The prevalence of pathological conditions in a modern skeletal collection – implications for forensic anthropology

This study examines skeletal health in a modern American population and its implication to forensic identification. Sometimes pathological conditions (e.g. healed fractures, surgical devices and other conditions) are used for personal identification even when there are no radiographs. The post-mortem remains are compared to ante-mortem written records or family reports, and a possible match is suggested. However, there is a debate whether these conditions are sufficiently individualizing for this purpose. This dissertation examines the frequencies of these conditions and their combinations and also compares the observed information on the reported medical histories. The sample used in the study is from the W. M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection housed at the Department of Anthropology at UTK. The sample consists of 180 individuals including both males and females, and self-donations and family donations. Skeletons were studied macroscopically for healed fractures, surgical devices, pathological lesions, osteoarthritis and skeletal anomalies. The results show that osteoarthritis and healed fractures are very common in this sample of elderly people. Osteoarthritis is limited to joint surfaces and thus combinations of affected areas are few, but healed fractures can be seen in various combinations in multiple elements. In addition, the more detailed the information is (e.g. specific location), the more combinations there will be. Factors such as sex, age, and BMI were found to affect presence of certain conditions. The reported medical histories seem to have accurate reports on major surgical interventions such as open heart surgeries, prosthetics and amputations, but they are underreporting healed fractures, especially in ribs, and osteoarthritis. Differences in agreement of reported and observed conditions were seen between self- and family donations but no clear trends were seen between sexes

From Bones to Sacred Artefact: The Late Medieval Skull Relic of Turku Cathedral, Finland

The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. Our analysis reveals the complex material features of the skull relic and the medieval cult of relics

From Bones to Sacred Artefact: The Late Medieval Skull Relic of Turku Cathedral, Finland

The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. Our analysis reveals the complex material features of the skull relic and the medieval cult of relics.</p

Re-analysis of the Levänluhta skeletal material: Sex and stature estimation of individuals in an Iron Age water burial in Finland

Levänluhta, an Iron Age water burial site in Finland, and its material consisting of commingled skeletal remains and artifacts, has been studied by several researchers over the past 100 years, resulting in multiple interpretations of the people and the site. Previous skeletal analyses have concluded that the majority of the individuals represented in the remains were females and children and were of relatively short stature, so possibly nutritionally deprived. This study re-analyzed the commingled adult human remains with updated methods. The methods applied in this study to estimate sex and stature were based on more representative European reference samples than the previously applied methods. The methods included morphology, osteometrics, and computed tomography (CT) scans. Our results indicated that depending on the reference data, the majority of the individual adult bones including os coxae (73%, n = 45) and long bones (humerus 83%-89%, n = 52; radius 72%-89%, n = 47; ulna 50%-65%, n = 58; femur 92%-100%, n = 25; tibia 77%-85%, n = 26) were classified as females based on their size and morphology. The cross-sectional bone properties of humerii, femora, and tibiae visualized using CT scanning also supported these findings. However, the cranial morphology did not show as clear female-biased sex ratio as other methods (42% females, 33% males, 24% undetermined, n = 33). In females, the mean stature based on the tibia (155.3 cm, n = 10) was within the range of the coeval European females and did not necessarily indicate nutritional deprivation, which is in line with previously published stable isotope findings from the site. The mean stature based on the tibia suggested that the Levänluhta males were short (164.0 cm, n = 3), but final interpretations were limited due to the small number of male individuals. The current study affirmed that the Levänluhta skeletal assemblage was female biased and gave new insights into interpretation of the stature

Temporal Trends in Vertebral Size and Shape from Medieval to Modern-Day

Human lumbar vertebrae support the weight of the upper body. Loads lifted and carried by the upper extremities cause significant loading stress to the vertebral bodies. It is well established that trauma-induced vertebral fractures are common especially among elderly people. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological factors that could have affected the prevalence of trauma-related vertebral fractures from medieval times to the present day. To determine if morphological differences existed in the size and shape of the vertebral body between medieval times and the present day, the vertebral body size and shape was measured from the 4th lumbar vertebra using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and standard osteometric calipers. The modern samples consisted of modern Finns and the medieval samples were from archaeological collections in Sweden and Britain. The results show that the shape and size of the 4th lumbar vertebra has changed significantly from medieval times in a way that markedly affects the biomechanical characteristics of the lumbar vertebral column. These changes may have influenced the incidence of trauma- induced spinal fractures in modern populations

Ajatuksia ruumiin lahjoittamisesta tieteelle ja toiveita ruumiin käytöstä ‒ Kyselytutkimuksen kaikuja bioarkeologian etiikkaan

Eettisissä keskusteluissa arkeologisten ihmisjäännösten kohtalosta yritetään usein löytää tasapaino tutkimuksen ja jälkeläisten toiveiden välillä. Vainajan omaa kantaa asiassa ei mietitä, eikä sitä voida yleensä selvittääkään. Tämä artikkeli laajentaa näkökulmaa bioarkeologian eettiseen keskusteluun tuomalla mukaan elävien ihmisten ajatuksia ruumiin lahjoittamisesta tieteelle. Ajatukset perustuvat pilottikyselyyn, joka kartoitti Kalmistopiirin lukijoiden suhtautumista oman ruumiin lahjoittamiseen ja käyttöön kuoleman jälkeen. Vastauksia kyselyyn tuli 33, ja enemmistö vastaajista suhtautui myönteisesti lahjoittamiseen ja ruumiin tieteelliseen käyttöön. 2020-luvulla tehtyä kyselyä ei voi toki soveltaa vuosisatoja sitten kuolleisiin vainajiin, mutta se tuo lisänäkökulmia keskusteluun, jossa vainaja on yleensä vailla puheenvuoroa