This project explores the reliability of building a biological profile for an unknown individual based on three-dimensional (3D) images of the individual's skeleton. 3D imaging technology has been widely researched for medical and engineering applications, and it is increasingly being used as a tool for anthropological inquiry. While the question of whether a biological profile can be derived from 3D images of a skeleton with the same accuracy as achieved when using dry bones has been explored, bigger sample sizes, a standardized scanning protocol and more interobserver error data are needed before 3D methods can become widely and confidently used in forensic anthropology. 3D images of Computed Tomography (CT) scans were obtained from 130 innominate bones from Boston University's skeletal collection (School of Medicine). For each bone, both 3D images and original bones were assessed using the Phenice and Suchey-Brooks methods. Statistical analysis was used to determine the agreement between 3D image assessment versus traditional assessment. A pool of six individuals with varying experience in the field of forensic anthropology scored a subsample (n = 20) to explore interobserver error. While a high agreement was found for age and sex estimation for specimens scored by the author, the interobserver study shows that observers found it difficult to apply standard methods to 3D images. Higher levels of experience did not result in higher agreement between observers, as would be expected. Thus, a need for training in 3D visualization before applying anthropological methods to 3D bones is suggested. Future research should explore interobserver error using a larger sample size in order to test the hypothesis that training in 3D visualization will result in a higher agreement between scores. The need for the development of a standard scanning protocol focusing on the optimization of 3D image resolution is highlighted. Applications for this research include the possibility of digitizing skeletal collections in order to expand their use and for deriving skeletal collections from living populations and creating population-specific standards. Further research for the development of a standard scanning and processing protocol is needed before 3D methods in forensic anthropology are considered as reliable tools for generating biological profiles.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-12-12T12:19:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Suliano Ferrasso_.pdf: 13509868 bytes, checksum: db714eb0da38099d01211d65c9c973e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-12T12:19:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Suliano Ferrasso_.pdf: 13509868 bytes, checksum: db714eb0da38099d01211d65c9c973e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-10-26 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / Os pinípedes são carnívoros marinhos que iniciam sua história evolutiva no Oligoceno médio, em torno de 65 milhões de anos. Eles ocorrem em praticamente todos os oceanos do mundo e vem interagindo com populações humanas desde a pré-história em várias regiões do globo. Para a costa brasileira já foram registradas oito espécies de pinípedes, das quais sete já foram encontradas no litoral do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). A partir da análise de remanescentes ósseos resgatados em sítios arqueológicos, sugere-se que os registros pretéritos de pinípedes na costa do Brasil estariam associados aos depósitos do Quaternário. Para o RS são poucos os trabalhos versando sobre osteologia de pinípedes, na maioria são estudos cranianos com amostras atuais sobre diagnose ou ainda dimorfismo sexual, mas muito pouco relacionado à remanescentes arqueológicos. Neste sentido é necessário um aprofundamento sobre a composição das espécies, abundância de indivíduos, ocorrência e tipo de interação destas espécies com grupos humanos pré-históricos. Para tanto o presente estudo foi realizado em cinco sítios arqueológicos do litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul (LNRS), localizados entre Xangri-lá (29°47'23.72"S; 50°02'1824"W) e Arroio do Sal (29°27'0.27"S; 49°49'1.74"W), os quais estavam vinculados á Tradição Sambaqui. O método de prospecção (escavação) seguiu o de cortes horizontais artificiais nivelados, aprofundando verticalmente, formando níveis artificiais sucessivos para assegurar a profundidade e origem dos remanescentes faunísticos. O volume de material prospectado nos cinco sítios variou entre 0,30 m3 e ± 15,18 m3. Neste estudo, foram selecionadas seis quadrículas com remanescentes faunísticos dos cinco sítios para análise, cada uma diferindo em tamanho e espessura estratigráfica arqueológica. Todos os remanescentes ósseos encontrados em cada quadrícula foram coletados nas trincheiras escavadas e levados para triagem e tombamento na Reserva Técnica de Arqueologia do Instituto Anchietano de Pesquisas/Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (IAP-UNISINOS). Durante a triagem em laboratório foram selecionados para este estudo exclusivamente os remanescentes de pinípedes, com base na comparação com esqueletos de espécimes de espécies atuais e da literatura. Como resultado de riqueza taxonômica sob a ótica da zooarqueologia (NISP), foram encontrados 159 remanescentes de pinípedes nos sítios do LNRS, totalizando um MNI de 17 indivíduos. O sítio RS-LN-19 de Xangri-lá apresentou o maior NISP com 130 remanescentes, unicamente da família Otariidae e com pelo menos duas espécies identificadas (Arctocephalus australis e Otaria flavescens). A análise dos remanescentes ósseos do gênero Arctocephalus revelou o predomínio de indivíduos jovens, e adultos em O. flavescens. Este resultado na composição pretérita das espécies de pinípedes encontrados nos sambaquis no litoral do RS sugere que são as mesmas que ocorrem na atualidade, além de indicar que as antigas populações humanas já interagiam com estes animais. Contudo, não se descarta a hipótese de que otariídeos antárticos e subantárticos também tenham ocorrido na região no passado, já que em alguns casos só foi possível chegar até a identificação de gênero nos remanescentes analisados. Por fim, é importante salientar que em 19,53% (n = 25) dos remanescentes ósseos encontrados, foram identificadas marcas de manipulação antrópica como corte (pequenas incisões oblíquas, transversais e subparalelas) e 5,46% (n = 7) coloração enegrecida possivelmente oriunda da queima. Desta forma sugere-se que as antigas populações humanas do LNRS poderiam utilizar os pinípedes como recurso alimentar ocasional. / Pinnipeds are marine carnivores that emerged in the mid-Oligocene, around 65 million years ago. They occur in virtually every ocean in the world and have been interacting with human populations since prehistory in various regions of the globe. For the Brazilian coast eight species of pinnipeds have already been recorded, of which seven have been found on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. Based on the analysis of bone remnants recovered at archaeological sites, it is suggested that the past records of pinnipeds on the coast of Brazil would be associated with Quaternary deposits. For the Rio Grande do Sul state coast there are few studies on osteology of pinnipeds, mostly diagnostic or sexual dimorphism studies base on skull samples of current species but there is very little information related to archaeological remnants of pinnipeds. In this context, it is still necessary the analyses of the species composition, abundance of individuals, occurrence and type of interaction of these species with prehistoric humans in the region. The present study was carried out in five archaeological sites on the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul (NCRS), between Xangri-la (29 ° 47'23.72 "S, 50 ° 02'1824" W) and Arroio do Sal 29 ° 27'0.27 "S, 49 ° 49'1.74" W), which were linked to the Sambaqui Tradition. The method of prospecting (excavation) was used in order to obatin several artificial horizontal levels, deepening vertically, forming successive artificial levels to assure the depth and origin of the faunistic remnants. The volume of material prospected at these five sites ranged from 0.30 m3 to ± 15.18 m3. In this study, six squares with faunal remnants of the five sites were selected for analysis, each differing in size and archaeological stratigraphic thickness. All the bone remains found in each square were collected in the excavated trenches and taken to the Archaeological Technical Reserve of the Instituto Anchietano de Pesquisas / Vale do Rio dos Sinos (IAP-UNISINOS). During the laboratory screening, only the remnants of pinnipeds were selected for this study, based on the comparison with skeletons of specimens of current species and the literature. As a result of taxonomic richness from the perspective of zooarchaeology, 159 remnants of pinnipeds were found as number of idenfied specimens (NISP) in the NCRS sites, totaling a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 17. The RS-LN-19 site of Xangri-la presented the largest NISP, with 130 remnants only for the Otariidae Family, and with at least two identified species (Arctocephalus australis and Otaria flavescens). The analysis of the bone remnants of the genus Arctocephalus revealed the predominance of young individuals, and mainly adults of O. flavescens. This result in the past composition of the pinniped species found in the sambaquis in the RS coast suggests that they are the same that occur today, besides indicating that the ancient human populations already interacted with these animals. However, it is not ruled out that Antarctic and subantarctic antarctic have also occurred in the region in the past, since in some cases it was only possible to identify until the genus in the remnants analyzed. Finally, it is important to note that in 19.53% (n = 25) of the remaining bone remnants, anthropic manipulation marks were identified as cut (small oblique, transverse and subparallel incisions) and 5.46% (n = 7) blackened spots, possibly dut to burning. In this way, it is suggested that the ancient human populations of NCRS could use pinnipeds as an occasional food resource.

This thesis explores identity in early mediaeval Scotland (ca 800-1300AD) using biological and burial deposition data. During this period Scotland was developing as a unified kingdom. The Norse, Scots, and Anglo-Saxons battled for political power. The Saxon and Irish Churches were pressuring for superiority over each other and over local beliefs. Many research areas in bioarchaeology have moved away from the more simplistic processual approach after a renewed understanding of the complexities of human existence. However, this newer methodology has not been sufficiently applied to early mediaeval Scottish studies. Common doxa still permeates the discipline despite the lack of critical assessment. Doxa tends to separate the early mediaeval Scottish world into the circumscribed categories of Norse (or ‘Viking’) and native, Christian and pagan. These commonly accepted site designations regarding ethnicity and religion were used to assess three hundred and twenty-one individuals from 21 sites. These individuals were analysed macroscopically for age, sex, stature and limb ratios, craniometrics, joint degeneration and disease, musculo-skeletal stress markers, dental pathologies, and overall health and disease. This data was compared to the available documentation for the sites considering site location, body position, cemetery type, grave enclosures, and grave furnishings. Statistical and qualitative methods were used to compare the data. Results suggest that there are slight differences within the population that may suggest some legitimacy for common site designations; however, the overall conclusion implies caution in the use of oversimplified categorising and a generally egalitarian view of identity for the early mediaeval people in Scotland.

This thesis examines the character of Middle Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age (3600-1200 BC) funerary and ritual practices in Wales. This was based on the analysis of chronological (radiocarbon determinations and artefactual evidence), contextual (monument types, burial types, deposit types) and osteological (demographic and pyre technology) data from a comprehensive dataset of excavated human bone deposits from funerary and ritual monuments. Funerary rites in the Middle Neolithic (c. 3600-2900 BC) sometimes involved the deposition of single inhumation or cremation burials in inconspicuous pit graves. After a hiatus in the Late Neolithic (c. 2900-2400 BC), formal burials re-appeared in the Chalcolithic (c. 2500-2200 BC) with Beaker burials. However, formal burials remained relatively rare until the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1700 BC) when burial mounds, which often contained multiple burials, became the dominant type of funerary monument. Burial rites for this period most commonly involved the cremation of the dead. Whilst adult males were over-represented in inhumations, no age- or gender-based differences were identified in cremation burials. Patterns in grave good associations suggest that perceived age- and-gender-based identities were sometimes expressed through the selection of objects to be placed in the graves. The tradition of cremation burials carried on into the Middle Bonze Age (c. 1700-1200 BC), although formal burials became less common. Circular enclosures (henges, timber circles, stone circles, pit circles), several of which were associated with cremated human bone deposits, represented the most persistent tradition of ritual monuments, with new structures built from the end of the fourth millennium BC to the middle of the second millennium BC in Wales.

The thesis explores burial practices across all three phases (early, middle and late) of the Anglo-Saxon period (c.450–1066 AD) in Norfolk and the relationship with the identity of the deceased. It is argued that despite the plethora of research that there are few studies that address all three phases and despite acknowledgement that regional variation existed, fewer do so within the context of a single locality. By looking across the whole Anglo-Saxon period, in one locality, this research identified that subtler changes in burial practices were visible. Previous research has tended to separate the cremation and inhumation rites. This research has shown that in Norfolk the use of the two rites may have been related and used to convey aspects of identity and / or social position, from a similar or opposing perspective, possibly relating to a pre-Christian belief system. This thesis stresses the importance of establishing biological identity through osteological analysis and in comparing biological identity with the funerary evidence. Burial practices were related to the biological identity of the deceased across the three periods and within the different site types, but the less common burial practices had the greatest associations with the biological identity of the deceased, presumably to convey social role or status. Whilst the inclusion of grave-goods created the early Anglo-Saxon burial tableau, a later burial tableau was created using the grave and / or the position of the body and an increasing connection between the biological and the social identity of the deceased, noted throughout the Anglo-Saxon period in Norfolk, corresponds with the timeline of the religious transition.

Denna studie behandlar hälsan i det medeltida Uppsala genom osteologiska analyser på 32 skallar från Gustavianums anatomiska samling. Skallarna i fråga är del av en större grupp med mänskliga benrester som hittades vid Östra Ågatan år 1909. Gruppen består enbart av skallar; det finns ingen information om var de postkananiala skeletten finns. Studiens syfte är att undersöka sjukdom och hälsa i gruppen för att således kunna utöka informationen som finns om den medeltida hälsan i Uppsala. Den osteologiska analysen kompletteras med en diskussion om skallanas fyndplats i en möjlig relation till den närliggande medeltida Vårfrukyrkans kyrkogård. Benprover från fyra av skallarna i studien har använts för C-14 analys för att kunna fastställa den kronologiska kontexten då det inte finns någon ytterligare information om utgrävningen. C-14 analysen bekräftade den medeltida hypotesen. Den bekräftade tidsbestämmelsen tillsammans med den begränsade informationen om utgrävningsplatsen vid Östra Ågatan 37 möjliggör hypotesen att skallarna kan vara del av Vårfrukyrkans kyrkogård. Hälsoutredningen har baserats på kön och åldersbedömning likväl som på identifiering av de patologiska tillstånden som benen och tänderna befinner sig i. Totalt bedömdes 20 individer som troligen manliga, samt fem som eventuellt kvinnliga. På sju av individerna var könsbedömning inte möjlig. Urvalet består av unga och vuxna individer och majoriteten av individerna bedömdes som medelålders (35–50 år). Beträffande metaboliska sjukdomar inom palaeopatologin identifierades tumörer och trauman på vissa kranier. Alla individer var drabbade av tandsjukdomar i högre eller lägre utsträckning. De tandsjukdomar som förekom på de undersökta tänderna var tandsten, parodontit, karies, ante mortem tandlossning samt periapikala kaviteter. Studien visar att individer var utsatta för ett tufft liv och behövde utstå våld, smärta, obehag, perioder av sjukdom och undernäring sedan barndom, men också att de var anpassningsbara och kunde övervinna vissa av de förhållanden som de drabbades av. / The present study deals with health in medieval Uppsala through the osteological analysis of 32 skulls from the Anatomical collection of Museum Gustavianum. The skulls in question form part of a larger group of human skeletal remains found in Östra Ågatan in 1909. The group is consisted exclusively of skulls; there is no information about the whereabouts of the postcranial bones. The aim of the study is to investigate health and illness in the group in order to add to the existing body of information on health and living conditions in medieval Uppsala. A discussion on the location the skulls were found and the possible association of with the cemetery of the nearby medieval Church of Our Lady is complimentary to the osteological analysis. Samples of bone from four of the skulls under study were used in a 14C analysis in order to determine the chronological context since no further information on the excavation exists today. The 14C analysis confirmed the medieval hypothesis. The confirmed temporal context together with the limited spatial information of the location of the excavation in Östra Ågatan 37 allow for the hypothesis that the skulls were part of the cemetery of the Church of Our Lady. Health investigation has been attained by sex and age assessments as well as identification of pathological conditions on the bones and the dentition. In total, 20 individuals were assessed as possibly male and 5 as possibly female, while sex assessment was not possible for 7 individuals. The sample consists of juveniles and adults, with the majority of the individuals being assessed as middle adults (35-50 years). In terms of palaeopathology metabolic disease, tumours and trauma were identified on cranial bones of some individuals. All individuals were affected by dental disease in a higher or lesser degree. Dental diseases present on teeth examined were calculus, periodontitis, carries, ante mortem tooth loss and periapical cavities. The study shows that individuals were subjects to a tough life, having to deal with violence, pain and discomfort, periods of illness and malnutrition since childhood, but were also able to adapt and overcome some of the conditions that afflicted them.

Forensic anthropologists and archaeologists have been increasingly engaged, at police request, in investigations to locate and recover buried human remains ( Rodriguez and Bass, 1985 ; France et al., 1992 ; Owsley, 1995 ; Hunter et al., 1996 ). Current search methods are derived from archaeology, geology, botany, geography and taphonomy. However, there is limited testing of search techniques, particularly over graves containing human bodies, and few studies that have examined the appearance of gravesites over several years. In the absence of such studies in Australia, eight shallow burials ( six animal graves, two human graves ) and one calibration pit were established in South Australia to provide information about the physical properties of graves and the effectiveness of burial site location techniques. The findings provide descriptive information about the surface appearance of graves over six years, the chemical elements remaining in the upper levels of grave soil and the practical implications of using geophysical instruments to search for buried human remains in typical forensic cases in South Australian landscapes. Key surface indicators identified included ongoing faunal scavenging, soil surface differences, absence of moss, absence of vegetation in dry periods, the slow return of ground debris, and the formation of depressions. These were not all associated with the presence of a body but could be related to disturbance of the ground surface. There was a relationship between surface indicators and seasonal conditions and the position of the gravesites in relation to surrounding landscape features, in particular, trees. Higher levels of certain soil elements at the upper surface layer at the gravesites were identifiable after several years of burial ; in particular, calcium and magnesium were identifiable at the human body and kangaroo gravesites. Ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity and electromagnetic induction were used to survey the gravesites. Ground penetrating radar provided the most significant results in terms of anomalies compared to the surrounds. However, use of these instruments highlighted the potential of overlooking gravesites due to lack of definitive survey data, the impact of seasonal conditions and the problems associated with using the instruments in some burial areas. Comparison of these findings is made with other international studies. Electrical resistivity surveying was successfully used to locate a 150 year old burial. A national survey on body location techniques used by police investigators in a seven year period was conducted, demonstrating a limited reported success in and use of search techniques other than ground search, implying a need to develop more reliable techniques for clandestine grave location. The results provide previously unavailable information about the surface appearance of gravesites, detectable elements in grave soil and the use of geophysical survey instruments for this purpose in South Australia. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Medical Sciences, Discipline of Anatomical Sciences, 2006.

<p>I have statistically worked up a material from 228 graves from the late Iron Age in the area of Mälardalen.</p><p>In my material I have gathered the incidence of combs, knifes, beads, weapons whetstones and torshammarsrings.</p><p>I have found that beads are overrepresented in graves of women and whetstones in graves of men. I only found weapons in graves from male.</p><p>I found no indication from my statistic hypothesis (Z-test) that a grave that contains more than three beads should define the grave of a woman. A grave that contains a lot of beads, more than 20, consider I as a female gender.</p><p>Combs, knifes and torshammarsring are considered as gender neutral.</p>

All contemporary taurine cattle originated some 10,000 years ago when their wild ancestor, the aurochs, was domesticated in the Near East. Although the aurochs was widespread also in Europe, there is no evidence for a local domestication. The aurochs has been extinct since 1627 and therefore little is known about its biology. Following domestication, cattle were selected for traits of interest to humans. All modern cattle breeds were developed in the 19th century and the only sources of information about prehistoric breeding practices, and breeds, come from a few ancient Roman Empire and medieval European written accounts. The aim for this thesis was to investigate the effects early selection may have had on the cattle genome and to investigate genetic variation in European aurochs. Using second-generation sequencing and coalescent simulation analyses of aurochs Y chromosomal DNA, I estimated effective population size to between 20,000-80,000 aurochs bulls, indicating that a large population was present when domestic cattle entered Europe. A Y chromosomal SNP revealed that the two male lineages present in modern cattle were also present in European aurochs, and that the frequency of these lineages in domestic cattle fluctuated over time. This indicates that cattle were mobile and that bottlenecks, possibly due to selective breeding, occurred. I used nuclear SNPs to trace genetic variation in North European cattle through time and show that when genetics is combined with archaeology and osteology, even small but notable changes in the use of cattle can be detected. There has been a significant decrease in genetic variation over time, with the most dramatic changes associated with the formation of breeds during the 19th century.

Cremated remains have long been regarded as a highly complex material that often provides unsatisfactory results. This essay discusses the problems that arise when methods commonly used on unburned bone material are used in a cremated skeletal material. The present essay discusses the results from osteological analysis of seven cremations from Pre-Roman Iron Age from a large cemetery in Alvastra, Smörkullen. Several methods were ultimately not applied in the present study as they were insufficient for application on the relevant material. Since the methods were inapplicable and fragments available for gender assessments too low, no sex assessments were made. All individuals were considered adults, a more detailed age assessment were not possible.  The combustion rate for four of the graves were assessed to Grade 2, three graves to Grade 2 with the transition to Grade of 3, and only one grave has been assessed at Grade 3. The combined average size of the fragments was about 2.7 cm. In four of the graves the bone content corresponded to a whole individual, i.e. the grave contained the remains of a whole body. The study raise the issue of explore and develop further methods on cremated remains, foremost for sex- and age assessments.