International Journal of Paleopathology最新文献

{"title":"Focus-stacked, ultra-macro photography: A tool for analysis, diagnosis and recording in bioarchaeology","authors":"David Bennett-Jones","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study assesses the potential role of focus-stacked, ultra-macro photography in the differential diagnosis of pathological conditions in human skeletal remains.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>1. A segment of calcified artery from the remains of a medieval cleric from Staffordshire, UK. 2. The skeletal remains of an eight-year-old child with active rickets from mid-19th century London. 3. Skeletal remains of a Romano-British neonate from Buckinghamshire, UK.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A microscope objective lens was attached, via an extension tube and relay lens, to a digital camera on a motorised focus-stacking rail. Photographs of skeletal elements and calcified arteries were taken at progressively close focal distance, and processed digitally to generate a single, fully focused image.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>On-screen magnification of up to ∼Χ1000 is achievable, permitting visualisation of bone modelling units (osteoclastic pits) and osteonal lamellae. The highly magnified images of skeletal remains reveal physiological and pathological changes which are undetectable with conventional macroscopic examination.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Ultra-macro photography facilitates the biological model of differential diagnosis in bioarchaeology and contributes to revised interpretation.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Focus-stacked photography, using microscope objective lenses, is an inexpensive and practical method for detecting, analysing and recording physiological and pathological change in skeletal remains.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Images from only three individuals were evaluated in this study.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>Further studies are needed to control for illumination, presentation of contour and accuracy of colour reproduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 67-72"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144672160","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":"Archival pasts and futures in paleopathology","authors":"Alanna L. Warner-Smith ,&nbsp;Celia Emmelhainz ,&nbsp;Sabrina B. Sholts","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This article reviews the role of archival data in past studies and considers their role in the discipline’s future.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>Partial skeletal remains of a woman from the Huntington Anatomical Collection (1893–1921) at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, DC; collections records and archives from the National Anthropological Archives (NAA) at NMNH; death and almshouse records from the New York City Municipal Archives.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Skeletal remains were macroscopically observed. Death and almshouse records were transcribed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The observed shoulder dislocation is analyzed alongside archival texts and is interpreted in relation to gender, industrial labor, trans-Atlantic immigration, and health care.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Integrating skeletal and archival data results in greater contextualization of skeletal pathology, recentering personhood. Incorporating archival datasets raises important questions related to access and restriction. Greater collaboration between archivists, bioarchaeologists, osteologists, and descendant communities or communities of care will be necessary to navigate these emerging questions.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>The reinterpretation of the shoulder injury through archival texts offers an example of paleopathological analysis informed by social and humanist bioarchaeology. The use of archives raises important questions related to stewardship and care of both human remains and archives related to human remains.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Not all paleopathological cases have associated archival documents. The case presented here does not demonstrate how to integrate archival data with population-level skeletal data.</div></div><div><h3>Further Research</h3><div>Archival datasets will play a crucial role in the future of paleopathology; however, methodological, institutional, and ethical concerns that they raise will require collaborations between paleopathologists and archivists.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 57-66"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556752","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":"Endemic congenital iodine deficiency syndrome from a 19th to 20th century poorhouse cemetery in Riggisberg, Switzerland","authors":"Christine Cooper ,&nbsp;Florian Keller ,&nbsp;Amelie Alterauge ,&nbsp;Sandra Lösch","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To identify and describe skeletal remains showing features consistent with congenital iodine deficiency syndrome (CIDS), also known as \"cretinism\" and to explore whether this condition may have been underdiagnosed or if it is underrepresented in archaeological skeletal assemblages.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>121 adult skeletons from the 19th/20th century former Riggisberg poorhouse cemetery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The remains were studied macroscopically using standard osteological methods for the estimation of age, sex and stature.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Features typical of CIDS were detected in four individuals, and for another six, we consider it a highly consistent diagnosis. The review of palaeopathological data from a comparative sample of 2314 archaeological skeletons revealed an underrepresentation of individuals with CIDS but also clues that previously undiagnosed cases may exist.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>We suggest that an underrepresentation in the archaeological record of endemic regions may be due to increased childhood mortality of affected individuals, difficulties in diagnosing this condition in immature skeletal remains, and – at least in the modern period – frequent institutionalization and burial in specific cemeteries belonging the institutions.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Several new cases of CIDS increase the small body of known affected remains and add to the knowledge about its skeletal manifestations. This study contributes to the differential diagnosis of a nearly eradicated disease and to its assessment in past populations.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Incompletely preserved skeletons limited the assessment and diagnosis.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>Further intensive review and precise assessment of skeletons is advised to explain archaeological underrepresentation of diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 44-56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522335","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":"A tale of two disciplines: Differential approaches to teaching and recording pathology in human osteology and zooarchaeology","authors":"Ellen Green","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To provide a snapshot of the current differences in pathological analysis between human osteology and zooarchaeology.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>A survey was posted on Bluesky Social, Twitter (X) and emailed to both the British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) and the Zooarchaeology JISC list-serve mailing lists. Eighty one survey responses were analysed for this study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The survey comprised 12 questions assessing the level of education, attitudes towards pathological recording, and approaches to recording specific lesions amongst practitioners. The answers to these questions were split into two groups, zooarchaeologists and human osteologists and then compared.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Human osteologists are more confident in their ability to both recognise and record pathology than zooarchaeologists. This aligns with their more frequent pathological analysis, as well as the greater amount of formal training on the subject in human osteology.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The greatest difference between the two disciplines is the amount of formal training, and this likely is one of the main causes of the lack of standardisation in zooarchaeology. While improvements are being made, it is necessary to further integrate pathological analysis into zooarchaeological courses.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This study provides a starting point for further development of both disciplines by identifying the current state of affairs.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Survey data is always subjective, particularly when accessing long form answers. The sample size is small and it is also not ideal to judge lesion recording from photos, which can be difficult to access.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>A more comprehensive survey incorporating examples of taphonomic damage as well as a wider range of lesions would help to further illuminate the differences between the disciplines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 19-28"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144196150","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":"Gastrointestinal parasites in a single human burial from Argentine Patagonia during the 18th-19th-century Indigenous–European Contact Period","authors":"Eleonor Tietze ,&nbsp;Leandro Zilio ,&nbsp;Heidi Hammond ,&nbsp;María Ornela Beltrame","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to assess gastrointestinal parasitism in an adult Indigenous individual during the period of interaction between Indigenous hunter-gatherer groups and European populations in Patagonia.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>A sediment sample was recovered from the pelvic region of a human burial at the Aguada del Barril archaeological site, dated to the 18th-19th centuries.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Approximately 5 g of sediment were rehydrated and processed using standard paleoparasitological techniques. The material was examined under light microscopy, and negative control samples were included for comparison.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 17 parasite eggs, representing 10 distinct species, were identified. All control slides tested negative for parasites.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings provide insight into the parasitic burden and health conditions of past populations, while also reflecting the intricate interactions between humans, domestic and wild animals, and their surrounding environment.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This case study contributes valuable data to the understanding of Indigenous lifeways in Patagonia during early colonial encounters. It also highlights the interpretative challenges posed by working with a single sediment sample, underscoring the need for broader sampling strategies to strengthen paleoparasitological inferences.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Only a single sample was analyzed.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>This case underscores the importance of diversified sampling strategies to improve the resolution of paleoparasitological interpretation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 39-43"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517378","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":"Metastatic cancer in antiquity: Case study from 3rd-4th century Milan, Italy","authors":"Lucie Biehler-Gomez ,&nbsp;Carlotta Sala ,&nbsp;Mirko Mattia ,&nbsp;Marco Sannazaro ,&nbsp;Cristina Cattaneo","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate lesions noted on a 3rd-4th century individual and to contribute to our understanding of cancer in antiquity.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>Skeletal remains of a single individual recovered from the \"Necropolis of the Cattolica\", Milan, Italy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Macroscopic analysis, along with computed tomography and conventional radiography were employed to investigate lesions. Differential diagnosis was undertaken to assist with the diagnosis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The individual was a male aged 40–65 years with extensive skeletal fragmentation. Osteoblastic lesions with thick new bone deposits and spiculae were present on the scapulae, vertebrae, and ossa coxae. Radiological analysis revealed increased radiodensity with a cloud-like matrix.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Based on lesion distribution, morphology, and the individual’s biological profile, metastatic carcinoma is suggested to be the most plausible diagnosis.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This case contributes to the growing body of evidence for cancer in Roman Italy and highlights the role of paleo-oncological studies in reconstructing health patterns in past populations.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>The fragmented nature of the skeleton limited the extent of lesion analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Further research</h3><div>Expanding the dataset of ancient neoplastic cases will improve our understanding of cancer prevalence and evolution in past populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 12-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185058","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":"Evidence of interpersonal violence through nasal fractures in Late Holocene Southern Patagonia","authors":"Manuel Domingo D´Angelo del Campo ,&nbsp;Bruno M. Magalhães ,&nbsp;Felipe Otero ,&nbsp;G. Lorena L’Heureux ,&nbsp;Nora V. Franco ,&nbsp;Ramiro Barberena ,&nbsp;Laura Medialdea ,&nbsp;Marta Alfonso-Durruty ,&nbsp;Luis A. Borrero","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To analyse the prevalence of nasal fracture among individuals from Southern Patagonia and to identify nasal fracture patterns that may reflect interpersonal violence at the population level, differentiating between pre- and post-contact periods.</div></div><div><h3>Material</h3><div>98 adults (males and females) dated to the Late Holocene period (4200 B.P.– present) from all Southern Patagonia ecogeographic subregions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Facial bones were macroscopically examined for side of the fracture, direction of the deviation of the nasal bones and/or frontal processes of the maxilla, type of fracture (e.g. transverse, longitudinal), presence/absence of other facial fractures, and bone remodelling.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Nasal fractures were identified in fifteen individuals (15.3 %), and were more frequent in males, particularly those from the Estrecho de Magallanes region. Comparisons revealed a significantly higher frequency among pre-contact individuals (23.8 % vs. 2.6 %; p = 0.0184).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study documents the highest frequency of nasal fracture reported to date in South America’s bioarcheological record. Contrary to expectations, pre-contact individuals had a significantly higher frequency, suggesting a possible shift in violence dynamics following foreign contact.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This study provides insight into patterns of violence potentially linked to changes in pre and post-colonial life in Southern Patagonia and represents one of the first population-level biocultural approaches to interpersonal violence in the region.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Analyses are limited due to the reduced number of individuals by sex, subregion, subsistence strategy, and period. Comparisons are hindered by the methodological heterogeneity of other studies on interpersonal violence in Patagonia and South America.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 91-101"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144769467","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":"Bioarchaeological evidence of violent deaths from medieval Prague","authors":"Anna Pankowská ,&nbsp;Petra Uhlík Spěváčková","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to investigate the relationship between patterns of violence-related trauma and social, chronological, and demographic variables using skeletal remains from historical Prague.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>300 human skulls of adults from nine medieval cemeteries divided into three periods: Early Middle Ages (800–1200), High Middle Ages (1200–1500), and Modern Period (1500–1800).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>All bones were examined macroscopically for trauma (timing, location, type of trauma). We adapted the criteria outlined in the Istanbul Protocol for the identification of violence-related trauma. We used binary logistic regression to assess the trauma frequency<em>.</em></div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship between patterns of violence-related trauma and the examined parameters. This lack of variation across socio-demographic predictors may reflect methodological limitations or cultural preference in choosing how to bury the deceased, but it could also suggest that violence impacted individuals across all groups indiscriminately.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The frequency of violent trauma on human bones in historical Prague is similar to other parts of medieval Europe. The absence of a difference in the prevalence of violence-related trauma between subgroups may indicate cultural and methodological bias.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This research provides new insights into the bioarchaeology of violence in historical Prague and illuminates a hitherto understudied chapter of history.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>The study is limited to the territory of the capital and focuses exclusively on cranial remains.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>In the future, comparative research could also be conducted comparing Prague burial sites with those found in significant urban centres in the Czech lands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147779","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 ivy and the palm: Care and mourning for a child buried in 19th-century Madrid, Spain","authors":"Luis Ríos ,&nbsp;Berta Martínez ,&nbsp;Almudena García-Rubio ,&nbsp;Francisco Etxeberria ,&nbsp;Mercedes González ,&nbsp;María Paz de Miguel Ibañéz ,&nbsp;Virginia Valcárcel Núñez","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate indicators of care and symbolism in a mid-19th-century child burial.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>Mummified human remains, a medical bandage, remnants of plants and clothing.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Dental radiography, scanning electron microscopy, botanical identification, clothing description, a review of funerary iconography.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A dental age between 5.5 and 6.5 years and a female sex were estimated. The bandage on the left arm contained a metal plate composed of copper and zinc, and an ivy leaf (genus <em>Hedera</em>). A palm branch (<em>Phoenix dactylifera</em>) was placed in the coffin, and the corpse was dressed in blue clothing.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The bandage combines traditional knowledge (<em>Hedera</em> leaf) and contemporaneous recommendations from medical texts (metal plate) and represents a case of care of a child in mid-19th-century Madrid. The blue clothing and braided palm branch represent a Christian codified mourning for her death.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Evaluating funerary objects alongside skeletal remains has provided insight into ways in which traditional medical treatment, alongside current religious symbolism was intertwined to provide care and to mourn for a 19th-century child.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Preservation concerns and time constraints due to reburial precluded a complete study of the remains, and the type of ivy leaf (fertile) limits identification at the species level.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>A review of plant use in the funerary and paleopathological record during the Early Modern Period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 73-80"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144686946","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 wild bovines to assess pathological indicators of traction exploitation","authors":"Fabienne Pigière,&nbsp;Danielle Schreve","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This paper investigates the reliability of a set of pathologies in the lower limb bones for identifying the use of cattle for traction. The aim is to evaluate the impact of biological factors, in particular body weight, on the development of these pathologies.</div></div><div><h3>Material</h3><div>Autopodia from 37 Pleistocene (ie. pre-domestication) wild bovines, characterised by a heavy body weight and originating from areas of flat terrain, were studied.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Osteomorphological and osteometrical analyses of pathologies to distinguish draught and non-draught cattle were applied to the wild bovines.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A positive correlation is recorded between the body weight and several pathologies: palmar depressions on metapodials, lipping of the proximal articulations of metapodials, proximal and medial phalanges, proximal exostoses of the proximal phalanx, proximal and distal exostoses of the metacarpal and the medial phalanx. A more intensive pathological development is recorded on the forelimbs compared to the hindlimbs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Heavy body weight causes several pathologies previously related to non-biological factors, usually attributed to traction.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This research provides insights into the limitations and potential of existing published methods to identify draught cattle by documenting the influence of body weight on pathological changes.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>The impact of body weight was investigated by studying particularly robust wild bovines but sex and other biological factors could not be determined in Pleistocene fossils.</div></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><div>The study of the aetiology of pathologies will benefit from further research on bovine assemblages with different demographic compositions and from animals living in areas with steep terrain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 29-38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271577","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}