The Bioarchaeology of Changes in Social Stratification, Warfare, and Habitual Activities among Iron Age Samnites of Central Italy

This study uses a bioarchaeological approach to investigate the behavioral and social correlates of changes in skeletal properties during the Iron Age of central Italy. This was a period of demographic growth, increase in sociopolitical complexity, and social stratification. Early states were developing from simpler forms of social aggregation, and expansionistic, large-scale warfare was beginning. I analyzed the mechanical properties of Iron Age human skeletons (844 individuals) from 11 necropoleis belonging to the Oscan ethno-linguistic group (Samnites). The analysis of grave goods allowed for a division of individuals by status categories. Iron Age samples show an increase in stature compared to Neolithic times. This suggests an amelioration of the health and nutritional environments, but not all the social strata benefitted from the situation to the same degree. In the Orientalizing-Archaic (800-500 BC), males of higher status are taller, while in the Hellenistic period (400-27 BC) males show higher stature versus Neolithic times than females. Activity levels did not change significantly with the intensification of agriculture from the Neolithic to the Orientalizing-Archaic, possibly due to technological improvements. Mobility shows a continuing trend of decrease from the Neolithic throughout the Iron Age. Changes in male activity levels are present within the Iron Age, with an increase in male upper limb mechanical strength that may be related to agricultural intensification. Contrary to the expectations, the high-status males of the Orientalizing-Archaic period experienced a more mechanically stressful environment than low-status males, and were more terrestrially mobile. This may be related to the training of the elites for a military career. The analysis of humeral bilateral asymmetry, used as a proxy for weapon use, allowed for a reconstruction of the military organization. In the Orientalizing-Archaic, results are compatible with an elite army composed by aristocratic warriors, as expected in a chiefdom/paramount chiefdom level of sociopolitical organization. In the Hellenistic period, results are compatible with a conscript army, which is expected given the state society that Samnites developed by that time. The results for the Classic period (500-400 BC), which may have been important to untangle causal relationships between warfare and state formation, are not conclusive and deserve further investigation

The importance of considering fibular robusticity when inferring the mobility patterns of past populations

In this chapter we investigate the lower limb structural rigidity (using cross-sectional geometric properties of the diaphyseal midshaft) within a sample of 124 individuals from the Late Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age from Italy, Medieval Germany, and twenty-first Century Britain (long distance runners, field hockey players, and sedentary controls). Late Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age samples were settled in rugged areas, whereas the other samples inhabited plain areas. The aim of this study is to assess whether fibular diaphyseal properties reflect mobility patterns or terrain properties in past populations. Both fibular rigidity and relative fibular rigidity ratio (fibula/tibia) have been analyzed. Results reveal that Late Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age samples show high fibular rigidity and have values of relative fibular rigidity that are most similar to modern hockey players. The relative fibular diaphyseal rigidity of hockey players has been previously explained as the consequence of their dynamic and repetitive change of direction. Late Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic individuals are thought to have been highly terrestrially mobile, while Iron Age people were probably fairly sedentary. However, all of the three groups lived in areas of uneven terrain. We conclude that fibular rigidity and relative fibular rigidity are influenced by factors that increase foot eversion/inversion such as frequent directional changes and uneven terrain. The results of this study suggest that inclusion of the fibula provides a valuable additional perspective that complements traditional predictions of mobility patterns based on the femur or the tibia alone

A severe case of bilateral humerus varus deformity from the Middle Bronze age necropolis of Olmo di Nogara, Northeast Italy. The contribution of biomechanical analysis to paleopathological study

Objective: To gain insights on possible impairment of a Middle Bronze Age individual with bilateral humerus varus buried with a sword in Northeastern Italy. Materials: A skeleton of a 40-50-year-old male from Olmo di Nogara (Italy) compared to other males from the same necropolis and to Neolithic and Iron Age samples from Italy. Methods: Macroscopic/X-rays analysis for pathological diagnosis and cross-sectional geometric analysis. Results: Both humeri of the individual appear short with destruction of the humeral heads, showing severe osteoarthrosis and flattening of the scapular glenoid cavities. The individual showed appreciable humeral bilateral asymmetry; there is no evidence for sustained immobilization. Conclusions: The pathological modifications suggest a diagnosis of bilateral humeral varism probably following an injury at birth. The individual's life was likely not significantly affected, as evidence suggests that he remained active and possibly used weapons. Significance: Biomechanical analyses provided a useful tool to reconstruct the life of the subject within the community, showing that this individual's apparent upper limb abnormalities did not exempt him from a role as a warrior and highlighting the importance of the warrior identity in this Bronze Age society. Limitations: The complex interaction between epiphyseal damage and shortening of the humerus makes it difficult to assess activity patterns. Only severe impairment leading to long-term immobilization can be excluded for this individual. Suggestions for further research: Cross-sectional geometry may be used in other cases of humerus varus or bone dysplasia to investigate functional impairment

Antropologia scheletrica virtuale. Guida multimediale sulle tecniche fotogrammetriche per la realizzazione di modelli 3D

L’Antropologia scheletrica virtuale è di interesse per la ricerca, la didattica e la comunicazione, in particolare nell’ambito museale. Attraverso immagini, filmati e testi, questo contributo illustra le azioni e gli strumenti necessari per la realizzazione di modelli 3D di cranio con tecnica ultra close range digital photogrammetry (UCR-DP). La procedura viene utilizzata nel Laboratorio di Antropologia scheletrica associato al Museo Sardo di Antropologia ed Etnografia dell’Università degli Studi di Cagliari e prevede la realizzazione di alcune fasi in modalità cloud, liberamente accessibili per motivi di studio. Il protocollo è disegnato per il cranio, ma può essere modificato qualora lo si applichi ad altri reperti (es. ossa lunghe). I filmati che descrivono integralmente la procedura sono accessibili all’indirizzo: https://cinema.dh.unica.it/video-tutorial-3D

Ricostruzione dei pattern alimentari e delle pratiche di allattamento e svezzamento dal Neolitico alle età dei metalli tramite analisi multi-isotopiche della dentina incrementale e del collagene osseo

This study analyses changes in breastfeeding and weaning practices, diet, and residential mobility in Liguria (Italy) from the Neolithic to the end of the metal ages. The stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur from dentine microsections provided information on early diet during development in seven individuals dated to the Neolithic, Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages, unearthed from nearby caves in the Finalese area. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact timing of the introduction of supplementary food and of the end of breastfeeding, results show a marked difference between the Neolithic and metal age individuals. Neolithic children appear to have breastfed for a longer period, possibly at the longer end of the variability in traditional agriculturalists (ranging 2-4 years) and their diet included animal protein food; conversely, post-Neolithic children had a shorter breastfeeding period, and were weaned using plant resources. Sulphur isotopes highlight diachronic changes in mobility, suggesting a local origin of Neolithic and Copper Age children, and movement from the inland for Bronze and Iron Age children. One adolescent, who died with skeletal signs of tuberculosis, shows a sharp increase in δ15N in the last 2-3 years of life, suggesting intense catabolism. This indicates that, by the Neolithic, tuberculosis already had the potential to manifest as a chronic and long-lasting infection, which is typical of diseases with a long history of host-pathogen coevolution

Tracking the transition to agriculture in Southern Europe through ancient DNA analysis of dental calculus

Archaeological dental calculus, or mineralized plaque, is a key tool to track the evolution of oral microbiota across time in response to processes that impacted our culture and biology, such as the rise of farming during the Neolithic. However, the extent to which the human oral flora changed from prehistory until present has remained elusive due to the scarcity of data on the microbiomes of prehistoric humans. Here, we present our reconstruction of oral microbiomes via shotgun metagenomics of dental calculus in 44 ancient foragers and farmers from two regions playing a pivotal role in the spread of farming across Europe—the Balkans and the Italian Peninsula. We show that the introduction of farming in Southern Europe did not alter significantly the oral microbiomes of local forager groups, and it was in particular associated with a higher abundance of the species Olsenella sp. oral taxon 807. The human oral environment in prehistory was dominated by a microbial species, Anaerolineaceae bacterium oral taxon 439, that diversified geographically. A Near Eastern lineage of this bacterial commensal dispersed with Neolithic farmers and replaced the variant present in the local foragers. Our findings also illustrate that major taxonomic shifts in human oral microbiome composition occurred after the Neolithic and that the functional profile of modern humans evolved in recent times to develop peculiar mechanisms of antibiotic resistance that were previously absent

Les vestiges humains gravettiens dans le Sud-Ouest de la France : bilan du projet Gravett’os

Cette communication présente les principaux résultats du projet Gravett’Os, qui porte sur du matériel anthropologique du Sud-Ouest de la France (découvertes récentes et reprises des collections anciennes) associé au Gravettien (34-24 000 cal BP). Ce projet a permis l’identification de 32 individus provenant de 5 sites (Cussac, Fournol, Gargas, Abri Pataud, Cro-Magnon). Nos études confortent les analyses précédentes sur les comportements au Gravettien : extrême mobilité et division sexuelle du..

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.Open access funding provided by Max Planck Society. This project has received funding by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements no. 803147-RESOLUTION (to S.T.), no. 771234-PALEoRIDER (to W.H.), no. 864358 (to K.M.), no. 724703 and no. 101019659 (to K.H.). K.H. is also supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG FOR 2237). E.A. has received funding from the Van de Kamp fonds. PACEA co-authors of this research benefited from the scientific framework of the University of Bordeaux’s IdEx Investments for the Future programme/GPR Human Past. A.G.-O. is supported by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558). L. Sineo, M.L. and D.C. have received funding from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) PRIN 2017 grants 20177PJ9XF and 20174BTC4R_002. H. Rougier received support from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences of CSUN and the CSUN Competition for RSCA Awards. C.L.S. and T. Saupe received support from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (project no. 2014-2020.4.01.16-0030) and C.L.S. received support from the Estonian Research Council grant PUT (PRG243). S. Shnaider received support from the Russian Science Foundation (no. 19-78-10053).Peer reviewe

Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers

: Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants