Earliest cranio-encephalic trauma from the Levantine Middle Palaeolithic: 3D reappraisal of the Qafzeh 11 skull, consequences of pediatric brain damage on individual life condition and social care.

The Qafzeh site (Lower Galilee, Israel) has yielded the largest Levantine hominin collection from Middle Palaeolithic layers which were dated to circa 90-100 kyrs BP or to marine isotope stage 5b-c. Within the hominin sample, Qafzeh 11, circa 12-13 yrs old at death, presents a skull lesion previously attributed to a healed trauma. Three dimensional imaging methods allowed us to better explore this lesion which appeared as being a frontal bone depressed fracture, associated with brain damage. Furthermore the endocranial volume, smaller than expected for dental age, supports the hypothesis of a growth delay due to traumatic brain injury. This trauma did not affect the typical human brain morphology pattern of the right frontal and left occipital petalia. It is highly probable that this young individual suffered from personality and neurological troubles directly related to focal cerebral damage. Interestingly this young individual benefited of a unique funerary practice among the south-western Asian burials dated to Middle Palaeolithic

Single-step deposition of hexamethyldisiloxane surface gradient coatings with a high amplitude of water contact angles over a polyethylene foil

One interesting category of nano- and micro-engineered surfaces is surface gradients, which allow the controlled optimization of biointerfaces at a small scale in an extended area length. Plasma coatings offer a large diversity of functionalities at the nanoscale, accompanied by high chemical stability and adhesion on a variety of substrates at ambient temperature. Atmospheric-pressure plasma-assisted deposition could be employed for the generation of surface gradients on thermosensitive materials. In this study, a corona plasma jet is used to deposit polydimethylsiloxane/SiO2-like surface gradients on polyethylene foil by varying the O2 concentration in the discharge during the movement of the plasma source. We obtained, in a single-step approach, gradient coatings along a length of ∼10 cm, with a gradual variation of both chemistry and surface energy

Neolithic genomic data from southern France showcase intensified interactions with hunter-gatherer communities

SummaryArchaeological research shows that the dispersal of the Neolithic took a more complex turn when reaching western Europe, painting a contrasted picture of interactions between autochthonous hunter-gatherers (HGs) and incoming farmers. In order to clarify the mode, the intensity, and the regional variability of biological exchanges implied in these processes, we report new palaeogenomic data from Occitanie, a key region in Southern France. Genomic data from 28 individuals originating from six sites spanning from c. 5,500 to c. 2,500 BCE allow us to characterize regional patterns of ancestries throughout the Neolithic period. Results highlight major differences between the Mediterranean and Continental Neolithic expansion routes regarding both migration and interaction processes. High proportions of HG ancestry in both Early and Late Neolithic groups in Southern France support multiple pulses of inter-group gene flow throughout time and space and confirm the need for regional studies to address the complexity of the processes involved

A case of projectile trauma from the medieval Poulton Chapel, Cheshire, the United Kingdom

Excavations at the medieval cemetery of Poulton Chapel, Cheshire, have uncovered over 900 articulated human skeletal remains, with numbers predicted to reach as high as 1500 as excavations continue. The demographics of this archaeological site is typical of a medieval rural assemblage. However, SK535 provides a glimpse into some of the traumatic aspects of medieval life. The excavation of SK535 revealed a middle‐aged adult male around 168 cm in stature. His position of burial was typical of Christian burials with an east‐west orientation, but the positioning of his arms identified that this was not a typical burial. His right arm was flexed at the elbow crossing the thorax, whereas the left arm was in the extended position. This is different from the other arm positions observed at Poulton Chapel. A metal object, identified here as a Type M7 bodkin arrowhead, was recovered from underneath the right arm, from within the thorax. This arrowhead was potentially armour piercing, and the type was commonly used during the 12th–13th century. Radiocarbon dates obtained for SK535 coincide with the time of the use of this arrowhead. Following the initial assessment, the only other instance of trauma identified in SK535 was a healed transverse fracture to the right distal ulna. Due to the location of Poulton Chapel in Cheshire, SK535 could have been wounded by an arrow carrying the M7 bodkin during English‐Welsh border skirmishes, which occurred frequently during this time period. The demographic profile of this individual indicates a possible professional fighter of the medieval period; however, no firm skeletal evidence of occupation could be provided. Nonetheless, this case study not only highlights the violence experienced during the medieval period but also indicates the ability for the survival of some traumas

Why dig looted tombs? Two examples and some answers from Keushu (Ancash highlands, Peru)

Looted tombs at Andean archaeological sites are largely the result of a long tradition of trade in archaeological artefacts coupled with the 17th century policy of eradicating ancestor veneration and destroying mortuary evidence in a bid to “extirpate idolatry”. On the surface, looted funerary contexts often present abundant disarticulated and displaced human remains as well as an apparent absence of mortuary accoutrements. What kind of information can archaeologists and biological anthropologists hope to gather from such contexts? In order to gauge the methodological possibilities and interpretative limitations of targeting looted tombs, we fully excavated two collective funerary contexts at the archaeological site of Keushu (district and province of Yungay, Ancash, Peru; c. 2000 B.C.-A.D. 1600), which includes several dozen tombs, many built under large boulders or rock shelters, all of which appear disturbed by looting. The first is located in the ceremonial sector and excavation yielded information on four individuals; the second, in the funerary and residential sector, held the remains of seventy individuals - adults and juveniles. Here, we present and discuss the recovered data and suggest that careful, joint excavations by archaeologists and biological anthropologists can retrieve evidence of past mortuary practices, aid the biological characterisation of mortuary populations and help distinguish between a broad range of looting practices and post-depositional processes

The preburning condition of Chalcolithic cremated human remains from the Perdigoes enclosures (Portugal)

The Iberian Chalcolithic displayed a remarkable variety of funerary practices, which has been related to interpopulation differences, intrapopulation social-cultural differences, and complex multistage funerary rituals. Perdigoes, a Chalcolithic set of ditched enclosures, reflects such diversity including a wide array of funerary practices. Among those practices is cremation, which, despite relatively rare, is represented in different structures in Perdigoes. One of these structures (Pit 40) presents an unparalleled high minimum number of individuals (n = 240), contrasting with nearby and coeval structures. In this study, we analyse heat-induced bone changes and other archaeothanatological variables to tentatively assess the preburning condition of the human remains. The results of Pit 40 are also compared with other comparable contexts to assess if this unique context presents further funerary differences relative to those other contexts in, for example, body processing. Our results suggest preferential cremation of fleshed human remains, but burning of at least a minority of skeletonised remains and deposition of possibly unburned remains also likely occurred. Body processing appears to be comparable with that of the cremation contexts of Perdigoes but contrasts with that of another nearby context (Dolmen of Olival da Pega 2b) in which burned bones were also found.Portuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyPortuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [PEst-OE/SADG/UI0283/2013, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016766, PTDC/EPH-ARQ/0798/2014, PTDC/IVC-ANT/1201/2014, SFRH/BPD/84268/2012]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Annexe 2. Description de sépultures représentatives

Exemple de sépulture multiple La sépulture 85 (fig. 44) Cette tombe a livré les squelettes complets en connexion de trois adultes, qui ont été enregistrés à la fouille du sud au nord sous les US 308, 307 et 306. Les sujets 307 et 308 ont la tête à l’est, le sujet 306 la tête à l’ouest. La tête de 307 prend appui sur celle de 308 dont le membre supérieur droit est recouvert par le membre supérieur gauche et l’hémi-thorax gauche de 307 ; le coude gauche de ce dernier repose sur l’hémi-thorax dr..

Attività culturali archeologiche congiunte tra la Regione dell'Aquitania, il Land dell'Assia e la Regione Emilia Romagna.

Il progetto, promosso dal Consiglio Regionale di Aquitania, è consistito nell'ordinamento, lo studio e la documentazione dei reperti archeologici provenienti dallo scavo della necropoli romana di Classe (RA), pod. Minghetti, in previsione della pubblicazione dell'indagine da parte del gruppo internazionale di ricerca che vi lavora da anni

La necropoli di Porta Nocera (Pompei): nascita e sviluppo di un paesaggio funerario romano (I secolo a.C.-I secolo d.C.). Rapporto della campagna 2016

The archaeological program on the Roman cemetery of Porta Nocera at Pompeii is justified by the excellent state of preservation of the archaeological remains, which offers the perfect opportunity to examine all the information available about the history of the cemetery and its occupants, the arrangement of the tombs, and the organisation of sepulchral space (e.g. architecture, inscriptions, funerary artefacts). All this gives crucial information on the way individual and family memory were displayed. The important amount of information recovered also concerns the various funerary and ritual activities that can be reconstructed on the basis of the material retrieved from the ground around the tombs, from the cremation areas and in the fill of the graves. The study of this material allows for quite an accurate reconstruction of the ceremonies performed in the cemetery