Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences最新文献

{"title":"The evolution of stone flaking technology at Leang Panninge (South Sulawesi, Indonesia) from the Late Pleistocene to the ‘Toalean’ technocomplex","authors":"Suryatman,&nbsp;Akin Duli,&nbsp;David McGahan,&nbsp;Andi Muh. Saiful,&nbsp;Basran Burhan,&nbsp;Ratno Sardi,&nbsp;Zubair Mas’ud,&nbsp;Fardi Ali Syahdar,&nbsp;Muh. Alif,&nbsp;Muhammad Nur,&nbsp;Aisyah Arung Qalam,&nbsp;Iwan Sumantri,&nbsp;Andi Jusdi,&nbsp;Adhi Agus Oktaviana,&nbsp;Faqrun Nuriyah Shalawat,&nbsp;Marselina Sura,&nbsp; Rosmawati,&nbsp;Budianto Hakim,&nbsp;Yinika L. Perston,&nbsp;Adam Brumm","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02523-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02523-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The middle Holocene Toalean culture of South Sulawesi, in central Indonesia, represents one of the most distinctive lithic traditions in Wallacea, marked by technological innovations such as backed microliths including serrated ‘sawlettes’, stone ‘Maros points’, and the introduction of bone points. Despite its significance for understanding human adaptation in tropical island environments, the origins and developmental trajectory of the Toalean technology remains poorly understood due to limited stratigraphic evidence. The limestone cave of Leang Panninge provides a critical opportunity to address this gap, as it preserves a deeply stratified and relatively intact cultural sequence spanning from the Late Pleistocene (i.e., pre-Toalean) to the terminal phase of the Toalean occupation. Through technological analysis of the excavated lithic assemblage, an early phase characterized by simple reduction strategies, the direct use of flakes, and the application of bipolar techniques was identified. In contrast, the later phase that emerges in the Holocene period demonstrates more standardized core reduction and the adoption of efficient backing techniques, leading to the production of microlithic tools. These findings indicate that the emergence of Toalean technology was not a sudden development (e.g., owing to the arrival of a new cultural group) but rather a process of continuity combined with innovation. This may suggest that such major technological shifts were likely shaped by ecological adaptation and possible social interactions with other groups in Wallacea. The evidence from Leang Panninge thus highlights both the localized trajectory of lithic technological change in South Sulawesi and its broader implications for reconstructing cultural dynamics and human dispersal in Island Southeast Asia.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148323453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Livestock husbandry strategies during the Lower Xiajiadian culture: stable isotope evidence from the Xiaotangshan site, China","authors":"Lingling Dai,&nbsp;Xin Yan,&nbsp;Letu Geri,&nbsp;Haorui Zuo","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02524-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02524-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As the earliest Bronze Age culture in the West Liao River valley, the Lower Xiajiadian (LXJD) (ca. 2000–1300 BCE) occupies a pivotal position in discussions of the formation of early Chinese civilization. In this study, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on 114 animal (including pigs, dogs, cattle, sheep, <i>Equus</i>, Caprinae, hares, deer, birds, and bears) and 5 human bone samples from Xiaotangshan, a LXJD site, to reconstruct management practices of domesticates and explore the underlying drivers. The results reveal species-specific husbandry regimes adapted to different domesticates. Dogs, serving as companions and hunting assistants, relied heavily on C₄-based foods provisioned by humans, as indicated by their high δ¹³C values. Pigs, the primary meat source for Xiaotangshan inhabitants, were intensively fed on millet-derived resources. In contrast, cattle and sheep exhibit mixed C₃/C₄ diets, suggesting a relatively extensive management strategy combining grazing with limited foddering, with cattle consuming slightly more C₄ resources than sheep. <i>Equus</i> show minor inputs of C₄ components, implying some degree of human intervention in the diets, although their domesticated status remains uncertain. Inter-regional comparison indicates that intensive management strategies for pigs and dogs in the West Liao River valley were similar to those practiced in the Central Plains. By contrast, the husbandry of cattle at Xiaotangshan was less intensive than that of their counterparts in the Central Plains, where cattle received greater investment for their higher socio-economic and ritual status. These regional differences demonstrate that the husbandry practices of different livestock are not solely determined by their physiological traits; they are more closely related to their specific socio-economic status and the structure of the society in which they are kept.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 agropastoral debate in context: the relationship between the consumption and management of animals at Azoria on Crete","authors":"Flint Dibble,&nbsp;Alexandra J. Nederbragt,&nbsp;Jonida Martini,&nbsp;Donald Haggis,&nbsp;Noemi Ruberti,&nbsp;Richard Madgwick","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02512-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02512-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Historians and archaeologists of the ancient Greek economy have argued for decades over the form (transhumance vs. mixed farming) and scale (largescale specialist herds vs. small herds) of ancient Greek animal management without consensus. The development of isotope analyses that directly examine the lifeways of ancient animals, enables the production of new datasets to address this so-called “agropastoral debate”. This paper presents the results of zooarchaeological and isotope analyses from faunal specimens excavated from occupation contexts at the site of Azoria on Crete (ca. 800 − 100 BCE), comparing the ways that animals were raised and slaughtered across both public feasting and residential dining. A multi-isotope approach (<i>δ</i>¹³C_coll, <i>δ</i>¹⁵N, <i>δ</i>¹⁸O and <i>δ</i>¹³C_carb) to 50 animal teeth and the associated mandibular bone of 40 of these individuals provides the first large-scale intrasite dataset from the ancient Greek world. The results indicate that “both sides” of the agropastoral debate were correct: small-scale herds supplied the houses of Azoria while semi-specialist managed communal herds contributed to public feasting contexts. Semi-specialist management included regular foddering or seasonal mobility, while household herds were managed with local grazing or with various diverse contingent strategies adapted to local conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02512-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inferring the role of hominids at Torralba: spatial analysis of original excavation data","authors":"Laura Sánchez-Romero,&nbsp;Alfonso Benito-Calvo","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02517-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02517-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Torralba has been a key locality for Middle Pleistocene paleoanthropology since its discovery by the Marqués de Cerralbo in the early 1900s. It yielded numerous elephant bones and lithic artifacts, leading to its first interpretation as an elephant kill site, and provoking subsequent studies and debates about that interpretation. After Cerralbo, Torralba was excavated by a multidisciplinary team led by the American paleoanthropologist F. Clark Howell between 1961 and 1963. This work generated a large body of documentation, including maps, photographs, catalogs, drawings, and notes. Here, we present previously unpublished stratigraphic sections and georeferenced and digitalized distribution maps. Combined with newly digitized archival photographs of the original excavations, these resources provide long sought and critically important spatial and stratigraphic positioning of 1,541 bones, 428 artifacts and 1,678 additional stones (among other elements). The work was carried out considering all these elements, discussing their possible stratigraphic attribution through the study of distribution and orientation patterns by applying spatial analysis methods. The results have provided important data regarding the importance of recovering documentation from old excavations and processing it with innovative analytical methods, as well as regarding the formation processes of the deposit that bear directly on previous behavioral inferences and provide valuable data for future studies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02517-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early metal exploitation and bronze casting in the Xiang River basin: evidence from the Zhongjiawan site in Hunan, China","authors":"Yifei Zhao,&nbsp;Guisen Zou,&nbsp;Wei Sheng,&nbsp;Yafeng Zhao","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02513-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02513-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In 2016, several important metallurgical relics were found during an excavation at the Zhongjiawan site of the Tanheli city site in Hunan Province, China. According to the radiocarbon dating results and pottery typology analysis, the age of Zhongjiawan site was mainly occupied ca. 12th − 10th century BC, range from the late Shang to the early Western Zhou period. The metallurgical relics from the Zhongjiawan site were analysed using a metallographic microscope, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, and multi-channel receiver inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The results reveal that their materials included copper, tin bronze, leaded copper, and lead-tin bronze. All were cast and formed without leaving any processing marks. The analysis of crucible fragments and metal fragments suggests that local casting activities may have occurred at the Tanheli city. In order to conduct in-depth research on the source of bronze ore materials in the region, 26 bronzes from the Tanheli and Gaoshaji sites were analysed using portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, and combined with their detected lead isotope data. Comparative analysis of lead isotopes indicates that the lead material in Zhongjiawan was possibly quarried from lead-zinc mines in Hunan and southeastern Hubei, while the copper material more likely originated from copper mines in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The results clarify casting technology and metal provenance, providing the key evidence for localized production of Zhongjiawan site and bronze culture interaction in the Xiang River Basin and southern China during the Early Bronze Age.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracing herding strategies in the Samarkand Oasis: isotopic and proteomic insights from Kafir Kala (Samarkand, Uzbekistan)","authors":"Elena Armaroli,&nbsp;Federico Lugli,&nbsp;Eleonora Serrone,&nbsp;Beatrice Demarchi,&nbsp;Marlisa Mazzola,&nbsp;Sarah Sandron,&nbsp;Samaretdin Suyunov,&nbsp;Amriddin Berdimuradov,&nbsp;Hubert Vonhof,&nbsp;Simone Mantellini,&nbsp;Anna Cipriani","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02516-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02516-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The archaeological complex of Kafir Kala is one of the most important sites in the Samarkand oasis, strategically located just a few miles from the main city and along the major junction of the Silk Road. After more than twenty years of systematic archaeological investigation, the importance of Kafir Kala as a nodal point within the broader Eurasian connection network was recognised by its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 as part of the Silk Roads. During both the Pre-Islamic (second half of the 7th – early 8th century AD) and the Islamic (early 8th – 12th century AD) phases, ovicaprids were the predominant species in the faunal record. To date, stable isotope analysis from Uzbek archaeological sites is very limited, with no data available for fauna. Similarly, despite the region’s historical role in mobility and exchange, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analysis has been applied in only a few archaeological contexts. Here, we present the results of a multi-proxy study including proteomic (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry - ZooMS) and isotope (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) analyses on twenty ovicaprid teeth from the Islamic phase of Kafir Kala to gain insights into the management strategies of the most represented species in the local faunal record. The identification of at least two different breeding strategies – marked by clear differences between sheep and goats – together with evidence of contacts with foreign groups, is consistent with enduring local traditions and further highlights the dynamic role of Kafir Kala at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road trade networks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02516-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bronze mirrors from Xi’an reveal central policy changes and regional trade details in the Han dynasties","authors":"Yihan Huang,&nbsp;Xue Ling,&nbsp;Xiuyuan Hong,&nbsp;Luxi Peng,&nbsp;Jian Cui","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02514-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02514-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As an important components of the handicraft industry and trade networks of the Han dynasty, bronze mirrors were deeply influenced by state policies in terms of mineral sources, production locations, and distribution channels. Previous interpretations of lead isotope data for bronze mirrors have mostly remained at the level of tracing ore sources, and have rarely been connected to the political background of the time. In particular, systematic studies of bronze mirrors unearthed from Xi’an—the political and economic center—have been lacking. This paper presents a refined typo-chronological identification of 31 bronze mirrors excavated from the Han-dynasty Meibei Lake Cemetery in Huyi District, Xi’an City, and analyzes their alloy compositions, metallographic structures, and lead isotope ratios. Meanwhile, by incorporating data from over two hundred Warring States–Han mirrors reported in previous studies, this paper comprehensively explores the central government policy changes and regional trade details reflected by these mirrors. The results show that the majority of these mirrors conform to the “typical formula” of copper : tin : lead = 14 : 5 : 1. It is inferred that this formula for bronze mirrors gradually took shape in the early to middle Western Han and matured further in the middle to late Western Han. In terms of lead isotope ratios, the early to middle Western Han mirrors unearthed from Xi’an display relatively concentrated values, similar to contemporaneous mirrors excavated at Linzi, the lead material likely originated from Luoyang, Henan. This reflects that, under the early Han policy of restraining commerce, lead sources were singular and transported over only short distances. After Emperor Wu implemented the Junshu Pingzhun policy, the lead isotope ratios of Han mirrors from Xi’an became scattered and overlapped with data from contemporaneous southern mirrors, demonstrating a nationwide circulation of mineral materials under state regulation. During the Eastern Han period, the lead isotope ratios of the mirrors gradually approached the “South China lead”, reflecting the southward population migration of this period and the gradual decline of the northern mirror-casting industry. In summary, as the economic and political center during the Western and Eastern Han, Xi’an—through its unearthed bronze mirrors—has sensitively recorded the macro-policy changes and regional trade details of different periods.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148208818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subsistence and palaeoenvironment at the eastern margin of the Late Neolithic Vinča culture: environmental archaeology evidence from Izvor (western Bulgaria)","authors":"Mila Andonova-Katsarski,&nbsp;Nadezhda Karastoyanova,&nbsp;Teodora Bogdanova","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02508-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02508-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study applies an environmental archaeology approach to reconstruct subsistence practices and palaeoenvironmental conditions at the Late Neolithic settlement of Izvor in western Bulgaria, located at the eastern margin of the Vinča cultural sphere. Archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analyses were conducted on flotation samples collected from pits, buildings and ceramic deposits excavated in 2021. Although the recovered archaeobotanical assemblage is limited, it provides evidence for the use of cereals and pulses, including emmer wheat, barley and common lentil, consistent with plant exploitation patterns documented at other Vinča settlements. The faunal assemblage is dominated by domestic cattle, accompanied by smaller proportions of caprines and pigs. However, despite the overall low representation of wild taxa, red deer remains are more numerous than those of pigs and caprines, which may be linked to the exploitation of deer antler and bone tool production. A group of spherical inorganic particles recovered through flotation was analysed using SEM–EDX and shows compositional similarities to ironworking hammerscales. Given the absence of iron metallurgy in the Late Neolithic and the geomorphological and taphonomic characteristics of the site, these objects are interpreted as intrusive materials introduced into the archaeological deposits through post-depositional processes. Despite evidence of disturbance, the combined environmental proxies provide new insights into subsistence strategies and environmental adaptation at the eastern periphery of the Vinča cultural area.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age and sex-related differences in diet in hellenistic-early roman sicily: stable isotope evidence (δ13Ccollagen, δ13Ccarbonate, δ15N) from the settlement of Menainon","authors":"Antonio Caruso,&nbsp;Sophia Huesges,&nbsp;Erin Scott,&nbsp;Carlo Cocozza,&nbsp;Jana Ilgner,&nbsp;Efthymia Nikita,&nbsp;Patrick Roberts","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02506-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02506-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>During the Hellenistic-early Roman period (4th − 1st BCE), Sicily played a major role in shaping sociopolitical developments in the Mediterranean. However, despite its experience of major social, economic, and demographic change, including major events such as Greek colonization and Roman expansion, aspects of past life, including diet and nutrition, in Sicily during this period, remain largely unexplored. This paper employed samples from 50 adult individuals (25 females, 25 males) and applies bulk collagen, tooth enamel and dentine-incremental stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C_collagen, δ¹³C_carbonate, δ¹⁵N) as a proxy for dietary patterns in Hellenistic-early Roman Menainon (Sicily) to test the existence of age- or sex-based differences inferred from historical sources. The results from the bulk analysis show limited differences between individuals of different sex and adult age groups, whereas significant differences were found between early life (dentine) and adulthood (bone). Meanwhile, incremental dentine data showed variable patterns among all individuals, regardless of sex and age interval. Our results suggest dietary access was more equitable across age and sex than previously indicated from written sources, where biological sex did not play an important role in access to foodstuffs, but age affected to some degree dietary patterns. This provides a glimpse of everyday rural life at the edge of expanding colonies and empires.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02506-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The way to a human’s past is through their intestine - reconstructing diet and hygiene through paleoparasitological analysis at Lubelska 72A Street, Chełm (East Poland), in the 17th-19th century","authors":"Aleksandra Grzegorska,&nbsp;Benjamin Dufour,&nbsp;Matthieu Le Bailly","doi":"10.1007/s12520-026-02505-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12520-026-02505-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Paleoparasitological analysis was conducted on soil samples from the sacral regions of human remains recovered during archaeological excavations at 72 A Lubelska Street in Chełm (Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland) dated to the 17th-19th century. The study yielded the most extensive dataset of its kind from the Early Modern period in the region. A total of 100 individuals—children, adolescents, and adults—were examined, and all samples tested positive for parasite eggs, with 1,106 specimens identified in samples derived from sacrum and 135 in control samples. Eight taxa were recorded; <i>Trichuris</i> spp. and <i>Ascaris</i> sp. were the most prevalent, while Oxyuridae and <i>Dicrocoelium</i> sp. occurred only in control samples. Polyparasitism was identified in 84 individuals, indicating frequent co-infections and potentially severe health effects. The exceptional preservation and high detection rate contrast with typical cemetery contexts, where such evidence is often scarce. Some trends in parasite presence by age and sex were observed, which may suggest possible differences in dietary or cultural practices. <i>Dibothriocephalus</i> spp. likely indicate true human infection associated for example with the consumption of undercooked fish, <i>Fasciola</i> sp. is also likely to represent true infection, whereas the presence of <i>Macracanthorhynchus</i> sp. more plausibly reflects spurious parasitism related to dietary practices. The abundance of <i>Ascaris</i> and <i>Trichuris</i> eggs points to fecal contamination, likely linked to the use of human or animal manure or to unsafe water sources, which may have led to true human infection. These results shed light on hygiene, health, and daily life in post-medieval Poland.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8214,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences","volume":"18 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12520-026-02505-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}