MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS OF THREE-ROOTED MANDIBULAR MOLARS IN ANCIENT ANATOLIAN POPULATIONS (DILKAYA MOUND, VAN, TURKEY): A LITERATURE REVIEW ON WORLD POPULATIONS

WOS: 000343272400001This study reports the first recorded discovery of three-rooted mandibular molars (3RM) from a Middle Age archaeological population unearthed in Van, Eastern Anatolia. A historical context is given for the research site, Dilkaya Mound, which has a history of approximately 2500 years. In total 462 permanent first and second teeth, 219 deciduous teeth, and a total of 682 mandibular teeth belonging to 358 individuals from Early Iron Age and Middle Age populations were included in this study. The earliest recorded population on site which dates to the Early Iron Age shows no sign of 3RM1 and 3RM2. The 3RM1 feature first appears in Anatolia at a rate of 1,05% by the Middle Age. The frequency of 3RM2 was found at a rate of 0,67%, and 3RM3 at a rate of 2,44 % in the population. Three rooted deciduous lower first molar teeth (3rm1) were observed at a rate of 2,44%; a new feature in the literature. The results of our study support the existing explanation that genetic drift plays a significant role in the distribution of 3RM via the wave of migration to the west from Asia during the Middle Age

CRANIAL AND POST-CRANIAL TRAUMATIC INJURY PATTERNS IN VAN CASTLE MOUND MEDIEVAL POPULATION

The excavations conducted at Van Castle Mound, East Anatolia, between 1987 and 2010 uncovered a total of 328 human skeletons dating back to the Medieval period. Thirty trauma cases were identified within the collection, constituting 9.14% of the entire population. Typology and distribution of the trauma among different sexes indicated that depression fractures, oblique fractures, comminuted fractures, and head deformation were more frequently observed in male skeletons, while a post-fractural infection appeared only in a female skeleton. Trauma cases were more common on post-cranial bones. In addition, a trepanned cranial specimen belonging to a mature individual is identified in which grooving technique was performed. Most of the observed trauma cases were related to heavy labor, unsafe working conditions, and challenges of everyday agrarian life. Previous paleopathological studies from the Medieval Van Castle Mound also indicates an insufficient nutritation and high physical stress.Peer reviewe

The Middle Bronze Age Of Diyarbakır/Salat Tepe People: An Anthropological Review

Ilısu Barajı gölalanı altında kalan Diyarbakır/Salat Tepe kurtarma kazılarından ele geçen 12 adet iskeletin paleopatolojik, paleodemografik, morfolojik ve non-metrik açıdan incelemesi yapılmıştır. Analiz sonucunda Orta Tunç Çağına tarihlendirilen Salat Tepe insanlarının tarıma dayalı küçük sosyo-ekonomik bir yapıya sahip oldukları ve zor hayat koşulları içinde mütevazi bir yaşam sürdükleri elde edilen arkeolojik ve antropolojik bulgulardan anlaşılmaktadır. İleri bir tarım toplumundan ziyade küçük ve yerel tarımcılıkla uğraşan Diyarbakır/ Salat Tepe insanları dönemin eski Anadolu toplumlarının genel karakteristiğini yansıtmaktadır.During the rescue excavations at Salat Tepe site in Diyarbakır , which is currently under the lake of IIisu dam region, 21 skeletons were unearthed; the paelopathological, paleodemographical, morphological and non-metrical aspects of the seskeletons were analyzed. The results of the archaeological and anthropological findings indicate that the inhabitants of Salat Tepe during the Middle Bronze Age period based their socio-economic structure on agriculture with a modes tlifestyle. The population of Salat Tepe reflects the general characteristics of ancient Anatolian communitie swith a rather small farming community depending on local farmi

Carnivores from the Late Miocene locality of Hayranlı (Hayranlı, Sivas, Turkey)

The locality of Hayranlı-Sivas is situated in the central Anatolian plateau (Sivas, Turkey) and includes many fossil remains, including carnivores collected from 2 different spots. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge of carnivore evolution in Turkey based on the fossil specimens in Hayranlı-Sivas. The studied collection indicates the presence of the following taxa: Hyaenictitherium wongii, Hyaenictitherium intuberculatum, Lycyaena dubia, and Machairodus giganteus. L. dubia is the first record from Anatolia. The material of each taxon was described and determined by comparison with other materials from various Eurasian localities. During the Early or Middle Turolian 9–7 Ma. (MN11–12), shrubland and open savanna grassland ecosystem habitats might have contributed to rich faunal diversity in the Hayranlı location. Moreover, carnivores of the area, represented by 4 taxa biochronologically, were adapted to this ecology during the evolutionary processes. M. giganteus in closed ecosystem locality HAY-91 and H. wongii, H. intuberculatum, and L. dubia in open ecosystem locality HAY-2 were probably the most dominant carnivores of the survey area.The locality of Hayranlı-Sivas is situated in the central Anatolian plateau (Sivas, Turkey) and includes many fossil remains, including carnivores collected from 2 different spots. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge of carnivore evolution in Turkey based on the fossil specimens in Hayranlı-Sivas. The studied collection indicates the presence of the following taxa: Hyaenictitherium wongii, Hyaenictitherium intuberculatum, Lycyaena dubia, and Machairodus giganteus. L. dubia is the first record from Anatolia. The material of each taxon was described and determined by comparison with other materials from various Eurasian localities. During the Early or Middle Turolian 9–7 Ma. (MN11–12), shrubland and open savanna grassland ecosystem habitats might have contributed to rich faunal diversity in the Hayranlı location. Moreover, carnivores of the area, represented by 4 taxa biochronologically, were adapted to this ecology during the evolutionary processes. M. giganteus in closed ecosystem locality HAY-91 and H. wongii, H. intuberculatum, and L. dubia in open ecosystem locality HAY-2 were probably the most dominant carnivores of the survey area

Carnivores from the Late Miocene locality of Hayranli (Hayranli, Sivas, Turkey)

WOS: 000359991700014The locality of Hayranli-Sivas is situated in the central Anatolian plateau (Sivas, Turkey) and includes many fossil remains, including carnivores collected from 2 different spots. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge of carnivore evolution in Turkey based on the fossil specimens in Hayranli-Sivas. The studied collection indicates the presence of the following taxa: Hyaenictitherium wongii, Hyaenictitherium intuberculatum, Lycyaena dubia, and Machairodus giganteus. L. dubia is the first record from Anatolia. The material of each taxon was described and determined by comparison with other materials from various Eurasian localities. During the Early or Middle Turolian 9-7 Ma. (MN11-12), shrubland and open savanna grassland ecosystem habitats might have contributed to rich faunal diversity in the Hayranli location. Moreover, carnivores of the area, represented by 4 taxa biochronologically, were adapted to this ecology during the evolutionary processes. M. giganteus in closed ecosystem locality HAY-91 and H. wongii, H. intuberculatum, and L. dubia in open ecosystem locality HAY-2 were probably the most dominant carnivores of the survey area.Minister of Cultural Heritage of TurkeyMinistry of Culture & Tourism - Turkey; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [0321893]The excavations in Sivas were supported by the Minister of Cultural Heritage of Turkey. The Erasmus program supported visits to the Polish National Museum. The Council of Higher Education of Turkey (YOK) supported visits to the Vienna Natural History Museum, the Paris Natural History Museum, and the Madrid Natural History Museum. Special thanks go to Dr G Koufos from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Dr Stephane Peigne and Dr C Argot from the Natural History Museum of Paris, Dr Ursula Gorlich from the Natural History Museum of Vienna, Dr Jorge Morales from the Natural History Museum of Madrid, and Patricia Perez Dios for their help in searching the collections, and their warm hospitality. We thank Dr Levent Mesci for giving the positions of the localities on a geographic and a geologic map and in a stratigraphic column. Thanks also go to Dr Jan Ove R Ebbestad for providing the photos of L. dubia from the Zdansky collection. The authors also wish to thank Kutay Murat Bozca for arranging the photos, Dr Basak Koca Ozer for the logarithmic differences analysis, and Dr Cesur Pehlevan for making the casts. We would like to thank Prof Tim White and the National Science Foundation (including the Revealing Hominid Origins Initiative/HOMINID program, Grant No. 0321893) for their financial support of the field and laboratory research, and Canbolat Ozkurt for his help with the English

Evaluation of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in western Anatolian skeletons from the late eastern roman period (Attepe settlements and Derekoy ¨ necropolis)

Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) provides insight of the stresses undergone by ancient communities from a bioarchaeological perspective. This is a first study aiming to determine stress factors causing LEH formation on the teeth of skeletons from two Anatolian rural communities during the Eastern Late Roman era (10th-11th centuries AD). These communities had quite high social complexities and population densities. A total of 638 permanent teeth from 52 adult individuals from these two ancient populations were investigated. The work contributes to understanding of regional archaeological communities of the period. The health conditions and growth processes of both communities were successfully estimated. LEH was mostly observed to affect canine teeth. Infants and children were exposed to severe stress during their lives but in terms of severity and band counts, it is likely that the stress factors did not cause severe damage to these populations

Paleopathological Analysis of Teeth and Jaws Obtained from Kelenderis Excavations

WOS: 000319698900001As teeth and surrounding tissues have a different biological structure and anatomy, there is no doubt that they are more reliable and available than other parts of a skeleton. Teeth are the easiest caries and wearing organisms although they are more resistant than other parts of the body. Pathological situations as dental caries, tooth wear, abscess, tartar and periodontal diseases deliver more information such as the eating habits and the general health status of the population than other parts of the skeleton. There is no doubt that there is rich material dealing with the odontological findings in the Mediterranean region because of the fact that the sites here hosted many civilizations throughout history. Kelenderis is one of these ancient sites. Food production, consumption and the economy in Kelenderis give us information on the dental health which is one of the major factors, directly affecting the quality of life and welfare of the individual. 719 Permanent teeth of 113 individual pieces were examined in Kelenderis. Periodontal diseases have been the most common exposured ones of the community. This lesion is observed in 78.94% of the individuals. 37.94% ante mortem teeth lose, 25.66% hypoplasia, 21.89% tartar, 10.32% dental caries and 3.37% apse are observed respectively. These rates show us the high amout of health problems among the people of Kelenderis. In addition, eating habits and lifestyle of the population were different from the ones of other ancient Anatolian people. While rates indicate significant information including the nutrition habits and the general health situation of the society, tooth wears reveal the comprehensive results regarding the individual's age, diet and cultural habits. Oral and dental health is one of the indicators of a good diet. The probability of occurrence of dental caries is highly due to poor nutrition at communities having poor socioeconomic status. The political and economic fluctuations in the Mediterranean region adversely affected eating habits and lifestyles of the Kelenderis population. Moreover, physiological stress, unbalanced and irregular eating, fever, and epidemic diseases had rather adverse effects on children and infants in Kelenderis. In this case, it appears that hypoplasia rates are indicators of systematic and traumatic diseases. It is certain that jaw and tooth diseases among the people of Kelenderis have been one of the biggest health problems

Paleopathological Analysis of Teeth and Jaws Obtained from Kelenderis Excavations

Besin üretimi, tüketimi ve ekonomisi Kelenderis'te yaşamın en temel dinamiklerinden birisi olmuştur. Bireyin yaşam kalitesini ve rahatını direkt olarak etkileyen önemli faktörlerinden biri olan ağız ve diş sağlığının Kelenderis halkı üzerinde çok etkili sonuçları ortaya çıkmıştır. Kelenderis popülasyonuna ait 113 bireyin toplam 717 adet daimi dişi incelenmiştir. Topluluğun maruz kaldığı en yaygın rahatsızlık periodontal hastalıklar olmuştur. Bu lezyona, bireylerin % 78,94'ünde rastlanılmıştır. Sırasıyla dişlerin % 37,94'ünde ölüm öncesi diş kaybı, % 25,66 oranında hypoplasia, % 21,89 oranında diş taşı, % 10,32 oranında diş çürüğü ve % 3,37 oranında apse gözlenmiştir. Oranlar Kelenderis toplumunun beslenme alışkanlığı ve genel sağlık yapısına ilişkin önemli bilgiler verirken, diş aşınmaları bireyin yaşı, beslenme biçimi ve kültürel alışkanlıkları hakkında detaylı sonuçlar ortaya koymuştur. Kelenderis'de tahıl ağırlıklı bir beslenme söz konusudur ve yaşam süresince çene ve diş hastalıklarının Kelenderis halkı arasında en büyük sağlık problemlerinden birisi olduğu şüphesizdirAs teeth and surrounding tissues have a different biological structure and anatomy, there is no doubt that they are more reliable and available than other parts of a skeleton. Teeth are the easiest caries and wearing organisms although they are more resistant than other parts of the body. Pathological situations as dental caries, tooth wear, abscess, tartar and periodontal diseases deliver more information such as the eating habits and the general health status of the population than other parts of the skeleton. There is no doubt that there is rich material dealing with the odontological findings in the Mediterranean region because of the fact that the sites here hosted many civilizations throughout history. Kelenderis is one of these ancient sites. Food production, consumption and the economy in Kelenderis give us information on the dental health which is one of the major factors, directly affecting the quality of life and welfare of the individual. 719 Permanent teeth of 113 individual pieces were examined in Kelenderis. Periodontal diseases have been the most common exposured ones of the community. This lesion is observed in 78.94% of the individuals. 37.94% ante mortem teeth lose, 25.66% hypoplasia, 21.89% tartar, 10.32% dental caries and 3.37% apse are observed respectively. These rates show us the high amout of health problems among the people of Kelenderis. In addition, eating habits and lifestyle of the population were different from the ones of other ancient Anatolian people. While rates indicate significant information including the nutrition habits and the general health situation of the society, tooth wears reveal the comprehensive results regarding the individual’s age, diet and cultural habits. Oral and dental health is one of the indicators of a good diet. The probability of occurrence of dental caries is highly due to poor nutrition at communities having poor socioeconomic status. The political and economic fluctuations in the Mediterranean region adversely affected eating habits and lifestyles of the Kelenderis population. Moreover, physiological stress, unbalanced and irregular eating, fever, and epidemic diseases had rather adverse effects on children and infants in Kelenderis. In this case, it appears that hypoplasia rates are indicators of systematic and traumatic diseases. It is certain that jaw and tooth diseases among the people of Kelenderis have been one of the biggest health problems

Microstonyx (Suidae, Artiodactyla) from the Upper Miocene of Hayranlı-Haliminhanı, Turkey

The suid remains from localities 58-HAY-2 and 58-HAY-19 in the Late Miocene Derindere Member of the İncesu Formation in the Hayranlı-Haliminhanı area (Sivas, Turkey) are described and referred to as Microstonyx major (Gervais, 1848–1852). Microstonyx shows changes in incisor morphology, which are interpreted as a further adaptation to rooting. This occurred probably in a short period between 8.7 and 8.121 Ma ago and possibly is a reaction to environmental change. The incisor morphology in locality 58-HAY-2 suggests that it is temporally close to this change, which would imply that this locality and the lithostratigraphically lower 58-HAY-19 belong to the lower part of MN11 and not to MN12. The findings are discussed in the regional context and contribute to the knowledge of the Anatolian fossil mammals.The suid remains from localities 58-HAY-2 and 58-HAY-19 in the Late Miocene Derindere Member of the İncesu Formation in the Hayranlı-Haliminhanı area (Sivas, Turkey) are described and referred to as Microstonyx major (Gervais, 1848–1852). Microstonyx shows changes in incisor morphology, which are interpreted as a further adaptation to rooting. This occurred probably in a short period between 8.7 and 8.121 Ma ago and possibly is a reaction to environmental change. The incisor morphology in locality 58-HAY-2 suggests that it is temporally close to this change, which would imply that this locality and the lithostratigraphically lower 58-HAY-19 belong to the lower part of MN11 and not to MN12. The findings are discussed in the regional context and contribute to the knowledge of the Anatolian fossil mammals