential for long-term resistance to this pathogen. Fundamental questions remain regarding the roles of phagocytosis and active invasion in the events that lead to the processing and presentation of parasite antigens. To understand the most proximal events in this process, an attenuated non-replicating strain of T. gondii (the cpsII strain) was combined with a cytometry-based approach to distinguish active invasion from phagocytic uptake. In vivo studies revealed that T. gondii disproportionately infected dendritic cells and macrophages, and that infected dendritic cells and macrophages displayed an activated phenotype characterized by enhanced levels of CD86 compared to cells that had phagocytosed the parasite, thus suggesting a role for these cells in priming naïve T cells. Indeed, dendritic cells were required for optimal CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, and the phagocytosis of heat-killed or invasion-blocked parasites was not sufficient to induce T cell responses. Rather, the selective transfer of cpsII-infected dendritic cells or macrophages (but not those that had phagocytosed the parasite) to naïve mice potently induced CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, and conferred protection against challenge with virulent T. gondii. Collectively, these results point toward a critical role for actively infected host cells in initiating T. gondii-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses

Cosa and the Ager Cosanus

Cosa and its territory, the Ager Cosanus, are often taken as the typical exemplars of a Roman colony, its territory and history over time. This chapter summarizes what we know of the urban plan of the colony of Cosa and its development over time, and the evidence for the settlement of its territory. The colony’s high point appears to have been the second century BC, when most of the public buildings were erected, and its insulae were occupied by both large and small houses. In the countryside there were numerous small farms. During the late second and early first centuries BC these were gradually replaced by villas, of which Settefinestre is the best known, and agricultural production was widely exported. The destruction of the town around 70 BC does not seem to have affected the inland settlement, where a large number of villas continued to flourish. The Augustan reoccupation of the town was on a smaller scale, and subsequently both the town and the territory experienced a marked decline in occupation