Avec les avancées des deux dernières décennies en matière d’analyses isotopiques, les chercheurs étudiant l’ère mayas ont conclu que les sociétés Précolombiennes étaient beaucoup plus mobiles qu’anticipées, bien qu’elles étaient des sociétés sédentaires agricoles avec de grands centres. Les études isotopiques, particulièrement le strontium et l’oxygène, nous permettent d’identifier la présence de migrants à l’aide de la signature géochimique des dents issues des sépultures retrouvées. Les isotopes de strontium présents dans l’environnement sont absorbés par le corps humain et reflètent la géologie particulière du lieu d’habitation d’un individu lors de l’enfance, alors que les isotopes d’oxygène en reflètent les précipitations. Le site archéologique d’Ucanal dans la région de Petén au Guatemala a révélé douze sépultures dans les saisons 2016 et 2017 de fouilles archéologiques. Sur les douze sépultures étudiées, trois individus se sont révélés être possiblement nés à l’extérieur du site. Ces individus mettent au jour deux moyens qu’ont les étrangers de s’impliquer dans leurs terres d’accueil. Ensemble, les analyses isotopiques, les restes humains et les traitements funéraires suggèrent un traitement hostile des étrangers, sous la forme du sacrifice humain et à l’opposé, un traitement particulier en lien avec le culte des ancêtres où les étrangers sont célébrés et commémorés comme fondateurs. / With the advances in isotopic analyses over the last two decades, scholars working in the Maya area have come to realize that Pre-Columbian people were much more mobile than previously considered, even though many were sedentary agriculturalists with large urban centers. Isotopic analysis of strontium and oxygen of human teeth enables us to identify the presence of migrants since they reflect geochemical and climatic variability of where a person lived as a child. Twelve burials from the archaeological site of Ucanal, in the Petén region of Guatemala, were analyzed for strontium and oxygen isotopes. In addition, a strontium baseline study of faunal remains was undertaken to identify typical values for the Ucanal region. Out of the twelve burials, three individuals were identified as likely foreign-born. Interestingly, they underscore two different ways in which foreigners were implicated in their newly founded homelands. Together with analyses of the human remains and burial contexts, the isotopic results highlight potentially hostile treatment in the form of human sacrifice or potentially reverential treatments in the form of a cult of the ancestors in which foreign peoples were remembered as important founding ancestors.

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Establishing a chronology of variation in isotopic values can reveal frailty associated with biological and social age, as well as highlight individuals who vary from typical patterns. Although general dietary characteristics and infant feeding practices were previously unknown for subadults excavated from the cemetery at Alytus, Lithuania (14th-18th centuries), previous research concludes that Alytus' subadults experienced high rates of physiological, metabolic, non-specific stress, in addition to specific diseases like tuberculosis. To investigate nuanced relationships between diet and mortality, nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes from the femoral and humeral midshaft diaphyses of 70 subadults (32 weeks gestation to16 years) were analyzed. Dietary reconstruction reveals that on average, exclusive breastfeeding continued until around 2 years of age when enriched ?13C (-19.6‰) and ?15N values (12.7‰) begin to deplete suggesting introduction of C3 grain gruels and potential weaning-associated infirmity. Nitrogen values remained slightly elevated in children (3-5 years, 11.2‰) until the beginning of juvenility (5-8 years, 10.3‰) when ?15N more closely mirrored adult values (16 years, 10.2‰), consistent with predominant consumption of terrestrial animal protein, possibly with riverine influence. The difference between femoral to humeral ? F-H 13C (-0.05 ±0.25‰, 1?) and ? F-H 15N (- 0.01±0.45‰, 1?) was not significant, though humeral values were on average more enriched. Enrichments in humeral nitrogen and carbon coincided with estimated weaning age. Cohorts experiencing childhood and adolescent growth spurts experienced higher femoral ?13C and ?15N values. Examining dietary experience and physiological changes contributes a holistic understanding of subadult morbidity and mortality experiences in Medieval Lithuania.

Compared to other methods for digital modeling, photogrammetry is portable, user-friendly, and cost-effective. Despite the potential benefits to the subfield of bioarchaeology, few investigations into this technology have occurred. This research attempts to fill the gap by investigating the accuracy of photogrammetry for recording antemortem cranial depression fractures (CDFs). Using the Mississippi State Asylum skeletal collection, dry bone measurements of CDFs were compared to those on photogrammetric models. Additionally, three volunteers of various skill levels attempted to identify these fractures using the digital models. Results showed that despite accuracy in recording maximum length and width measurements, maximum depth could be accurately and efficiently recorded. Volunteers were also incapable of accurately identifying the fractures. Therefore, photogrammetry should not be used for the initial recording of CDFs when dry bone recording is possible. However, photogrammetric modeling should still be used to assist in research when dry bone remains are not available.

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In many studies into the infant breastfeeding and weaning practices of ancient communities, it is often the case that a failure to incorporate the isotopic signatures of different tissues leads to a degree of unreliability in breastfeeding and weaning practices (BWP) reconstructions. Using isotopic signatures found in the bone, dentition, and hair tissues of a sample of 171 adults and 164 non-adults, this study addresses a current research gap and builds on previous research, presenting a more thorough examination of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) values found in the Kellis 2 Cemetery population of the Dakhleh Oasis. These isotopic signatures were used to reconstruct breastfeeding and weaning patterns experienced by the infants and children who lived in Kellis during the Roman period in Egypt (AD 50-450). The results show that infants between 1 and 3 years of age displayed overall enriched δ13C and δ15N values compared with the adult average. Between ages 6 months and 1.5 years, infants maintain a position one trophic level higher than the adult female samples and all non-adult isotopic values in the variant tissues show weaning to be complete by around 2.5-3 years of age. Results of the study present general weaning patterns similar to those reported in a previous study by Dupras et al., 2001, and lend further support to established trends, with slight improvements in the precision of timeline reconstruction. The results highlight the importance of using tissues other than bone collagen for the extraction of isotopes and suggest a need for further study of these BWP to gain a full comprehension of the heterogeneous dietary behaviors and cultural attitudes towards childrearing that were present at Kellis.

Deux principaux événements colonisateurs ont apporté de nouvelles vagues de migration au Québec : La fondation de la Nouvelle France, de 1608 à 1763 et la conquête du territoire par les Britanniques après 1763. Afin d’étudier les différences et similarités entre ces dernières et les interactions possibles entre les migrants et les communautés locales déjà présentes sur le territoire, la morphologie dentaire, un outil permettant de proposer des interprétations d’ordre paléogénétique sur l’origine des populations passées, a été analysée pour les deux groupes suivants: 37 individus provenant du cimetière de la première église Notre-Dame à Montréal (1691-1796); et 61 individus provenant du cimetière de Saint-Matthew à Québec (1771-1860). À cette fin, le protocole de l’Arizona State University -Dental Anthropology System a été utilisé pour la collecte de données. La mesure moyenne de divergence et une analyse d’hétérogénéité des populations (Matrice R et Fst modifiés pour les données non-métriques) ont été ensuite calculées. Les valeurs de biodistance confirment que la majorité des individus observés pour les deux collections sont d’ascendance européenne. L’analyse intra-populationnelle a aussi permis d’identifier certains individus, probablement métis, qui s’approchent de la variation amérindienne. Il semble aussi, selon la matrice R et les valeurs Fst calculées pour les deux échantillons, que Notre-Dame est légèrement plus hétérogène et semble avoir incorporé une composante amérindienne un peu plus importante que Saint-Matthew, probablement par métissage, faisant suite, par exemple, à l’incorporation d’individus Amérindiens convertis dans les premières sociétés coloniales. Bien que nos résultats soient très préliminaires, la relation qu’ont entretenue ces deux populations d’origine européenne avec les populations locales, semble avoir varié au cours du temps, en fonction du contexte politique et économique des différentes vagues de migration européenne. Le degré de métissage plus élevé à Montréal au XVIIIe siècle qu’à Québec au XIXe siècle pourrait ainsi refléter un besoin plus pressant de la part des premiers migrants européens de se faire des alliés amérindiens en vue de la réussite du projet colonisateur. / Two colonisation events occurred in Quebec, from 1608 to 1763 (New France), and after 1763 (British Regime), providing new waves of immigrants. In order to examine differences and similarities between the latter waves and the possible interactions between the immigrants and the local communities already living on the territory, dental morphology, which allows us to propose paleogenetic interpretations on the ancestry of past populations, has been analysed for the following two groups: 37 individuals from the cemetery of the Première Église Notre-Dame in Montreal (1691-1796); and 61 individuals from the cemetery of Saint-Matthew in Quebec City (1771-1860). We used the Arizona State University’s -Dental Anthropology System protocol for the observation of dental traits. Mean measures of divergence and population heterogeneity analysis (R Matrix and Fst modified for non-metric data) were calculated. Biodistance values confirm that the majority of the analysed individuals from both collections were of European ancestry. However, intra-population analysis was able to identify certain individuals who were closer to Native American variation. Furthermore, results of R matrix and Fst tests showed that Notre-Dame sample was slightly more heterogeneous. It seemed to have incorporated more of a Native American component than Saint-Matthew, probably through admixture, which was a consequence of the assimilation of “Christianised” Native Americans within the early colonial society. Therefore, although our results are preliminary, interactions between Europeans and local groups seem to have changed through time as a result of colonisation. The higher levels of admixture in the 18th century Montreal (in comparison to the 19th century Quebec City) might reflect a rather urgent need from the first European migrants to set up alliances with Native Americans for the long-term viability of the colony.

Quatre-vingt-quinze squelettes humains issus des fouilles archéologiques du cimetière protestant Saint-Matthew (ville de Québec, 1771-1860) ont été étudiés en associant deux aspects de la paléonutrition : la paléochimie et la paléopathologie. Le but de cette recherche est d’explorer la relation entre nutrition et état de santé pour cette population préindustrielle. Des informations directes sur l’alimentation ont été recueillies par l’analyse des isotopes stables du carbone et de l’azote du collagène des os, et des informations indirectes ont été obtenues par une quantification de l’état de santé des individus. Les méthodes paléopathologiques utilisées sont celles de l’« indice de santé » (Steckel et al., 2002) pour la comparaison interpopulationnelle, puis des méthodes comprenant des degrés de sévérité plus précis afin d’étudier les variations intrapopulationnelles. L’analyse de ces données atteste d’un état de santé relativement mauvais par comparaison avec d’autres groupes nord-américains contemporains, malgré une alimentation similaire. Des différences alimentaires ont été observées en fonction des données paléodémographiques (âge, sexe), mettant notamment en évidence une variabilité temporelle dans la réalisation du processus de sevrage. De plus, un régime alimentaire moins riche en ressources C4 (maïs, sucre de canne) et en ressources animales (viande, poissons, produits laitiers) a été constaté pour les enfants entre 2 et 7 ans par rapport aux individus plus vieux. Enfin, une relation possible entre la sévérité de certaines pathologies (cribra orbitalia et périostite) et la consommation des ressources alimentaires en C4 et/ou marines et riches en protéines a été observée. / Ninety-five human skeletons from archaeological excavations at the protestant Saint-Matthew burial ground (Quebec City, 1771-1860) were studied with respect to two major aspects of palaeonutrition: palaeochemistry and palaeopathology. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between nutrition and health in this preindustrial population. Direct information on the types of food consumed was obtained from stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen, and indirect information was acquired by quantifying health status. Palaeopathological methods used are the “health index” method (Steckel et al.,2002) for interpopulational comparison, and then quantifications using more precise severity degrees for assessing intrapopulational variation. Data analysis revealed a relatively bad health status compared to other contemporary North-American groups despite a relatively similar nutrition. Food differences in relation to palaeodemographical data (age, sex) were noted, in particular about the variability of weaning process achievement. Furthermore, a diet depleted in C4 (corn, sugarcane) and in animal resources (meat, fish, dairy products) was noted for children between two and seven years old in comparison to older individuals. Finally, a possible relationship between pathologies severity (cribra orbitalia, periostitis) and the consumption of C4 and/or marine resources and animal products rich in protein was highlighted while comparing all the data.