{"title":"Cattle health in the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands","authors":"Maaike Groot","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.02.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.02.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To investigate diachonic and regional trends in the occurrence of pathologies in cattle in the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands. A key objective is to investigate whether the intensification of cattle husbandry in the Roman period was associated with an increase in pathology.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>The data set consists of 167 sites with a combined total of 127,373 individual specimens for cattle, sheep/goat, horse, and pig.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A quantitative approach was used, investigating the frequency of pathologies over time and per region. For cattle, pathology frequencies were also investigated per type. Several multi-period sites were considered in more detail.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Pathology frequencies increased during the Iron Age and Roman period. In cattle, joint pathology was most common, followed by dental pathology.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The overall frequency of pathology aligns with frequencies in other regions. Some pathological conditions in cattle can tentatively be linked to intensification, such as joint pathology at two sites in the Middle and Late Roman periods, an increase in dental pathology and trauma).</p></div><div><h3><strong>Significance</strong></h3><p>This review revealed diachronic trends and linked them to developments in animal husbandry and highlights the importance of recording and publishing pathological lesions.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The multi-causal origin of joint and dental pathology makes it difficult to relate them to the intensification of cattle husbandry.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>It is hoped that this review will stimulate further paleopathological research globally, especially systematic studies into foot pathologies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 22-31"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9657919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Developing an archaeology of malaria. A critical review of current approaches and a discussion on ways forward","authors":"Rachel Schats","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This paper presents the current state of the art in the investigation of past malaria by providing an extensive review of previous studies and identifying research possibilities for the future.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>All previous research on the detection of malaria in human skeletal material using macroscopic and biomolecular approaches is considered.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The approaches and methods used by scholars and the results they obtained are evaluated and the limitations discussed.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>There is a link between malaria and porous lesions with significantly higher prevalence in malaria-endemic areas, however, they are not pathognomonic or specific for malaria. Malaria can be identified using biomolecular techniques, yet, to date there is no completely satisfactory method that is able to consistently diagnose the disease.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Using macroscopic and biomolecular techniques, malaria can be investigated in past populations and the impact of the disease studied. Yet, this is not a straightforward process and the use of multiple lines of evidence is necessary to obtain the best results.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The extensive discussion on ways malaria can and cannot be identified in past populations and the suggestions for new approaches provide a steppingstone for future research into this debilitating, global disease.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Malaria is a difficult disease to study archaeologically and successful identification depends on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>More large-scale spatial analyses of porous lesions as well as targeting different tissues or molecules for biomolecular identification may improve the archaeological understanding of malaria.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 32-42"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9658549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigating the “scapula sign” as an indicator of rickets","authors":"Rachel Ives , Karen Swan , Louise Humphrey","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>In 1971, Weiss identified a “scapula sign” comprising a defect at the inferior angle of the scapula in juveniles with vitamin D deficiency rickets, but this has been little studied since. This study aimed to explore pathological variation of this defect in juveniles with other skeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency rickets.</p></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><p>527 juveniles, aged from birth to 12 years, from two post-medieval British assemblages were macroscopically evaluated to document the range of pathological changes at the inferior angle. Scapula maximum lengths were recorded and supplementary radiographs were assessed.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Blunting, flattening or squaring of the inferior angle occurred in 34 of 155 (22%) juveniles with other indicators of rickets and occurred frequently in cases of severe active rickets. Coarsening of the border and cupping deformities were identified radiographically, as well as residual defects in healed cases. Scapula lengths in juveniles with active rickets did not consistently deviate from those expected in any age group.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The scapula sign is identifiable in some children with rickets. Differential diagnoses of scapula defects are important but the socio-cultural and environmental context of this sample suggests a link to vitamin D deficiency.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This finding expands the range of pathological changes known to occur in rickets, helping to improve recognition of this condition in past groups.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Small sample sizes prevented observation of the defect in adolescents with rickets. Defects can affect the positioning of standardised scapula length measures, complicating assessments of growth impacts.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for future research</h3><p>Continued research into the range of skeletal changes that can develop in vitamin D deficiency to improve the identification of this deficiency in past groups.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 59-68"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9604510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The frequency and macromorphological classification of abnormal blood vessel impressions and periosteal appositions of the dura mater in an early modern osteological collection from Poland","authors":"Joanna Wysocka, Agata Cieślik","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>The macromorphological characteristics and frequency of endocranial abnormal blood vessel impressions (ABVI) and periosteal appositions of dura mater (PADM), and their association with sex, age-at-death and scurvy-like lesions were studied. The possible etiologies of these lesions were discussed.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>A total of 144 adult skulls excavated from an early modern (16th-19th c. CE) cemetery at the Czysty Square in Wrocław (Poland) were examined, most of which were intact.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The endocranial surface was inspected with an endoscope for the presence, location, and severity of ABVI and PADM. Frequencies of ABVI and PADM were grouped by sex and age-at-death.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A little more than a half (53.5 %) of the examined skulls were affected by ABVI and/or PADM. PADM were more frequent in females. However, both alteration types occurred with similar frequencies across all age-at-death categories.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The high frequency of ABVI and PADM suggests that meningeal infections and/or hemorrhage among inhabitants of early modern Wrocław, especially in females, were common.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The paper emphasizes the need for using an endoscope in standard anthropological analysis of intact skulls, as it allows for a nondestructive inspection of the endocranial surface.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The endoscope did not allow for an accurate examination of the middle cranial fossa.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Comparative studies with other historical populations are necessary to better understand the possible etiologies of macromorphological and demographic characteristics of ABVI and PADM.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 78-87"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9608814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ramón López-Gijón , Silvia Carnicero , Miguel C. Botella-López , Edgard Camarós
{"title":"Zoonotic parasite infection from a funerary context: A Late Antique child case from Cantabrian Spain","authors":"Ramón López-Gijón , Silvia Carnicero , Miguel C. Botella-López , Edgard Camarós","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To evaluate the presence of <em>Dicrocoelium</em> sp. in a child from a Late Antique funerary context from Cantabrian Spain and discuss whether the infection is true infection or pseudoparasitosis.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Four skeletons, including one from a 5–7 year old child, have been analysed from the archaeological site of El Conventón, dated between the sixth and seventh centuries AD.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The paleoparasitological study was conducted through the analysis of soil samples from different parts of the skeleton and funerary context using the rehydration, homogenization, and micro-sieving method, and visualized through brightfield microscopy.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A soil sample from the pelvic region tested positive for <em>Dicrocoelium</em> sp. (possibly <em>D. dendriticum</em>).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The child was infected with <em>Dicrocoelium dendriticum,</em> which based on archaeological and historical contexts may be related to hygiene or dietary behaviour.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>We present one of the few cases of the identification of a Dicrocoelidae parasite directly associated with a human skeleton that provides historical knowledge of a zoonotic disease.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The diagnosis of a zoonosis through the identification of ancient parasites is complex. In addition, <em>Dicrocoelium</em> sp. in association with skeletal human remains is rare due to the potential low prevalence of this parasite.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for Further Research</h3><p>Highlight the importance of paleoparasitological analysis to link parasitic infection diseases with socioeconomic issues by using funerary contexts with skeletal remains.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 55-58"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9604509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jenna M. Ditmar , Bram Mulder , Anna Tran , Piers D. Mitchell , Peter D. Jones , Sarah A. Inskip , Craig Cessford , John E. Robb
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Caring for the injured: Exploring the immediate and long-term consequences of injury in medieval Cambridge, England” [Int. J. Paleopathol. 40 (2023) 7–19]","authors":"Jenna M. Ditmar , Bram Mulder , Anna Tran , Piers D. Mitchell , Peter D. Jones , Sarah A. Inskip , Craig Cessford , John E. Robb","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Page 123"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9960304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solitary osteochondromas in paleo-oncology: A case report from 4th-century BCE Pontecagnano (southern Italy)","authors":"Giulia Riccomi , Giacomo Aringhieri , Antonia Serritella , Valentina Giuffra","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study presents a new case of solitary osteochondroma (SOC) identified on the proximal tibia of a 4th-century BCE individual from Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy) with an aim to contribute to differential diagnosis of bone tumors in archeological contexts.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Paleopathological assessment of a male individual with an estimated age-at death of 45.9–62.9 years brought to light during the archaeological excavations in the funerary sector of ‘Sica de Concillis’ within the necropolis of Pontecagnano.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Macroscopic and radiographic analyses were performed for diagnostic purposes.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>The proximal portion of the right tibia exhibited a large exophytic bone formation extending from the anteromedial to the posteromedial portion of the diaphysis. The x-ray confirmed the lesion being characterized by regular trabecular bone tissue with cortico-medullary continuity.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The lesion observed is diagnostic of sessile SOC, a neoplasm that must have had aesthetic and, possibly, neurovascular complications due to its large size.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>By offering a detailed description of a case of tibial osteochondroma and discussing the possible complications the individual might have experienced during life, this study highlights the role and importance of benign bone tumors in paleo-oncology.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Histological analysis was not carried out in order to preserve the integrity of the affected tibia.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>More attention should be devoted to benign tumors in paleopathology as their occurrence and manifestations in the past will lead to a better understanding of their impacts on the quality of life of affected individuals and to greater knowledge of their natural history.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 101-109"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9604987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roberta Fusco , Chiara Tesi , Omar Larentis , Paolo Spina , Monica Campagnolo , Marta Licata
{"title":"A possible case of orbital osteomyelitis from the medieval cemetery of Sant’ Agostino in Caravate (Varese, Northern Italy)","authors":"Roberta Fusco , Chiara Tesi , Omar Larentis , Paolo Spina , Monica Campagnolo , Marta Licata","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.02.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.02.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><p>This paper aims to present one of the first osteoarchaeological cases of orbital osteomyelitis and provides the best diagnostic criteria to identify its pathophysiological changes.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>A well-preserved skeleton of an adult male from the medieval cemetery of Sant’ Agostino in Caravate, Italy.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Macroscopic, tomographic, and histological analyses were performed using standard methods.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>The skeleton shows irregularities in the architecture of the left supraorbital margin. CT<span> analysis reveals the presence of a radiotransparent area involving the diploe and the external cranial table. This area is lateromedially oval-shaped and bordered by a thick irregular radiodense rim, associated with the presence of a cloaca<span> on the roof of the orbit and surrounding periosteal reaction. Microscopic examination shows the formation of a thin layer of cortical bone and an osteoid-like matrix.</span></span></p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>A careful differential diagnosis based on macroscopic, radiological, and histological evidence suggests a case of orbital osteomyelitis.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This case study represents one of the few osteoarchaeological evaluations of ocular chronic osteomyelitis diagnosed using macroscopic skeletal, computed tomography, and histological analysis. As such, it provides a reference and an investigative criterion for future cases.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The diagnosis cannot be stated with certainty, and only probable diagnoses can be proposed. Although we referred especially to clinical literature, it is necessary to consider that the severity of conditions may be modified by modern medical intervention.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestion for further research</h3><p>This case provides further insights into the presence of this condition in the past.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"41 ","pages":"Pages 50-54"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9959771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rosario Guimarey Duarte , Ángel Rubio Salvador , Inmaculada Alemán Aguilera , Miguel C. Botella López
{"title":"Two cases of pelvic trauma with survival in the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa (Egypt)","authors":"Rosario Guimarey Duarte , Ángel Rubio Salvador , Inmaculada Alemán Aguilera , Miguel C. Botella López","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.12.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.12.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To evaluate the presence of a trauma that results in pelvic ring disruption and its clinical implications in two individuals from ancient Egypt.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Two complete skeletons of adult women, dated to the Middle Kingdom (<em>c.</em> 1980–1760 BCE), from two tombs in the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa (Aswan, Egypt).</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The anatomical elements were examined macroscopically in Egypt.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Unilateral sacroiliac luxation with disruption of the pubic symphysis was detected in both individuals. The presence of an overlapped symphysis was evident in female QH34aa. A healed fracture of the iliopubic ramus are present in female QH122. Antemortem bone alterations in the pelvis demonstrate that they survived the trauma.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Pelvic trauma due to a lateral compression was detected in the os coxae. Both women survived but probably had severe sequelae that impaired their quality of life. At least one of them might have received some type of medical treatment.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Both cases shed light on pelvic fractures, their mechanisms of production, and their effects on bone and its functionality, as well as revealing possible associated lesions of soft tissues and vital organs.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The pelvis, or at least the pubic symphysis, must be well preserved to allow the correct diagnosis of this type of lesion.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Studies are warranted on the detection of this type of fracture, focusing on the subtle bone changes that indicate its presence. There is also a need to develop methodologies that combine the study of bone and soft tissue alterations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"40 ","pages":"Pages 56-62"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9194857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum to “The Bioarchaeology of Disability: A population-scale approach to investigating disability, physical impairment, and care in archaeological communities”[Int. J. Paleopathol. 38 (2022), 76–94]","authors":"Solange Bohling, Karina Croucher, Jo Buckberry","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"40 ","pages":"Pages 117-118"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9299160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}