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Fewlass H, Zavala EI, Fagault Y, Tuna T, Bard E, Hublin JJ, Hajdinjak M, Wilczyński J. Chronological and genetic analysis of an Upper Palaeolithic female infant burial from Borsuka Cave, Poland. iScience 2023; 26:108283. [PMID: 38047066 PMCID: PMC10690573 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Six infant human teeth and 112 animal tooth pendants from Borsuka Cave were identified as the oldest burial in Poland. However, uncertainties around the dating and the association of the teeth to the pendants have precluded their association with an Upper Palaeolithic archaeological industry. Using <67 mg per tooth, we combined dating and genetic analyses of two human teeth and six herbivore tooth pendants to address these questions. Our interdisciplinary approach yielded informative results despite limited sampling material, and high levels of degradation and contamination. Our results confirm the Palaeolithic origin of the human remains and herbivore pendants, and permit us to identify the infant as female and discuss the association of the assemblage with different Palaeolithic industries. This study exemplifies the progress that has been made toward minimally destructive methods and the benefits of integrating methods to maximize data retrieval from precious but highly degraded and contaminated prehistoric material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Ancient Genomics Lab, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Elena I. Zavala
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Yoann Fagault
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Thibaut Tuna
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Edouard Bard
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241 – U1050), Collège de France, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jarosław Wilczyński
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland
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2
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Sparacello VS, Goude G, Varalli A, Dori I, Gravel-Miguel C, Riel-Salvatore J, Palstra SWL, Moggi-Cecchi J, Negrino F, Starnini E. Human remains from Arma di Nasino (Liguria) provide novel insights into the paleoecology of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16415. [PMID: 37775595 PMCID: PMC10541424 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40438-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the discovery and analysis of new Mesolithic human remains-dated to ca. 10,200-9000 cal. BP-from Arma di Nasino in Liguria, northwestern Italy, an area rich in Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic attestations, but for which little information on Early Holocene occupation was available. The multi-proxy isotopic profile of the two individuals reveals that-despite the proximity of the site to the Mediterranean seashore and the use of shellfish as decorative elements in burials-the ecology of these foragers was based on the exploitation of high-altitude resources, presumably in the nearby western Alps. This constitutes the first direct evidence in northwestern Italy of a significant ecological shift towards higher altitudes following deglaciation, especially when compared to isotopic data of the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from the nearby site of Arene Candide Cave, who exploited terrestrial resources nearer to the coast and at lower altitudes. While the biochemistry of Nasino's skeletal assemblage revealed new details on Early Holocene lifeways in the area, the osteobiography of one individual offers glimpses into the life experience of a specific female forager, depicting a scenario of early skeletal trauma, developmental disturbances, long-term impairments, and resilience amongst the last European hunter-gatherers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitale S Sparacello
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Sezione di Neuroscienze e Antropologia, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Gwenaëlle Goude
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, UMR 7269, 5 rue du Château de l'Horloge, 13097, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Alessandra Varalli
- CASEs Research Group, Department of Humanities, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irene Dori
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudine Gravel-Miguel
- Département d'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Center for Applied Fire and Ecosystem Science, New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | | | - Sanne W L Palstra
- Centre for Isotope Research, ESRIG, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Fabio Negrino
- DAFIST - Dipartimento di Antichità, Filosofia, Storia, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
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Fontani F, Boano R, Cinti A, Demarchi B, Sandron S, Rampelli S, Candela M, Traversari M, Latorre A, Iacovera R, Abondio P, Sarno S, Mackie M, Collins M, Radini A, Milani C, Petrella E, Giampalma E, Minelli A, Larocca F, Cilli E, Luiselli D. Bioarchaeological and paleogenomic profiling of the unusual Neolithic burial from Grotta di Pietra Sant'Angelo (Calabria, Italy). Sci Rep 2023; 13:11978. [PMID: 37488251 PMCID: PMC10366206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39250-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The Neolithic burial of Grotta di Pietra Sant'Angelo (CS) represents a unique archaeological finding for the prehistory of Southern Italy. The unusual placement of the inhumation at a rather high altitude and far from inhabited areas, the lack of funerary equipment and the prone deposition of the body find limited similarities in coeval Italian sites. These elements have prompted wider questions on mortuary customs during the prehistory of Southern Italy. This atypical case requires an interdisciplinary approach aimed to build an integrated bioarchaeological profile of the individual. The paleopathological investigation of the skeletal remains revealed the presence of numerous markers that could be associated with craft activities, suggesting possible interpretations of the individual's lifestyle. CT analyses, carried out on the maxillary bones, showed the presence of a peculiar type of dental wear, but also a good density of the bone matrix. Biomolecular and micromorphological analyses of dental calculus highlight the presence of a rich Neolithic-like oral microbiome, the composition of which is consistent with the presence pathologies. Finally, paleogenomic data obtained from the individual were compared with ancient and modern Mediterranean populations, including unpublished high-resolution genome-wide data for 20 modern inhabitants of the nearby village of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, which provided interesting insights into the biodemographic landscape of the Neolithic in Southern Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Fontani
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.
| | - Rosa Boano
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Alessandra Cinti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Beatrice Demarchi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Sarah Sandron
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Simone Rampelli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Candela
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mirko Traversari
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Adriana Latorre
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Rocco Iacovera
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Paolo Abondio
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefania Sarno
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Meaghan Mackie
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, København, Denmark
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353, København, Denmark
- School of Archeology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Matthew Collins
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353, København, Denmark
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Anita Radini
- School of Archeology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Chantal Milani
- SIOF - Italian Society of Forensic Odontology, Strada Degli Schiocchi 12, 41124, Modena, Italy
| | - Enrico Petrella
- Radiology Unit, Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Via Carlo Forlanini 34, 47121, Forlì, Italy
| | - Emanuela Giampalma
- Radiology Unit, Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Via Carlo Forlanini 34, 47121, Forlì, Italy
| | - Antonella Minelli
- Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Molise, Via Francesco De Sanctis, 86100, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Felice Larocca
- Speleo-Archaeological Research Group, University of Bari, Piazza Umberto I 1, 70121, Bari, Italy
- Speleo-Archaeological Research Centre "Enzo dei Medici", Via Lucania 3, 87070, Roseto Capo Spulico (CS), Italy
| | - Elisabetta Cilli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Donata Luiselli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via Degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.
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Gravel-Miguel C, Cristiani E, Hodgkins J, Orr CM, Strait DS, Peresani M, Benazzi S, Pothier-Bouchard G, Keller HM, Meyer D, Drohobytsky D, Talamo S, Panetta D, Zupancich A, Miller CE, Negrino F, Riel-Salvatore J. The Ornaments of the Arma Veirana Early Mesolithic Infant Burial. JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL METHOD AND THEORY 2022; 30:757-804. [PMID: 37600347 PMCID: PMC10432373 DOI: 10.1007/s10816-022-09573-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Personal ornaments are widely viewed as indicators of social identity and personhood. Ornaments are ubiquitous from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene, but they are most often found as isolated objects within archaeological assemblages without direct evidence on how they were displayed. This article presents a detailed record of the ornaments found in direct association with an Early Mesolithic buried female infant discovered in 2017 at the site of Arma Veirana (Liguria, Italy). It uses microscopic, 3D, and positional analyses of the ornaments as well as a preliminary perforation experiment to document how they were perforated, used, and what led to their deposit as part of the infant's grave goods. This study provides important information on the use of beads in the Early Mesolithic, in general, as well as the relationship between beads and young subadults, in particular. The results of the study suggest that the beads were worn by members of the infant's community for a considerable period before they were sewn onto a sling, possibly used to keep the infant close to the parents while allowing their mobility, as seen in some modern forager groups. The baby was then likely buried in this sling to avoid reusing the beads that had failed to protect her or simply to create a lasting connection between the deceased infant and her community. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-022-09573-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Gravel-Miguel
- Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - E. Cristiani
- DANTE – Diet and ANcient TEchnology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - J. Hodgkins
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO USA
| | - C. M. Orr
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO USA
| | - D. S. Strait
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO USA
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - M. Peresani
- Prehistory and Antropology Science Unit, Department of Humanities, University of Ferrara, Sezione Di Scienze Preistoriche E Antropologiche, Ferrara, Italy
- Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (IGAG), National Research Council, Milan, Italy
| | - S. Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - G. Pothier-Bouchard
- Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Canada
- Département des sciences historiques, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - H. M. Keller
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
| | - D. Meyer
- Cultural Heritage Engineering Initiative (CHEI), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - D. Drohobytsky
- Cultural Heritage Engineering Initiative (CHEI), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - S. Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - D. Panetta
- Institute of Clinical Physiology - CNR-IFC, Pisa, Italy
| | - A. Zupancich
- DANTE – Diet and ANcient TEchnology Laboratory, Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Archaeology of Social Dynamics, Institución Milá Y Fontanals, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - C. E. Miller
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences and Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - F. Negrino
- Department of Antiquities, Philosophy, History, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - J. Riel-Salvatore
- Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Canada
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