paola francesca rossi

The Authors present and discuss the findings of an unusual case of burial of humans and dogs from Peltuinum (Abbruzzo, Italy, Late Roman Empire). Four wells of the ancient theater of the city yielded bones attributed to 85 fetuses and newborns, associated with hundreds of faunal remains, mainly dogs of different ages (adults, puppies and fetuses).
As for the dogs, there is some suggestion of their sacrifice for ritual purposes related to the death of infants.
The symbolic value of water as a vector to the prenatal life or deities drives the choice to bury the bodies in underground environments. It can therefore be assumed that the disused wells of the theater have been considered the most suitable place for infants burial in a rural area. Thus, the particularity of the deposition and the high concentration of perinatal deaths, are likely connected to cultural practices, involving a differential treatment of infants, in association with an high risk of mortality at birth.

Objectives: We conducted a systematic macroscopic and microscopic examination of occlusal and para-occlusal wear in a large dental sample (n = 3,014) from 217 individuals dated to the Early Bronze age site of Gricignano d'Aversa, Italy. We used macroscopic and microscopic techniques to document nondietary occlusal and para-occlusal wear and to analyze calculus inclusions in some of the teeth. In combining an analysis of the wear with the calculus inclusions we linked the specific wear to the likely fiber that was involved in producing it. Materials and methods: Teeth and their high resolution epoxy casts were analyzed through SEM and reflected light microscopes. Nineteen individuals (fifteen with activity induced dental modifications and four as a control sample) were examined for the presence of calculus inclusions. Results: Activity induced dental modifications (AIDMs), notches, grooves and micro-striations, were found in the 62.2% of the adult females, in 21.2% of the adults of unknown sex and in a single male. We found the full spectrum of dental manipulations from very minor nonocclusal wear in some young individuals to severe attrition at the other extreme. The width of the stria-tions and grooves, mostly on the upper incisors, suggests a craft activity involving fibers and thread production and manipulation. From the dental calculus of two females with grooves and striations, we extracted three fragments of fibers, identified as hemp (Cannabis, sp.). Previously from Gricignano woven hemp fibers were found on both surfaces of a metal blade associated with a male burial. Discussion: This study found the co-occurrence of tooth AIDMs and the actual fibers preserved in the dental calculus. As more work is done analyzing dental calculus in a variety of humans, it is apparent that this biological material holds rich resources documenting non-dietary habits.

Dental enamel, as individual biological archives of first infancy’s developmental history, records at microscopic level physiological and rhythmical growth markers as well as pathological stresses that are capable to disrupt the formation of the mineralized tissues. Nonetheless, most of the studies have focused on the most readable postnatal portion of the enamel even though the analysis of the prenatal one is pivotal in understanding fetal growth, and allows retrieving information on the mother’s health status during pregnancy.
This contribution reports new data describing the prenatal enamel of central deciduous incisors from the Imperial Roman necropolis of Velia (III century AC, Salerno, Italy) and from 4 modern exfoliated deciduous teeth. The archaeological sample consists of 18 teeth (12 upper and 6 lower incisors) free from incisal wear
and showing exceptional visibility of the cross striations in the prenatal enamel . Histological sections were analyzed in order to collect data on prenatal crown formation times, daily secretion rates (DSR) and enamel extension rates (EER). Results for the Velia's sample allowed to derive a new regression formula, through a
robust regression approach, that describes the average rates of deciduous enamel formation and to be used as a reference for preindustrial populations.
Finally, for a selected subset of Velia’s central incisors, we estimated the topographical distribution of the DSR, collecting random measurements (N>100) across the entire crown profile. The spatial distribution of the DSR was calculated from raw data using a surface fit obtained by thin plate regression splines.

The reconstruction of ancient diets by means of stable isotopes analysis acquires a deeper meaning when their results are compared
with other odonto‐skeletal indicators which are strongly contextualized in the light of historical and archaeological evidence.
Nevertheless, the outcomes can be contradictory or, more realistically, they may not completely satisfy our hypotheses on how
complex and diverse conditions  ‐ such as health status, life style, diet and nutrition  ‐ can actually interrelate in the life course of an
individual.
In this study we present and discuss evidences from Isola Sacra and Velia, two Roman Imperial Age coastal towns. The δ15N and δ13C
values are compared with demographic and health status parameters, such as age, sex, stature, auricular exostoses, DISH, cribra
orbitalia, enamel defects.  

The characterization and quantification of human dental enamel microstructure, in both permanent and deciduous teeth, allows us to document crucial growth parameters and to identify stressful events, thus contributing to the reconstruction of the past life history of an individual. Most studies to date have focused on the more accessible post-natal portion of the deciduous dental enamel, even though the analysis of prenatal enamel is pivotal in understanding fetal growth, and reveals information about the mother's health status during pregnancy. This contribution reports new data describing the prenatal enamel development of 18 central deciduous incisors from the Imperial Roman necropolis of Velia (I-II century CE, Salerno, Italy). Histomorphometrical analysis was performed to collect data on prenatal crown formation times, daily secretion rates and enamel extension rates. Results for the Velia sample allowed us to derive a new regression formula, using a robust statistical approach, that describes the average rates of deciduous enamel formation. This can now be used as a reference for pre-industrial populations. The same regression formula, even when daily incremental markings are difficult to visualize, may provide a clue to predicting the proportion of infants born full term and pre-term in an archaeological series.

The transition from an intra- to extra-uterine environment leaves its mark in deciduous teeth (and first permanent molars) as an accentuated enamel incremental ring called the neonatal line (NL). This prominent microfeature separates the enamel formed during intrauterine life from that formed after leaving the womb. However, while the physical structure of this scar is well known, the bases of its formation are still a matter of investigation. In particular, besides the influence of the birth-related abrupt environmental and dietary changes and the role played by physiological factors such as hypocalcaemia, a direct relationship between NL thickness variation and the physical was trauma implied by the birth dynamics, the Caesarean, and the operative modes are apparently associated with the thinnest and the thickest lines, respectively. By using the histological record from a deciduous dental sample (exfoliated crowns) of 100 modern healthy school-aged children (47 males and 53 females) of reported birth histories (normal delivery mode: 55 cases; Caesarean: 40; operative: 5), we investigated the relationships between birth dynamics and NL thickness variation. The Tukey Honest Significant Difference method was used to test the differences between the means of the grouping levels. The results of our histo-morphological investigation do not support the suggestion that Caesarean-born children display, on average, a thinner enamel scar compared to children associated to a normal delivery mode. Rather, our study points to the influence exerted by factors intimately related to gestational length variation on the degree of expression of the line.