Biomolecular archaeology

The notion of standardization in pottery production has been used as an indicator of ceramic specialization. Yet, this notion and the assumptions behind it are still largely untested ethnographically. This paper attempts to identify some factors that affect the standardization of ceramic vessel shapes in Ticul, Yucatan, Mexico. A sample of 448 ethnographic vessels of three shapes were measured and analyzed statistically. Interpretation of these analyses within the ethnographic context of the workshop industry in Ticul provides insight into the factors associated with variability in dimensional uniformity as a function of market, technique, and the potter's own views of variability. In caution, we suggest that the coefficient of variation should not supplant the use of the standard deviation as an expression of standardization.

As organic materials, fish and its derivative products are perishable and break down rapidly
and ultimately disappear. Unless they include bones or scales, the only means of identifying
them in the archaeological record is through the identification of the chemical constituents
that are left behind after decomposition. Fish flesh mainly consists of proteins
and lipids. Since these molecules are unstable they degrade irreversibly after death or discard,
losing a significant part of the original chemical elements, consequently hampering
or complicating their identification. In this paper, two main types of fish products are considered:
raw, salted or cooked fish, and fermented fish-based products. In the first case,
the degradation of the native markers results from chemical post-depositional degradation,
and eventually thermal degradation during cooking. In the second case, the biochemical
processes involve bacteria that cause the rapid decomposition of fish as part of the process
of forming fish sauces, such as Roman garum. To detect and identify fish products we combined
experimental archaeology and organic analyses. The identification of the degradation
products of cholesterol appeared to provide a strong indicator for detecting the presence
of fish sauces. Analysis of samples taken from fish-salting vats located along the Atlantic
coast (Marsa, Baelo Claudia, Troia, Kerlaz, and Etel) with samples taken from actual
experimental garum sauces made from mackerel (Scomber scombrus), sardines (Sardina
pilchardus), and/or oysters (Ostreidae), revealed the presence of common markers of fermented
fish-based products. The application of the analytical methodology described here
to structures involved in ancient fish sauce manufacture and storage has enabled investigation
of the production of the sauces by searching directly for the fish markers on the inner
sides of the containers. For the first time the addition of molluscs and fruits in the fish
product has been identified as part of the process of manufacturing garum.

This paper reports some refinements in the Threshold Model for Ceramic Resources based on distances to ceramic resources from ethnographic pottery making communities (Arnold 1985). The refinements make the thresholds more objective than they were in the previous model and enable it more precise application for identifying local vs. non-local ceramic production in the past.

"It is unknown as to the extent that the arrival of modern humans into Europe (~ 40-30 kyr BP), or the unstable climate throughout Marine Isotope Stage 3 leading up to the Last Glacial Maximum led to Neanderthal extinction at ~30 kyr BP. However it is possible to determine this by reconstructing a model of evolution for the Neanderthals thus illustrating how their demography changes alongside a chronology.
Deducing this model of evolution can be achieved by inputting genetic data into the Bayesian programme BEAST (Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis of Sampling Trees), which has been previously used on North American bison. However it is necessary to input a sufficient amount of genetic data into the programme. For the Neanderthals though, the genetic data is limited quantitatively and qualitatively. The aim of this study is thus to assess the feasibility for obtaining a Neanderthal model of evolution.
In order to do this, the minimum quantitative requirements needed to yield a valid model of evolution were determined through analysis of the bison genetic data. In addition to this, Devensian spotted hyaena genetic data was added to the European hyaena genetic dataset. Being used as a proxy for the Neanderthals (due to possible shared sympatry), reconstruction of the hyaena evolutionary model could reveal similar trends between hyaenas and Neanderthals, thus providing insight into Neanderthal demographic changes. Additionally two hypothetical Neanderthal genetic datasets were simulated under two different demographic models. Portions of this data were analysed to determine if the demographic models could be recovered thus assessing if it is feasible to recover a Neanderthal demographic model given the current limitations of the genetic data.
The results here highlighted four key areas central to the feasibility of obtaining evolutionary models; archaeological considerations, importance of sampling, Bayesian considerations and the use of animal proxies. These key areas were then applied to the Neanderthals thus providing an assessment for the feasibility of obtaining a Neanderthal model of evolution."

Drinking had been very important in the Classical period societies. Drinking appeared to be a social convention practice at weddings, funerals, religious activities, diplomacy affairs and establishing long-lasting relationships. Countless evidence for drinking practices during religious festivals, political domestic and foreign meetings comes from the Ancient Greek written sources. While the sources present detailed narratives about these practices among the Greeks, very little is said about drinking in foreign societies. For that reason, the most valuable materials to reconstruct important social behavior in the known- Greek lands appeared to be the material remains from the Archaeological sites.
In the last few decades, hundreds of objects related to drinking practices were found in the burial sites in South Bulgaria, the Bulgarian part of Thrace. The evidence pointed out that this territory was extensively inhabited from a very early period. In the Classical period, V-th – IV-the centuries BC the territory was a homeland of the Thracian tribes who established at the beginning of the V-th century the first stable state organization, the Odrysian Kingdom.

In this paper food cultural variations between settlements and cemeteries dated to the Early Medieval Period are investigated. This forms the archaeological basis for the analysis of organic residues adheringto potsherds and lipids adsorbed in ceramic. The organic residues were analysed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry and the lipids by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry. Samples were collected from three locations, Vendel and Valsgärde in the province of Uppland and Barva in the ptovince of Södermanland, Sweden. The results show significantly higher contribution of animal products in samples from ritual contexts than in samples from settlements. The results are connected with concepts in the culture of food and with the varying character of the sites.

""Contents:

S. Voutsaki & S.M. Valamoti
Towards a better integration of archaeology and science in the study of ancient diet: an introduction

J. Bintliff
Archaeological science, scientific archaeology and the Big Questions in the long-term development of Greek society from prehistory to Roman times

A. Papathanasiou, T. Theodoropoulou & S.M. Valamoti
The quest for prehistoric meals: towards an understanding of past diets in the Aegean. Integrating stable isotope analysis, archaeobotany and zooarchaeology

M. Roumpou, N.S. Müller, N. Kalogeropoulos, P.M. Day, I. Nikolakopoulou &  V. Kilikoglou
An interdisciplinary approach to the study of cooking vessels from Bronze Age Akrotiri, Thera

B. Derham, R. Doonan, Y. Lolos, A. Sarris  & R. Jones Integrating geochemical survey, ethnography and organic residue analysis to identify and understand areas of foodstuff processing

S. El Zaatari, K. Harvati & E. Panagopoulou Occlusal molar microwear texture analysis and the diet of the Neanderthal from Lakonis

E. Kotjabopoulou
The horse, the lake and the people: implications for the Late Glacial social landscapes at the foot of the Pindus mountain range, north-western Greece

M. Pappa, P. Halstead,
K. Kotsakis, A. Bogaard, R. Fraser, V. Isaakidou, I. Mainland, D. Mylona, K. Skourtopoulou,  S. Triantaphyllou, Chr. Tsoraki, D. Urem-Kotsou, S.M. Valamoti & R. Veropoulidou 
The Neolithic site of Makriyalos, northern Greece: a reconstruction of the social and economic structure of the settlement through a comparative study of the finds

Κ. Psaraki, Μ. Roumpou, V. Aravantinos and N. Kalogeropoulos
Food storage and household economy at late Early Helladic II Thebes: an interdisciplinary approach

A. Papanthimou, S.M. Valamoti, E. Papadopoulou, E. Tsagkaraki & E. Voulgari Food storage in the context of an Early Bronze Age household economy: new evidence from Archontiko Giannitson

E. Papadopoulou & Y. Maniatis
Reconstructing thermal processing techniques: the application of FTIR spectroscopy in the analysis of clay thermal structures from Early Bronze Age Archontiko

T. Brogan, C. Sofianou, J. Morrison, D. Mylona, E. Margaritis & R. Beeston Living off the fruits of the sea: new evidence for dining at Papadiokampos, Crete

S. Voutsaki, S. Triantaphyllou, E. Milka & C. Zerner
Middle Helladic Lerna: diet, economy, society

A. Ingvarsson-Sundström, S. Voutsaki & E. Milka Diet, health and social differentiation  in Middle Helladic Asine: a bioarchaeological view

A. Galik, G. Forstenpointner, G.E. Weissengruber,  U. Thanheiser, M. Lindblom, R. Smetana & W. Gauß Bioarchaeological investigations at Kolonna, Aegina (Early Helladic III to Late Helladic III)

S. Andreou, C. Heron, G. Jones, V. Kiriatzi, K. Psaraki, M. Roumpou & S.M. Valamoti Smelly barbarians or perfumed natives? An investigation of oil and ointment use in Late Bronze Age northern Greece

D.  Mylona, M. Ntinou, P. Pakkanen, A. Penttinen, D. Serjeantson & T. Theodoropoulou
Integrating archaeology and science in a Greek sanctuary: issues of practice and interpretation in the study of the bioarchaeological remains from the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia

M. Tiverios, E. Manakidou, D. Tsiafaki, S.M. Valamoti, T. Theodoropoulou & E. Gatzogia
Cooking in an Iron Age pit in northern Greece: an interdisciplinary approach

C. Bourbou
Are we what we eat? Reconstructing dietary patterns of Greek Byzantine populations (7th-13th centuries AD) through a multi-disciplinary approach
R. Charalampopoulou The institutional framework of scientific analyses in Greece:
administrative procedures and some statistics for the period 2002 – 2009
S. Voutsaki, S.M. Valamoti & the participants Institutional framework and ethical obligations: the Round Table discussion on archaeological science in Greece
"

This article is a study of Neolithic pottery from some ten settlements excavated in the course of the E4 project in the province of Uppland, in the eastern part of Central Sweden. The study deals with the issues of how the pottery differs between the settlements in terms of style (shape and decor), ware (raw material and technique) and how the vessels had been used (function). Also, the study tries to reveal if there were any connections between the results of these three analyses.
Style analysis was performed on all rim shards and other shards larger than 30, or sometimes 40 mm. The ware was subjected to thin-section microscopic analysis. The vessel function was determined through lipid analysis. The results of the analyses can be summarised as follows:
The change of pottery style occurring around 3300 BC is the most significant transformation in the investigated area during the period in question. Large cylindrical or conical depressions in the vessel wall and crossing lines became more common with the new style, which is comparable to Bagge’s Fagervik II. The pottery studied bore much resemblance in style to that which Axel Bagge (1951) described as the Fagervik Sequence (FI-IV). To clarify local or regional differences in style, similar detailed studies must be made of material from other areas.
In comparison to later periods, Neolithic pottery was homogenous. The largest disparity occurred during the period of porous, in all probability bone tempered, pottery (2900- 2600 BC). Before and after the porous pottery, vessels were mainly made of fine clays, tempered by crushed granite rock. During the later period, however, the disparity in temper material was somewhat greater. From the ware analyses, we can deduce that all pottery was manufactured in the region, in some cases in direct proximity to the settlements.
A comparison was made between the vessel function on five of the settlements, dated between 3500 and 2750 BC. Plant traces are equally prevalent throughout the material. High readings of fish and marine mammal life were found at all sites except Postboda 1 and Brännpussen. Both settlements contained vessels with no lipid traces whatsoever. On all settlements except Högmossen, vessels with traces of land living mammalians occurred. Many samples contained terpenoid compounds, probably derived from the smoke from the hearth were the vessels were heated.
A strong connection exists between variations of ware and variations in date and geographical distance. Also, there is some connection between differences in decor and differences in vessel function. Individual decor details do not necessarily symbolize different functions, but on a local level there might have existed a connection between the details as a whole, and vessel use as a whole. Perhaps the gradual changes in pottery styles’ shape and decor were, in part, the result of gradual changes in vessel use, i.e. function. An identification of the functional variables of pottery styles would facilitate our ability to distinguish what is culturally and socially entailed.

The way that people manage their livestock tells us about their interactions with the landscape, particularly the nature of adaptation to specific environments, social organisation, resilience and long-term farming sustainability. Globally, there is considerable variation in how these practices are manifested, due to differences in water availability, levels of environmental diversity and aridity, and also the nature of cultural choices. South Asia's Indus Civilisation (c.3000-1500 BCE) provides an important opportunity for investigating how populations managed their animals, because the region shows considerable diversity in rainfall distribution, seasonality and intensity, which results in marked environmental variability that is susceptible to change over time. The latter is particularly significant when it comes to consideration of the impact of the 4.2 ka BP event and its relation to the deurbanisation of the Indus Civilisation. This paper presents carbon isotope data from animal teeth from nine archaeological sites distributed across northwest India that are suitable for exploring how diverse practices were, and how animal management strategies changed through time. These data show clear differentiation in feeding practices between species, with cattle and water buffalo consuming very high proportions of C 4 plants, while sheep and goat ate varying quantities of C 3 and C 4 plants. This pattern is generally consistent across sites and throughout different periods, suggesting that the strategy was adapted to a range of environmental conditions and settlements of different sizes. We suggest that humans controlled cow and water buffalo diets, and they were likely provided with fodder. In contrast, sheep and goats had a less controlled diet, and were presumably more likely to roam the landscape. These animal management strategies must have involved some separation of tasks, although it remains unclear if this was on a household, settlement or population level.

Multiple, highly sensitive chemical techniques were used to analyze ancient pottery vessels from an excavated cemetery in Colima, west-central Mexico, dated to the Capacha phase (ca. 1500-1000 B.C). A double-chambered jar type, together with bowl and miniature cup types, are hypothesized to have been used as a pre-Hispanic distillation still. The results from the ancient vessels were compared to those from modern replica jars of the same types in which agave had been successfully distilled to a high-alcoholic beverage. Chemical biomarkers of agave in the modern replicas were absent from the ancient vessels, as were compounds of other native natural products of the region (e.g., maize, hog plum, prickly pear, etc.). Archaeological and archaeobotanical considerations, while suggestive, also provided no definitive evidence for a pre-Hispanic distillation hypothesis. Our study is placed within a broader ancient context of how this important technology for medicines, aromatics, metal purification, and alcoholic beverages, developed in east Asia and the Middle East, later to be adopted in Europe and brought to the New World. While an independent invention of a distillation apparatus in Mexico is yet to be proved, our goal is to stimulate further research and discussion, possibly leading to more compelling evidence.

Negli anni recenti la decifrazione dei reperti mummificati si è avvalsa anche dell’impiego di tecniche fisiche che tradizionalmente appartengono ad un ambito estraneo all’archeologia, ma che, applicate allo studio delle mummie e avendo quindi per oggetto il corpo umano, si avvicinano alla vita. Con l’impiego di queste tecniche una mummia diventa “oggetto di ricerca” e archivio di informazioni.

Establishing the age at which prehistoric individuals move away from their childhood residential location holds crucial information about the socio dynamics and mobility patterns in ancient societies. We present a novel combination of strontium isotope analyses performed on the over 3000 year old "Skrydstrup Woman" from Denmark, for whom we compiled a highly detailed month-scale model of her migration timeline. When combined with physical anthropological analyses this timeline can be related to the chronological age at which the residential location changed. We conducted a series of high-resolution strontium isotope analyses of hard and soft human tissues and combined these with anthropological investigations including CT-scanning and 3D visualizations. The Skrydstrup Woman lived during a pan-European period characterized by technical innovation and great social transformations stimulated by long-distance connections; consequently she represents an important part of both D...

This research aims to provide a unique contribution to our knowledge of the first farmers of Europe in general and the Neolithic populations from the Southern Great Plain of Hungary in particular, while demonstrating the potential of macroscopic observations for the demographic and pathological analyses of past populations.
A total of one hundred individuals from Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa and some neighbouring communities from Southern Hungary are analysed. The Early Neolithic sample comprises of twelve individuals from the Körös culture (5950 to 5400 BC), ten of whom are represented by their skull only. The Late Neolithic sample includes 86 individuals of the Tisza Culture (4970 to 4410 BC), with most of the remains excavated from the tell settlement of Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa (4970 to 4594 BC).
Current macroscopic methods for osteological analysis are critically reviewed, and several methods for ageing, sexing and stature estimation are compared. The results of the demographic analyses indicate that the Early Neolithic sample includes five female and seven male adults, without any juvenile. The Late Neolithic population is represented by a third of juveniles, 23 males and 31 females, nearly all the females coming from the site of Gorzsa. Stature estimations based on a third of the adults indicate an average height of 167 cm for males and 154 cm for females.
Ten juveniles show signs of pathology, including two cases of scurvy, four cases of infection, and six presenting non-specific stress indicators. Pathological analyses of the adult population reveal that mechanical changes (osteoarthritis, degenerative bony changes and musculoskeletal stress markers) are common in old adults and also in young females. Eleven individuals show non-specific stress indicators. Evidence of trauma is found in eleven individuals, presenting mainly as well-healed fractures and one case of spondylolysis. Ten individuals display signs of infection, including mastoiditis, chronic rhinitis, sacroiliitis, and four possible cases of meningitis of unknown aetiology. One case of tuberculosis with secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy and four further cases of tuberculosis are also confirmed. In addition, a potential case of leprosy and one of cancer are also discovered. Finally, dental disease including caries, calculus and tooth loss is widespread.
Despite the lack of contextual data, the damaged and fragmentary skeletal remains, and the restriction to morphological analyses, these early farmers are revealed as a mostly non-violent population, prone to infections including tuberculosis, with a physically stressful way of life and a diet leading to a high rate of dental disease and (at least occasionally) lack of vitamin C.

A critical evaluation of the current value of ancient DNA analysis within the field of palaeopathology, biological anthropology and archaeology; focusing on the advantages and limitations of this field of research. This paper draws on a series of case studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, Treponemal pallidum subspecies pallidum (venereal syphilis), and Yersinia pestis to demonstrate its arguments.

Horse domestication revolutionized transport, communications, and warfare in prehistory, yet the identification of early domestication processes has been problematic. Here, we present three independent lines of evidence demonstrating domestication in the Eneolithic Botai Culture of Kazakhstan, dating to about 3500 B.C.E. Metrical analysis of horse metacarpals shows that Botai horses resemble Bronze Age domestic horses rather than Paleolithic wild horses from the same region. Pathological characteristics indicate that some Botai horses were bridled, perhaps ridden. Organic residue analysis, using δ 13 C and δD values of fatty acids, reveals processing of mare's milk and carcass products in ceramics, indicating a developed domestic economy encompassing secondary products.

Organic residues were extracted from thirty-three different types of Roman and Late Antique amphorae retrieved
from underwater contexts in the custody of the Archaeological Museum “Baglio Anselmi” of Marsala in Sicily. The
samples were analysed using GC-MS and 1H NMR, finding biomarkers of plant oils (including saturated and
unsaturated fatty acids, alcohols and alkanes present in plant waxes) were identified in seven samples. The
biomarkers for Pinaceae spp., used for making pitch, were identified in one sample. The results obtained shed
light on the function of different types of North African amphorae, traditionally interpreted as containers for
olive oil, wine and fish sauce, presenting new evidence to reassess the system of trade between Sicily and North
Africa in Late Antiquity.

Seventy-one individuals from the late Neolithic population of the 7000-year-old site of Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa were examined for their skeletal palaeopathology. This revealed numerous cases of infections and non-specific stress indicators in juveniles and adults, metabolic diseases in juveniles, and evidence of trauma and mechanical changes in adults. Several cases showed potential signs of tuberculosis, particularly the remains of the individual HGO-53. This is an important finding that has significant implications for our understanding of this community. The aim of the present study was to seek biomolecular evidence to confirm this diagnosis. HGO-53 was a young male with a striking case of hypertrophic pulmonary osteopathy (HPO), revealing rib changes and cavitations in the vertebral bodies. The initial macroscopic diagnosis of HPO secondary to tuberculosis was confirmed by analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex specific cell wall lipid biomarkers and corroborated by anci...

Sex estimation of skeletons is fundamental to many archaeological studies. Currently, three approaches are available to estimate sex–osteology, genomics, or proteomics, but little is known about the relative reliability of these methods in applied settings. We present matching osteological, shotgun-genomic, and proteomic data to estimate the sex of 55 individuals, each with an independent radiocarbon date between 2,440 and 100 cal BP, from two ancestral Ohlone sites in Central California. Sex estimation was possible in 100% of this burial sample using proteomics, in 91% using genomics, and in 51% using osteology. Agreement between the methods was high, however conflicts did occur. Genomic sex estimates were 100% consistent with proteomic and osteological estimates when DNA reads were above 100,000 total sequences. However, more than half the samples had DNA read numbers below this threshold, producing high rates of conflict with osteological and proteomic data where nine out of twen...

Some dynastic and pre-dynastic Egyptian mummies from the Giovanni Marro Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, University of Turin, Italy have been studied by means of the combined approach of both Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and histological analysis , with the aim of investigating the preservation state of the skin of ancient archaeological remains, as a consequence of the differences between the two kinds of mummification processes, i.e. natural and by means of embalming substances. The results suggest that the balms used in the dynastic mummies embalming process really could have played an important role in the prevention of corpse deterioration.