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

Orta Anadolu-Sivas’ta Paleolitik Çağ Kalıntıları

Bu çalışmanın konusu, 2016-2019 yılları arasında Orta Anadolu’da konumlanan Sivas iline bağlı Divriği, Kangal, Gürün ve Altınyayla ilçelerinde gerçekleştirilen Pleistosen Dönem yüzey araştırmasının sonuçlarını değerlendirmektir. Çalışmanın amacı, yontmataş buluntular, mağaralar, kaya altı sığınakları ve hammadde kaynaklarını tespit etmek ve bulguları Türkiye Paleolitik stratigrafisine eklemektir. Araştırmada “yaya yüzey araştırması yöntemi” kullanılmıştır. Paleolitik dolguların belirlendiği alanlarda yontmataş buluntular toplamış ve tanımlamalar yapılmıştır. Yontmataş buluntular öncelikle Paleolitik dönemlere göre ayrılmıştır ve yontmataş buluntuların teknolojik-tipolojik tanımlamaları yapılmıştır. Araştırmada 16 paleolitik alan tespit edilmiş ve 236 yontmataş tanımlanmıştır. Paleolitik dolgu içeren mağara ya da kaya altı sığınağı bulunamamış ancak Divriği, Kangal ve Gürün’ün volkanik kayaçlar ve çakmaktaşı açısından çok zengin olduğu kaydedilmiştir. Taş aletlerin teknolojik ve tipolojik analizleri, Divriği’de volkanik kayaçların kullanıldığı, Mod 1 endüstrisine benzerlik gösteren bir Alt Paleolitik kültürünün varlığını; Kangal, Gürün ve Altınyayla’da hammadde olarak çakmaktaşının tercih edildiği Orta Paleolitik ve Geç Üst Paleolitik (belki Epipaleolitik) kültürlerinin mevcut olduğunu göstermiştir. Sivas Orta Paleolitik kültürü, Hatay’dan çok Karain Mağarası’nın Orta Paleolitik buluntuları ile benzerlik göstermektedir. Buluntular in-situ olmadığı için radyometrik tarihlendirme yapılamamıştır. Bu çalışma bölgede yürütülen nadir Paleolitik arkeoloji araştırmalarından biridir ve Pleistosen Dönem’de yüksek rakımlı bölgelerde insanların yaşayabildiğini, Sivas’ın Pleistosen’de de önemli bir geçiş bölgesi olduğunu, bölgede en azından iki farklı insan türünün yaşamış olması gerektiğini ortaya koymuştur

Dental paleopathologies in western Anatolian skeletons from the Late Eastern Roman Period (Attepe and Derekoy settlements)

The skeletons investigated herein were dated to the Late Eastern Roman Period, at the time of the golden age under the reign of the Macedonian dynasty ruled between 867 and 1056. In the Kutahya region, which acted as a border and frequently changed between the Eastern Roman and Seljuk states, the oral and dental health of the Attepe and Derekoy populations in this period was differed proportionally. A dam was constructed in Kutahya Province near Kureysler Village for irrigation purposes. The Attepe settlement (AD 986-1050) and Derekoy necropolis (AD 966-1032) are located within the boundaries of the dam lake. To save the cultural assets in these areas, excavation studies were conducted by the Kutahya Museum in the region in 2014. This study investigated 447 permanent teeth from 34 adult individuals in the Attepe population, and 270 permanent teeth from 17 adult individuals in the Derekoy population dated to the Late Eastern Roman period. When the distribution of dental diseases in the Attepe population was examined, it was determined that 13.77% had caries, 0.81% had periapical lesions, 68.18% had periodontal disease, 13.07% had calculus, 17.98% had hypoplasia, and 22.33% had antemortem tooth loss (AMTL). In the Derekoy population, 12.88% had caries, 2.01% had periapical lesions, 80% had periodontal disease, 3.83% had calculus, 23.28% had hypoplasia, and 5.37% had AMTL. In both populations, the degree of tooth wear was determined as grade 3 and 4. The dental data showed that agricultural-dominated nutrition consumption was effective in the Attepe and Derekoy populations. In both populations, there were significant differences between the amount of caries and calculus (p = 0.00 < 0.05) as well as tooth wear and calculus (p = 0.00 < 0.05). When all these findings were assessed in an integrated fashion, it was possible to understand the features of a village population being involved in agriculture and dominant stock farming in a region in western Anatolia during the 10th-11th centuries, which coped, for the most part, with epidemics and infectious diseases, wars, and perhaps periodic famines