{"title":"Children of Svodín: An Insight Into the Lives of Late Neolithic (4800–4115 bc) Subadults From Slovakia","authors":"Zuzana Hukeľová, Mária Krošláková","doi":"10.1002/oa.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Despite the allegedly high proportion of subadults, limited attention has been paid to children and understanding their role and position in prehistoric communities. By investigating the skeletal remains of children from the Late Neolithic Lengyel population from Svodín, Slovakia (4900–4700 cal <span>bc</span>), within their environment and archaeological context, this article provides insight into childhood and children's place in the Lengyel culture community. Altogether, 59 subadult skeletons from Svodín were macroscopically analyzed, evaluating their age at death, health status, and lifestyle. Subadults of all ages and social status manifested signs of long-lasting increased metabolic stress and/or infectious diseases. These results seem to correspond with the presumption of worsened environmental conditions and resource shortage at the end of the Neolithic. Injuries observed in adolescents and adults at the Lengyel sites seem consistent with small-scale raids, possibly for resources. Individuals skilled in acquiring food seem to have gained increased importance, with their status passing down to their kin, although adolescents may have been expected to contribute to the community and achieve their status on their own. The roundel area likely held special significance for the community, being designated for unborn or newborn infants, solitary children, and those linked to the supernatural. Stillborns and/or perinates were probably not yet perceived as part of the community. Toddlers and older children seem to have been recognized as members of society, their status reflecting that of their (closest) kin, regardless of their health. The shift from the “world of play” towards the “real life” also seems to manifest in osteoarchaeological records.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"77-88"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144833182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Early Cattle Exploitation in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) of the Upper Tigris Valley: Gre Fılla in South-Eastern Türkiye","authors":"Derya Silibolatlaz","doi":"10.1002/oa.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this paper, the first results investigating animal exploitation, mainly focusing on the question of cattle domestication, at the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Gre Fılla, Diyarbakır, South-Eastern Türkiye, are presented. Gre Fılla, where the earliest cattle domestication in the region was identified, is also notable in showing the process of hunting to herding during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B subphases. <i>Bos</i> exploitation was the second most important component of the animal economies and increased dramatically in the 8th millennium <span>bc</span>. Moreover, the appearance of domestic small-sized individuals and significant changes in the skeletal elements as well as in the alterations, especially demographic profile based on epiphyseal and dental wear stages, are observed. As a result of zooarchaeological analyses, early cattle exploitation started to be seen during the MPPNB levels of Gre Fılla, based on the decrease in size and change in the kill-off pattern. It can be suggested that morphologically domestic cattle are systematically and widely encountered during MPPNB. The LPPNB levels are remarkable for yielding evidence of domestic cattle.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"60-76"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144833181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pengfei Sheng, Edward Allen, Daiyun Liu, Yiyuan Dao, Kezhou Xie, Yihong Xie, Junhua Wu, Ming Li, Hailiang Meng
{"title":"Diet and Cultural Transition in Sixth Century ad China: New Isotopic Studies on Multiple Elite and Commoner Individuals in the Chang'an Region","authors":"Pengfei Sheng, Edward Allen, Daiyun Liu, Yiyuan Dao, Kezhou Xie, Yihong Xie, Junhua Wu, Ming Li, Hailiang Meng","doi":"10.1002/oa.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Scientific archaeology has drawn new attention to the agricultural and pastoral interactions of medieval China and their impact upon Han and non-Han groups. The aim of this research is to introduce a number of key new stable isotope data pointing to ancient diet, offering a new perspective on the “sinicization” debate in medieval China. While generational shifts between primarily pastoral and agricultural diets occurred prior to the sixth century <span>ad</span>, by Northern Zhou and Sui times, a vastly more complex range of dietary possibilities was practiced. We found that the dietary habit of Yang Yong, the Crown Prince of the Sui Dynasty, was similar to that of the Han nobility from the late Northern Wei to the Sui Dynasty in northern China. We argue for considering the role of (1) new cultural foodways in shaping elite practices and (2) dietary stability and change reflected elite political fortunes and decision-making processes in the political core area of medieval China during the sixth century <span>ad</span>.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"53-59"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dog Pathologies in Central–Eastern Gaul During the Iron Age and Roman Period (500 bce–400 ce): Diachronic Perspectives","authors":"Camille Lamarque, Koen Chiers, Thierry Argant, Aurélien Creuzieux","doi":"10.1002/oa.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70001","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article presents an analysis of paleopathologies in dogs from the Iron Age through the Roman period (500 <span>bce–</span>400 <span>ce</span>) in Central–Eastern Gaul. The analysis focuses on the quantification of paleopathological traces in an attempt to identify changes in human–dog relationships between these two periods. The number of paleopathologies remains marginal in dog populations during these periods. However, oral pathologies represent the most prevalent identified lesions. Nevertheless, a discernible increase in joint and traumatic diseases can be observed in urban centers from the beginning of the Roman Empire onwards, which coincided with a rise in morphological diversity and the cessation of cynophagy. The number of “multipathological” cases also increased during the same period. This upsurge of joint and traumatic pathologies raises questions about the living conditions and treatment of dogs according to their potential functions in ancient societies. Nonetheless, the majority of paleopathologies are multifactorial or of unknown etiology and therefore cannot be unequivocally linked or attributed to certain dog's functions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"37-52"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144833020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"On the Discovery of a Fossil Seal Scapula in Ancient Panticapaeum (Crimean Peninsula)","authors":"A. V. Zinoviev","doi":"10.1002/oa.70002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70002","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study reports the discovery of a fossilized left scapula of the extinct Miocene seal <i>Cryptophoca maeotica</i> within Hellenistic layers of Panticapaeum, an ancient Greek city on the Kerch Peninsula, Crimea. Excavated from a 4th-century <span>ad</span> water cistern repurposed as a refuse deposit, the scapula represents a rare instance of fossil remains in an urban archaeological context. Morphological and biometric analyses, supported by the region's Miocene geological context, confirmed the species identification. The absence of human modification suggests that it was probably not used as a tool or ritual object. The find indicates that Hellenistic communities in Panticapaeum, a key center of the Bosporan Kingdom, may have collected such fossils as curiosities or symbolic items, reflecting engagement with the region's paleontological heritage. This discovery underscores the value of interdisciplinary approaches to studying ancient human–fossil interactions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"33-36"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comment, Correction, and New Findings for “Foetal Bison Long Bones and Mortality Season Estimates at the Early Holocene Casper and Horner II Sites, North America”, by Ryan P. Breslawski, Tomasin Playford, and Christopher M. Johnston (2020), International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Vol 30, 425–434","authors":"Ryan P. Breslawski, Michael C. Wilson","doi":"10.1002/oa.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Breslawski et al. (<span>2020</span>) estimated seasons of death for foetal bison (<i>Bison antiquus</i>) at two early Holocene archaeological sites in North America: Casper and Horner II. These estimates were based on growth rates and gestation ages derived from the antero-posterior depth (APD) values of foetal bison long bone diaphyses. Breslawski et al. assessed each site based on APD values originally published by Wilson (<span>1974</span>, 150) for Casper and Todd (<span>1987a</span>, 133) for Horner II, confirming that the Casper foetal bone is inconsistent with previously hypothesized fall mortality and the Horner II foetal bone is consistent with previously hypothesized late-fall or early-winter mortality. Following this finding, present author Wilson identified a discrepancy in the APD measurement procedure used by Breslawski et al. (<span>2020</span>) versus Wilson (<span>1974</span>) and Todd (<span>1987a</span>). Given this discrepancy, both present authors agreed that Breslawski et al. must be updated, and we therefore chose to collaborate on a note that explores and resolves the issue. In the course of this work, we also updated the foetal age estimation method to inform users whether a measured specimen may be neonatal rather than foetal, as is detailed at the end of this comment.</p><p>The measurement discrepancy arose due to author Breslawski misreading the original APD measurement procedure outlined by Todd (<span>1987b</span>); to avert future confusion, we reiterate that procedure here. Todd's procedure requires that the minimum medio-lateral diaphysis breadth is first measured. The caliper jaws are then rotated at that anatomical breadth location until they rest on the anterior and posterior aspects of the specimen, providing an APD value at the same place on the shaft. Coincident locations for breadth and APD allow cross-sectional area to be roughly estimated from a modeled ellipse. They were also defined such that measurements are taken near the midshaft, as far as possible from the more complex articular stress environments that characterize each end. Although postnatal stresses will be much greater, foetal limb movements and associated stresses must already influence bone morphology in utero. The initial APD landmark location was defined at the point of minimum breadth to ease replicability, because terminal damage usually prevents a true element-midpoint from being located. Going forward, we refer to this APD dimension as APDminBR.</p><p>Todd provided APD dimension codes for the humerus (HM10), radius (RD6), femur (FM17), and tibia (TA9). For the single Horner II humerus, Todd (<span>1987a</span>, 133) indicated that dimension HM13 [sic: HM10 was intended] was for the “minimum antero-posterior diameter of the diaphysis,” though a clearer description would be “antero-posterior diameter at the point of midshaft minimum breadth.” In describing the foetal bison metrics for Casper, Wilson (<span>1974</span>, 151) stated th","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"29-32"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/oa.70000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring Division of Labor at the Jiaojia Site in the Late Neolithic Period, Eastern China Using Entheseal Changes as Proxy","authors":"Yueming Niu, Wen Zeng, Zhangqiaochu Yang, Fen Wang, Yongsheng Zhao","doi":"10.1002/oa.3417","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3417","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The investigation of activity patterns has consistently been a significant objective in bioarchaeological research. As distinct skeletal markers, entheseal changes (ECs) have been extensively used to reconstruct the habitual behaviors of ancient populations. In this study, we conducted an analysis to identify differences in physical activity between sexes and across two distinct socioeconomic groups at the Jiaojia site (ca. 2911–2491 <span>b.c</span>.) during the late Neolithic period in eastern China. This analysis was based on data obtained through the Coimbra method from eight entheses. The findings derived from the ECs support the existence of a sexual division of labor. Comparison between those from different socioeconomic backgrounds did not show a statistically significant difference in ECs data, suggesting that they engaged in physical activities with comparable intensity. These results imply that daily life may be structured around patterns of routine labor. However, the interpretation of EC data must be approached with caution and should be supplemented by further theoretical and methodological research to accurately reconstruct habitual activities.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"19-28"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ulla Nordfors, Alžběta Danielisová, Heli Etu-Sihvola, Lukáš Ackerman, Kristiina Mannermaa, Laura Arppe
{"title":"The Origins of Viking Age Dogs in Luistari, Eura, Finland","authors":"Ulla Nordfors, Alžběta Danielisová, Heli Etu-Sihvola, Lukáš Ackerman, Kristiina Mannermaa, Laura Arppe","doi":"10.1002/oa.3419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3419","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We used stable (δ<sup>18</sup>O) and radiogenic (<sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr) isotopic proxies to investigate the origins of dogs (Canis familiaris) buried in Viking Age graves at Luistari, Finland. While all 13 dogs exhibited oxygen isotope values compatible with local surface waters, <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr ratios for two of the four dogs analyzed (graves 289 and 480) were compatible with a likely origin in southern Scandinavia. The findings align with previous evidence of the mobility of Viking Age dogs. The results highlight the importance of dogs in trade, exchange and social networks between communities in southwestern Finland and the Baltic Sea coastline during the Viking Age.</p>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 4","pages":"13-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/oa.3419","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Who Ate All the Thrushes? Roman Urban Street Food Consumers as well as Elites","authors":"Robin Bendrey, Piers D. Mitchell","doi":"10.1002/oa.3418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3418","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The hard parts of animals that commonly preserve on archaeological sites can inform on the diets of past human communities (Egeland <span>2018</span>). Beyond understanding of general sustenance, food can be a symbol of cultural identity and expression and can reveal diverse ways in which communities interact with their environment and each other (Messer <span>1984</span>). Zooarchaeological studies of taxonomic abundance, skeletal part representation, taphonomy, demography, and context can provide detailed insights on food production, preparation, and consumption, as well as sometimes associations of status and social access to a resource (Twiss <span>2012</span>). In this issue, Valenzuela (<span>2025</span>) critically analyses a unique assemblage that brings fresh light to the diversity of social contexts for the consumption of thrushes in Roman Europe.</p><p>The assemblage derives from a cesspit associated with a food shop (<i>taberna</i>) in the Roman city of Pollentia on Mallorca (Valenzuela <span>2025</span>). Thrushes are the most abundant birds amongst the assemblage recovered. Osteometrical analysis reveals the song thrush (<i>Turdus philomelos</i>) as the most likely species match for the archaeological material (Figure 1), although other thrush species could also be present. With its archaeological context, the analysis of skeletal representation and taphonomy also supports a commercial kitchen waste disposal interpretation. Valenzuela argues that the thrush assemblage aligns well with the expectations of a food retail assemblage, for example, with the removal of the sternum to flatten the birds and enable rapid cooking for fast street food.</p><p>The study also argues that the migration of song thrushes in large numbers to Mallorca in the winter months would have made wild bird exploitation a predictable seasonal resource. This indicates an example of the adaptability of urban food economies and communities and how they may have exploited the local ecosystem to make cities more sustainable for themselves, as is known from contemporary contexts (Bharucha and Pretty <span>2010</span>; Garekae and Shackleton <span>2020</span>). It also adds an original case study of wild-caught foods to our understanding of the diversity of products sold by urban retailers (Ellis <span>2018</span>, 228–239) and the wider patterns of Roman food production (Kron <span>2012</span>).</p><p>As Valenzuela outlines, scholarship has traditionally linked thrushes with the upper echelons of Roman society, due to descriptions in classical sources of them as a delicacy consumed by elites: a picture challenged by the Pollentia evidence. Beyond the rich details of the case study itself, this meticulous analysis is an excellent example of how archaeology can help illuminate the lives of non-elites (e.g., Carroll <span>2000</span>) and combine with historical sources to reveal wider and more representative patterns of past behaviors.</p><p>The authors declare no co","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/oa.3418","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144300377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bone Diseases as Indicators of Animal Health in the Early Modern Age Assemblage From the Castle of Dombóvár-Gólyavár in Context With Other Coeval Cases From Hungary","authors":"Erika Gál, Adrián Berta","doi":"10.1002/oa.3412","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3412","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this paper, we present 13 pathologically changed animal bones from cattle, caprines, pig, and domestic chicken, which were recognized among 1341 identifiable remains in the recently studied late medieval (first part of the 16th century) and Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Period (from the second part of the 16th to the beginning of the 18th century) assemblages found in the castle of Dombóvár-Gólyavár in Southern Hungary, a site turned from an aristocratic residence into a Turkish fortress by the Ottoman occupation. The pig remains with anomalies represent important findings since the eating of pork was minimal or avoided at the places inhabited by Muslims.</p>\u0000 <p>The pathologically changed bones were studied macroscopically and microscopically alike. Healed fractures represented the most frequent type of lesions, suggesting that animals were cared for either to achieve the optimal size for slaughter (e.g., cattle and pigs) or for secondary exploitation such as cockfighting. Other diseases such as uneven tooth wear, arthropathy, nonspecific infection, and bowed bones occurred sporadically in the bone material. A bone from caprines reflected age-related disorder, a result which was consistent with the age structure of sheep and goats suggesting the exploitation of these small ruminants for a longer time than cattle and pig.</p>\u0000 <p>Our results were interpreted within the context of other coeval bone materials originating from both Buda, the former capital of Hungary, and fortifications located in the northern and southern periphery of the country alike. They indicated that certain features such as the age and sex of animals, the species composition of the assemblages, as well as the rank and location of sites, might greatly define the frequency and nature of displayed lesions on the animal remains.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14179,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Osteoarchaeology","volume":"35 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144300156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}