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Wasterlain SN, Rufino AI, Ferreira MT. Dental disease in a 15th-17th centuries skeletal sample of enslaved Africans (Lagos, Portugal). Arch Oral Biol 2024; 165:106015. [PMID: 38838514 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.106015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Dental disease is frequently used as a proxy for diet and overall health of individuals of past populations. The aim of this study is to investigate dental disease in a sample of enslaved African individuals recovered from an urban dump (15th-17th centuries) in Lagos, Portugal. DESIGN In all, 81 African individuals (>12 years old) were analysed (19 males, 49 females, and 13 of unknown sex), in a total of 2283 alveoli, 2061 teeth, and 2213 interdental septa. Analysed oral pathologies include dental caries, periodontal disease, and ante-mortem tooth loss. Dental wear was also recorded. RESULTS Dental caries affected 52.0 % of the teeth, although only 31.9 % were cavitated lesions. In all, 96.3 % of the individuals presented at least one cariogenic lesion. Gingivitis and periodontitis were recorded in 56.7 % and 19.0 % of the septa, respectively. Only one male individual had all septal areas healthy. Ante-mortem tooth loss was recorded in 38.3 % of the individuals, in a total of 96 teeth lost (4.2 %). Regarding occlusal wear, 70.8 % of the surfaces were recorded with grades 1-3. CONCLUSIONS The frequencies of the oral pathological conditions observed may not only reflect a cariogenic diet (rich in starches and with a high frequency of meals) but also the conditions during the maritime voyage of the first victims of the North Atlantic slave trade (xerostomia due to lack of water, sea sickness and vomiting, vitamin C deficiency, poor hygiene), and also the impact intentional dental modifications had on the dentitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia N Wasterlain
- University of Coimbra, Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal; University of Coimbra, Centre for Functional Ecology, Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Ana I Rufino
- University of Coimbra, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria Teresa Ferreira
- University of Coimbra, Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal; University of Coimbra, Centre for Functional Ecology, Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
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Ancient DNA at the edge of the world: Continental immigration and the persistence of Neolithic male lineages in Bronze Age Orkney. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2108001119. [PMID: 35131896 PMCID: PMC8872714 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108001119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Orcadian Neolithic has been intensively studied and celebrated as a major center of cultural innovation, whereas the Bronze Age is less well known and often regarded as a time of stagnation and insularity. Here, we analyze ancient genomes from the Orcadian Bronze Age in the context of the variation in Neolithic Orkney and Bronze Age Europe. We find clear evidence for Early Bronze Age immigration into Orkney, but with an extraordinary pattern: continuity from the Neolithic on the male line of descent but immigration from continental Europe on the female side, echoed in the genome-wide picture. This suggests that despite substantial immigration, indigenous male lineages persisted for at least a thousand years after the end of the Neolithic. Orkney was a major cultural center during the Neolithic, 3800 to 2500 BC. Farming flourished, permanent stone settlements and chambered tombs were constructed, and long-range contacts were sustained. From ∼3200 BC, the number, density, and extravagance of settlements increased, and new ceremonial monuments and ceramic styles, possibly originating in Orkney, spread across Britain and Ireland. By ∼2800 BC, this phenomenon was waning, although Neolithic traditions persisted to at least 2500 BC. Unlike elsewhere in Britain, there is little material evidence to suggest a Beaker presence, suggesting that Orkney may have developed along an insular trajectory during the second millennium BC. We tested this by comparing new genomic evidence from 22 Bronze Age and 3 Iron Age burials in northwest Orkney with Neolithic burials from across the archipelago. We identified signals of inward migration on a scale unsuspected from the archaeological record: As elsewhere in Bronze Age Britain, much of the population displayed significant genome-wide ancestry deriving ultimately from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. However, uniquely in northern and central Europe, most of the male lineages were inherited from the local Neolithic. This suggests that some male descendants of Neolithic Orkney may have remained distinct well into the Bronze Age, although there are signs that this had dwindled by the Iron Age. Furthermore, although the majority of mitochondrial DNA lineages evidently arrived afresh with the Bronze Age, we also find evidence for continuity in the female line of descent from Mesolithic Britain into the Bronze Age and even to the present day.
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Ferreira MT, Coelho C, Cunha E, Wasterlain SN. Evidences of trauma in adult African enslaved individuals from Valle da Gafaria, Lagos, Portugal (15th-17th centuries). J Forensic Leg Med 2019; 65:68-75. [PMID: 31108434 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this work is to discuss the frequency of traumatic bone injuries in a quite unique skeletal assemblage of enslaved people from Valle da Gafaria, Lagos, Portugal (15th-17th centuries). In all, 30 males, 58 females, and 15 individuals of unknown sex were included in the study. The skeletal remains were macroscopically observed for traumatic lesions. When present, the traumatic bone injuries were classified as having occurred ante or perimortem. The antemortem lesions were also studied through radiological analysis. Traumatic lesions were identified in 11 men (36.7%), 23 women (39.7%) and two individuals of unknown sex (13.3%). From these 36 individuals, 61.1% presented antemortem trauma, 25.0% perimortem trauma and 13.9% exhibited simultaneously ante and perimortem trauma. The mechanism of all traumatic injuries was blunt force trauma. From the 9965 analysed bones, 186 exhibited traumatic lesions (87 antemortem, 97 perimortem, and two with both ante and perimortem lesions). The bone more affected by antemortem trauma was the 5th right intermediate foot phalange (40.0%) and by perimortem trauma was the skull (11.4%), probably related to accidents and interpersonal violence, respectively. When analysed by sex, the only significant differences were found in the skull and the right 5th proximal foot phalanges, men (57.1%) presenting more lesions than women (15.4%). The obtained results are consistent with an arduous life, corroborating historical sources which document labour accidents, physical punishments and hard work in the populations of slaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Teresa Ferreira
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Catarina Coelho
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Eugénia Cunha
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, IP, Portugal
| | - Sofia N Wasterlain
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
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Cardoso HFV, Spake L, Wasterlain SN, Ferreira MT. The impact of social experiences of physical and structural violence on the growth of African enslaved children recovered from Lagos, Portugal (15th-17th centuries). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168:209-221. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- HFV Cardoso
- Department of Archaeology and Centre for Forensic Research; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby Canada
| | - L Spake
- Department of Archaeology and Centre for Forensic Research; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby Canada
| | - SN Wasterlain
- Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, Department of Life Sciences; University of Coimbra; Coimbra Portugal
| | - MT Ferreira
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences; University of Coimbra; Coimbra Portugal
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García-Martínez D, Nalla S, Ferreira MT, Guichón RA, D'Angelo Del Campo MD, Bastir M. Eco-geographic adaptations in the human ribcage throughout a 3D geometric morphometric approach. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:323-336. [PMID: 29417988 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES According to eco-geographic rules, humans from high latitude areas present larger and wider trunks than their low-latitude areas counterparts. This issue has been traditionally addressed on the pelvis but information on the thorax is largely lacking. We test whether ribcages are larger in individuals inhabiting high latitudes than in those from low latitudes and explored the correlation of rib size with latitude. We also test whether a common morphological pattern is exhibited in the thorax of different cold-adapted populations, contributing to their hypothetical widening of the trunk. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used 3D geometric morphometrics to quantify rib morphology of three hypothetically cold-adapted populations, viz. Greenland (11 individuals), Alaskan Inuit (8 individuals) and people from Tierra del Fuego (8 individuals), in a comparative framework with European (Spain, Portugal and Austria; 24 individuals) and African populations (South African and sub-Saharan African; 20 individuals). RESULTS Populations inhabiting high latitudes present longer ribs than individuals inhabiting areas closer to the equator, but a correlation (p < 0.05) between costal size and latitude is only found in ribs 7-11. Regarding shape, the only cold adapted population that was different from the non-cold-adapted populations were the Greenland Inuit, who presented ribs with less curvature and torsion. CONCLUSIONS Size results from the lower ribcage are consistent with the hypothesis of larger trunks in cold-adapted populations. The fact that only Greenland Inuit present a differential morphological pattern, linked to a widening of their ribcage, could be caused by differences in latitude. However, other factors such as genetic drift or specific cultural adaptations cannot be excluded and should be tested in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shahed Nalla
- Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) and Center of Excellence in Palaeosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Maria Teresa Ferreira
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ricardo A Guichón
- Núcleo de Estudios Interdisciplinarios de Poblaciones Humanas de Patagonia Austral, Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina (CONICET)
| | - Manuel D D'Angelo Del Campo
- Núcleo de Estudios Interdisciplinarios de Poblaciones Humanas de Patagonia Austral, Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina (CONICET).,Laboratorio de Poblaciones de Pasado, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, España
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain
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Williams SA, García-Martínez D, Bastir M, Meyer MR, Nalla S, Hawks J, Schmid P, Churchill SE, Berger LR. The vertebrae and ribs of Homo naledi. J Hum Evol 2017; 104:136-154. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Martiniano R, Caffell A, Holst M, Hunter-Mann K, Montgomery J, Müldner G, McLaughlin RL, Teasdale MD, van Rheenen W, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH, Hardiman O, Carroll M, Roskams S, Oxley J, Morgan C, Thomas MG, Barnes I, McDonnell C, Collins MJ, Bradley DG. Genomic signals of migration and continuity in Britain before the Anglo-Saxons. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10326. [PMID: 26783717 PMCID: PMC4735653 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The purported migrations that have formed the peoples of Britain have been the focus of generations of scholarly controversy. However, this has not benefited from direct analyses of ancient genomes. Here we report nine ancient genomes (∼ 1 ×) of individuals from northern Britain: seven from a Roman era York cemetery, bookended by earlier Iron-Age and later Anglo-Saxon burials. Six of the Roman genomes show affinity with modern British Celtic populations, particularly Welsh, but significantly diverge from populations from Yorkshire and other eastern English samples. They also show similarity with the earlier Iron-Age genome, suggesting population continuity, but differ from the later Anglo-Saxon genome. This pattern concords with profound impact of migrations in the Anglo-Saxon period. Strikingly, one Roman skeleton shows a clear signal of exogenous origin, with affinities pointing towards the Middle East, confirming the cosmopolitan character of the Empire, even at its northernmost fringes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Martiniano
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Anwen Caffell
- York Osteoarchaeology Ltd, 75 Main Street, Bishop Wilton, York YO42 1SR, UK.,Department of Archaeology, Dawson Building, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Malin Holst
- York Osteoarchaeology Ltd, 75 Main Street, Bishop Wilton, York YO42 1SR, UK.,BioArCh, Biology, S Block, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Kurt Hunter-Mann
- York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research Limited, 47 Aldwark, York YO1 7BX, UK
| | - Janet Montgomery
- Department of Archaeology, Dawson Building, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Gundula Müldner
- Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, UK
| | - Russell L McLaughlin
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Matthew D Teasdale
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Wouter van Rheenen
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan H Veldink
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Leonard H van den Berg
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Orla Hardiman
- Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Maureen Carroll
- Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET, UK
| | - Steve Roskams
- BioArCh, Biology, S Block, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | | | - Colleen Morgan
- BioArCh, Biology, S Block, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Mark G Thomas
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ian Barnes
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Christine McDonnell
- York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research Limited, 47 Aldwark, York YO1 7BX, UK
| | | | - Daniel G Bradley
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Santana J, Fregel R, Lightfoot E, Morales J, Alamón M, Guillén J, Moreno M, Rodríguez A. The early colonial atlantic world: New insights on the African Diaspora from isotopic and ancient DNA analyses of a multiethnic 15th-17th century burial population from the Canary Islands, Spain. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 159:300-12. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Santana
- State University of Peninsula de Santa Elena; La Libertad Ecuador
- G.I. Tarha. Deparment of Historical Sciences; Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Spain
| | - Rosa Fregel
- Department of Genetics; Stanford University; Stanford United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Amelia Rodríguez
- G.I. Tarha. Deparment of Historical Sciences; Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Spain
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