127 research outputs found
An Iron Age and early Roman farmstead at Calvestone Road, Cawston, near Rugby: excavations in 2012
No full textA programme of archaeological investigation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology (CA) prior to housing development to the east of Calvestone Road, Cawston, on the outskirts of Rugby. The work comprised an archaeological excavation over three areas followed by a watching brief on parts of the site not subject to excavation. In Area 1 lay an Iron Age subrectangular enclosure whose ditch had been re-cut on at least three occasions. The enclosure contained evidence for an Iron Age farmstead, including a possible roundhouse. Areas 2 and 3 also revealed evidence of occupation during the Iron Age. Later, in the 1st century AD, the site was remodelled with the laying out of a series of larger enclosures and the development of a trackway. The site was abandoned during the Roman period with no evidence for continued occupation beyond c AD 200. Medieval and post-medieval furrows indicate that later the area was laid down to arable.This report presents the results of the excavation and places them within the context of settlement, the economy and the environment of the Iron Age and Roman periods. The likely function of each feature and structure encountered is considered and compared with other Iron Age and Roman sites
Structural violence in Éire: The bone histology of victims from the Great Famine (Kilkenny, Ireland 1845-1852)
No full textThis project uses bone histological analysis to explore how disease, diet, and social circumstances affected the bone remodeling of a group of people who died during the Great Famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. The human remains discovered on the grounds of the nineteenth century Kilkenny Union Workhouse in Kilkenny City, Ireland represent a well contextualized, homogenous group of people who died due to stress induced by the Great Famine sometime between 1847-1851. These factors make this an ideal population to study the biological effects of structural violence and for investigating the meaning of skeletal lesions, often referred to as the “osteological paradox”.
In 1845, a potato blight wiped out the primary means of subsistence for the poor in Ireland, causing the country to lose a quarter of its population to death and migration. This event had a massive cultural, demographic, and biological impact on the world and has been the source of international scholarly interest in the recent past. Historical research has suggested the poor in Ireland suffered and died from comorbidities of infectious and metabolic disease due to food insecurity, the cause of which is debated but is often attributed to conflicts with England. Bioarchaeologists have recently examined the effects of diet and disease on the macroscopic surface of the skeletons but none have looked at the effects of the Great Famine on their bone microstructure.
The skeleton reacts to physiological effects of stress on the micro level before presenting as lesions on bone, and since many diseases are not reflected in the bioarchaeological record, histological analyses of bone may be informative of the lived experience of those with and without lesions. This study compares bone remodeling patterns in the ribs of 99 adults and 87 subadults between four disease categories: metabolic disease, infectious disease, comorbidities of infectious and metabolic disease, and no lesions, to determine if variation in bone microstructure exists between disease types. This was conducted using bone histological variables that reflect the maturity of remodeling and extent of porosity, which can be indicative of overall health. Additionally, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope values obtained from the ribs of the same individuals were compared to bone histological variables to determine if changes in diet due to the loss of the potato and the introduction of maize as a relief food influenced bone remodeling.
The results show that rib bone porosity is highest in adults without lesions and lowest in adults with evidence of infectious disease. Similar results were obtained in the subadult cohort. Additionally, those with evidence of scurvy generally show less porosity throughout the rib cortex for both age cohorts. Comparisons of histomorphometry with stable isotope values showed a positive correlation between osteon size and δ15N values in adults as well as a positive correlation between Haversian canal size and δ13C values in the subadults, possibly indicating slower remodeling in those with more evidence for starvation and less mature remodeling in those with maize in their diet, respectively. This study showed that bone histology is impacted by both disease and diet and may be useful for interpreting the meaning of lesions and understanding the impact of social status on population health
Facial soft tissue depth analysis and development for Greek population
No full textThe process of identifying human remains involves using one of several methods, such as DNA analysis, dental records and fingerprint matching. These methods can only be used if there is antemortem data available for the assumed individuals. If antemortem data is not available or any of the identification methods cannot be performed, then an anthropologist can establish the biological profile of the skeletal remains to narrow down the possible identities. However, despite all efforts, the identification of the remains is still prone to potential failure. In such cases, a facial approximation of the person of interest is used as a last resort to reach individuals who might know the possible identity.
Facial approximation is a technique that involves constructing the facial muscles and applying a suitable facial soft tissue depth (FSTD) dataset. To establish a FSTD dataset, various methods are used. However, there have been limited validation studies conducted to date. Therefore, this study aims to compare the 2D and 3D measurement methods to investigate if they can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, this study presents the 3D FSTD datasets of an adult Greek population sample for the first time.
The CT scans of 50 male and 50 female adults (N=100; Mean age=58.9 years; SD=19.5) were obtained from Greece. For the 3D measurement method, the 3D skull and head models of each individual were created using Amira 6. Then, the facial depths were measured at the 22 landmarks. The facial depths were also measured directly from the CT slices by involving 15 landmarks in the 2D measurement method. Lastly, the facial approximations of six individuals were carried out for the qualitative assessment.
The reproducibility of the 3D models and the technical error of the measurements were tested. Bilateral asymmetry across landmarks, the impact of age and sex on the FSTDs and FSTD variation across selected populations were investigated. The datasets of the 2D and 3D methods were compared. Finally, the FSTD datasets were evaluated qualitatively.
The results indicated that the 3D models were reproduced with high precision. Similarly, the technical error measurements showed high repeatability for most of the landmarks. The impact of age and sex on the FSTD was limited. Slight depth variations were obtained across the population samples. Statistically significant differences were obtained between the 2D and 3D FSTD datasets. The results of the qualitative assessment suggested that using two different FSTD datasets did not compromise facial recognition.
This current study validated that both 2D and 3D measurement methods provide similar FSTD values. Therefore, establishing FSTD databases using both methods would not compromise facial approximations. This study contributes to the population-specific FSTD dataset for adult individuals of Greek ancestry
Social determinants of head trauma?:Skull fractures in nineteenth-century male prisoners in Graz, Austria-Hungary
Full text linkThis study investigates whether social factors influence patterns of head trauma in a bioarchaeological population sample of known identity. By examining the relationship between individual-level social variables and head trauma, it is hypothesised that social determinants shape behaviours leading to injury. Skulls and crania of 135 males who died in Karlau Prison, Graz, Austria-Hungary between 1858 and 1908 were analysed. Head trauma was quantified statistically by region (cranial base, vault and face) and type. Social variables were defined from historical records, and included age, legitimacy status at birth, language, and occupation. Head trauma was present in 23.0% of all individuals, with 2.2% to cranial bases, 20.5% to vaults, and 5.9% to faces. The social variables considered have a limited impact on the occurrence and patterns of head injuries in this group. The only significant patterns observed related to legitimacy status in individuals older than 40 years. Individuals born to married parents displayed a higher trauma rate, as well as Slovenian speakers classified as unskilled labourers. A logistic regression analysis revealed that social variables poorly predicted trauma outcomes, despite the well-contextualised sample. The random pattern of head trauma could possibly be linked to the social dynamics within the prison system, rather than life outside the institutions that the variables considered in this study reflect. This study highlights how social complexity, which is evident from the historical records pertaining to these individuals, does not necessarily manifest as patterns of health and injury in bioarchaeological population samples
Comparative projectile trauma: an examination of the differences in skeletal trauma inflicted by firearms and archery weapons
Full text linkIn recent years, the defining characteristics of cranial projectile trauma have
been reported extensively in experimental studies as well as forensic case
reports. The existing literature, however, focuses on trauma inflicted by
firearms, primarily handguns and rifles. Though firearms are the most
common form of projectile weapon used in a forensic context, there are
several types of projectile weapons which have not been examined through
experimental research. This gap in the literature not only limits the
examination of forensic cases, but also inhibits the examination of trauma
found within an archaeological context.
This study sought to differentiate the skeletal trauma caused by different
projectile weapons that are classified as either firearms (handgun, rifle, and
shotgun) or archery weapons (recurve hand bow with field tip arrows,
compound hand bow with fixed broadhead arrows, and compound crossbow
with field tip bolts, fixed broadhead bolts, and mechanical broadhead bolts).
Using polyurethane spheres as proxies for human cranial vaults, samples
were shot by one of the specified weapons (n=5) and 35 features resulting
from projectile impact (both qualitative and quantitative) of the entrance and
exit defects were recorded.
Using principal component analysis, it was found that the features of trauma
which accounted for the highest proportion of variance observed in the
subset which included both entry and exit defects were the maximum fracture
length on the external table of the entrance site, the minimum fracture length
on the external table of the entrance site, the entrance defect diameter, the
minimum fragment length of the fragments that originated from the entrance
defect, the width of the reconstructed exit defect, the maximum fracture
length on the external table of the entrance defect, and the width of the
reconstructed entrance defect. These accounted for 96.74% of the variance
within this dataset. When only examining the entrance defects, the most
distinguishing variables were the maximum fracture length on the external
table of the entrance defect, the width of the entrance defect, the minimum
fracture length on the external table of the entrance defect, and the width of
the reconstructed entrance defect, accounting for 95.89% of the variance
within this dataset.
Machine learning (linear discriminant analysis) was applied to test the
predictive strength of these variables. In testing the accuracy of these
predictions, it was found that the program could correctly predict the weapon
used for 74.19% of the samples when examining both the entrance and exit
defects and 60.87% of the samples when only examining the features of the
entrance defect.
The findings of this research exhibit the indiscernible qualitative features
between trauma inflicted by different projectile weapons, calling to attention
the need to change the current methods of weapon identification. This study
has established new quantitative methods for projectile trauma analysis
which are simple to perform, require minimal equipment, and are easily
applied to forensic and archaeological remains
amine (1845–1852): Prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, Harris lines, and growth retardation
No full text- …
