55 research outputs found

    Early Arrival of New World Species Enriching the Biological Assemblage of the Santi Quattro Coronati Complex (Rome, Italy)

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    This paper reports the archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data from a disposal pit, whose use started after the partial closure of a staircase, and from a mortar surface within a former porch in the Santi Quattro Coronati complex in Rome, Italy. The two contexts were in use in the Early Modern Age, when the complex served as a cardinal seat. The element that distinguishes the Santi Quattro Coronati from other contemporaneous contexts is the presence of New World species, until now only hypothesized based on a letter sent by the first resident bishop in Santo Domingo to Lorenzo Pucci, then cardinal with the titulus of the Santi Quattro Coronati. Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo and C. maxima/moschata) were found in the pit, while a pelvis of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was found in a former porch. Numerous archaeobotanical remains preserved by mummification, identified mostly as food, and many archaeozoological specimens were found in the pit. Based on the data, it is hypothesized that the pit was used mainly as a deposit for table waste. The results as a whole help towards the investigation of the eating customs and daily habits of a Renaissance high-status clerical community

    Nuove indagini nell’ipogeo dell’età del Bronzo del Guardiano (Trinitapoli, BT). Considerazioni preliminari

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    Nell’agosto 2016 e 2017 la Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Barletta-Andria-Trani e Foggia ha ripreso le attività di scavo all’interno del Parco Archeologico degli Ipogei di Trinitapoli in località Madonna di Loret

    Ancient DNA: genomic amplification of Roman and medieval bovine bones.

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    Cattle remains (bones and teeth) of both roman and medieval age were collected in the archaeological site of Ferento (Viterbo, Italy) with the aim of extracting and characterising nucleic acids. Procedures to minimize contamination with modern DNA and to help ancient DNA (aDNA) preservation of the archaeological remains were adopted. Different techniques to extract aDNA (like Phenol/chloroform extraction) from bovine bones were tested to identify the method that applies to the peculiar characteristics of the study site. Currently, aDNA investigation is mainly based on mtDNA, due to the ease of amplification of the small and high-copied genome and to its usefulness in evolutionary studies. Preliminary amplification of both mitochondrial and nuclear aDNA fragments from samples of Roman and medieval animals were performed and partial specific sequences of mitochondrial D-loop as well as of nuclear genes were obtained. The innovative amplification of nuclear aDNA could enable the analysis of genes involved in specific animal traits, giving insights of ancient economic and cultural uses, as well as providing information on the origin of modern livestock population

    Elite food between the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Some case studies from Latium

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    The study of plant and animal remains from archaeological sites provides important evidence about past human diets and habits: this includes species selection, food preparation, consumption and disposal practices. Furthermore, such information may also provide inferences about social status. Data from refuse disposal features identified in some elite contexts in central Italy – a high-status residence in Celleno Vecchio (Viterbo) and the Baglioni-Santacroce castle in Graffignano (Viterbo), both in northern Latium, as well as the Santi Quattro Coronati ecclesiastical complex in Rome – allow to explore, using archaeobotanical, archaeozoological and genetic data, some of the different ways in which people expressed wealth by means of food during a period between the late Middle Ages and Renaissance

    Inside the "African Cattle Complex": Animal Burials in the Holocene Central Sahara

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    Cattle pastoralism is an important trait of African cultures. Ethnographic studies describe the central role played by domestic cattle within many societies, highlighting its social and ideological values well beyond its mere function as 'walking larder'. Historical depth of this African legacy has been repeatedly assessed in an archaeological perspective, mostly emphasizing a continental vision. Nevertheless, in- depth site-specific studies, with a few exceptions, are lacking. Despite the long tradition of a multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis of pastoral systems in Africa, rarely do early and middle Holocene archaeological contexts feature in the same area the combination of settlement, ceremonial and rock art features so as to be multi- dimensionally explored: the Messak plateau in the Libyan central Sahara represents an outstanding exception. Known for its rich Pleistocene occupation and abundant Holocene rock art, the region, through our research, has also shown to preserve the material evidence of a complex ritual dated to the Middle Pastoral (6080-5120 BP or 5200-3800 BC). This was centred on the frequent deposition in stone monuments of disarticulated animal remains, mostly cattle. Animal burials are known also from other African contexts, but regional extent of the phenomenon, state of preservation of monuments, and associated rock art makes the Messak case unique. GIS analysis, excavation data, radiocarbon dating, zooarchaeological and isotopic (Sr, C, O) analyses of animal remains and botanical data are used to explore this highly formalized ritual and lifestyles of a pastoral community in the Holocene Sahara

    Who was buried with Nestor’s Cup? Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the cremated remains from Tomb 168 (second half of the 8th century BCE, Pithekoussai, Ischia Island, Italy)

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    Cremation 168 from the second half of the 8th century BCE (Pithekoussai’s necropolis, Ischia Island, Italy), better known as the Tomb of Nestor’s Cup, is widely considered as one of the most intriguing discoveries in the Mediterranean Pre-Classic archaeology. A drinking cup, from which the Tomb’s name derives, bears one of the earliest surviving examples of written Greek, representing the oldest Homeric poetry ever recovered. According to previous osteological analyses, the Cup is associated with the cremated remains of a juvenile, aged approximately 10–14 years at death. Since then, a vast body of literature has attempted to explain the unique association between the exceptionality of the grave good complex, the symposiac and erotic evocation of the Nestor’s Cup inscription with the young age of the individual buried with it. This paper reconsiders previous assessments of the remains by combining gross morphology with qualitative histology and histomorphometric analyses of the burnt bone fragments. This work reveals the commingled nature of the bone assemblage, identifying for the first time, more than one human individual mixed with faunal remains. These outcomes dramatically change previous reconstructions of the cremation deposit, rewriting the answer to the question: who was buried with Nestor’s Cup

    Multipronged dental analyses reveal dietary differences in last foragers and first farmers at Grotta Continenza, central Italy (15,500–7000 BP)

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    This paper provides results from a suite of analyses made on human dental material from the Late Palaeolithic to Neolithic strata of the cave site of Grotta Continenza situated in the Fucino Basin of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The available human remains from this site provide a unique possibility to study ways in which forager versus farmer lifeways affected human odonto-skeletal remains. The main aim of our study is to understand palaeodietary patterns and their changes over time as reflected in teeth. These analyses involve a review of metrics and oral pathologies, micro-fossils preserved in the mineralized dental plaque, macrowear, and buccal microwear. Our results suggest that these complementary approaches support the assumption about a critical change in dental conditions and status with the introduction of Neolithic foodstuff and habits. However, we warn that different methodologies applied here provide data at different scales of resolution for detecting such changes and a multipronged approach to the study of dental collections is needed for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of diachronic changes

    The Gabii "zoo": exotic and unusual animals from the Roman layers

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    ItLe indagini archeologiche intraprese sin dal 2007 nel sito romano di Gabii sulla Via Prenestina, sotto la direzione del Prof. Terrenato (Università del Michigan), hanno fornito un grandissimo campione faunistico. La maggior parte dei reperti appartiene a comuni mammiferi domestici, soprattutto ovicaprini, maiali e bovini, come pure cani, in proporzioni variabili a seconda del periodo e dell'area del sito. Tuttavia, inaspettatamente alcuni reperti non rientrano nel solito panorama delle specie presenti in una città romana: in particolare sono stati identificati alcuni resti di grandi felini (leone, leopardo) e orso. Inoltre è stato rinvenuto un omero di castoro con tracce di taglio che suggeriscono l'occasionale sfruttamento di questa specie come cibo. Un ulteriore ritrovamento inusuale è rappresentato da un'ulna di avvoltoio.EnThe archaeological investigations carried out since 2007 at the roman site of Gabii on the Via Prenestina, under the direction of Prof. Terrenato (University of Michigan), yielded a very large faunal assemblage. Most of the remains belong to common domestic animals, mainly caprines, pigs, and cattle as well as dogs, presenting variable proportions according to the time period and the area within the settlement. However, unexpectedly few specimens did not fit in the ordinary species range of a roman town: in particular some remains of large felids (lion, leopard) and bear have been identified. In addition a beaver humerus was also recovered; the specimen showed cut marks that suggest the occasional exploitation of this species as food. A further unusual finding is represented by a vulture ulna

    La morphologie de la fracturation osseuse diffère-t-elle sur les os frais et les os cuits ? Une approche expérimentale

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    Cet article présente les résultats d\u27une expérimentation, en conditions contrôlées, sur les fractures qu\u27on peut observer après rupture d\u27os frais ou cuit. Les données obtenues ne confirment pas les différences que certains chercheurs avaient remarquées sur la base d\u27observations ethnographiques. En effet, les fractures longitudinales et spirales sont aussi fréquentes sur les os frais que sur les os cuits. La morphologie des fractures peut être influencée non seulement par la cuisson mais aussi par plusieurs autres facteurs comme la structure des divers éléments squelettiques, l\u27espèce de l\u27animal et le traitement spécifique de l\u27os. Les expériences effectuées montrent que la morphologie des fractures ne peut pas être utilisée comme seul moyen pour identifier si un os de provenance archéologique a été fracturé avant ou après la cuisson.This paper presents results from controlled experiments on breakage of cooked and uncooked (fresh) bones. The data do not uphold the distinctions between cooked and uncooked bones noted in some ethnoarchaeological studies. Spiral and longitudinal fractures are equally frequent in cooked and uncooked (fresh) bones. The fracture patterns of bones may be influenced by many factors, including the unique structure of each skeletal element, species of animal, and specific treatment of the bone. The experiments demonstrate that the pattern of fractures should not be used as the sole means to determine whether an archaeological specimen of a bone was fractured before or after cooking.</p

    Rituali funerari dei Garamanti nello Wadi Tanezzuft (Sahara Libico).

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    In questo lavoro vengono presentati i dati archeozoologici e tafonomici relativi ad un grande complesso funerario di età garamantica situato nella valle dello Wadi Tanezzuft (Libia Sud-Occidentale). Le indicazioni ricavate dallo studio dei resti faunistici hanno messo in evidenza la complessità dei rituali funerari adottati da questa popolazione. Infatti, solamente alcune specie di ungulati di piccola taglia venivano scelte ed è interessante notare l’importanza rivestita dagli animali cacciati, in particolare Gazella dorcas. Questo si differenzia da quanto avveniva nella stessa regione in periodi precedenti. Inoltre vi era una precisa selezione delle parti anatomiche utilizzate, soprattutto omeri e metapodi. La parte edibile delle varie porzioni veniva a volte consumata prima che le ossa fossero scartate nel fuoco.A partire dalle considerazioni relative al numero di animali sacrificati, oltre che da alcuni cambiamenti di composizione faunistica e di modificazioni riscontrati nelle varie strutture, è stato poi possibile suggerire come la costruzione del complesso sia avvenuta in maniera incrementale e non come evento unico. Le informazioni ottenute hanno permesso di aggiungere un ulteriore tassello alle nostre conoscenze sui Garamanti le cui abitudini di vita non sono ancora completamente note
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