Dental health in Roman dogs: A pilot study using standardized examination methods.

OBJECTIVE: To utilize standardized clinical veterinary methods to analyze dental health in a series of Roman dog maxillae and mandibles and to compare results to modern clinical data. MATERIALS: 28 skulls of juvenile and adult dogs from three archaeological sites in Switzerland and Germany dating to the Roman period. METHODS: Standardized examination was carried out, which included metric radiographic assessment to diagnose oral pathology and estimate age at death. In one case, CT analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: The estimated average age at death was between three and four years old. Tooth fracture, periodontal disease, the presence of non-vital teeth, and brachycephalic skull form were found in the sample. Tooth resorption was unexpectedly noted. CONCLUSION: The study provides valuable insights into the dental health of dogs in the Roman era. Compared to modern dogs, Roman dogs examined in this study appear to have a shorter lifespan but display a high rate of pathological dental disease, while disease patterns were very similar to those of modern dogs. Dogs with pronounced brachycephalic features were found. SIGNIFICANCE: This pilot study is the first to use standardized clinical examination and recording techniques to assess dental health in dogs from archaeological contexts. It provides insight into the dental health of Roman era dogs and offers data upon which cross-populational studies can be initiated. LIMITATIONS: The sample size and geographic location of the archaeological sites were limited. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Subsequent standardized studies, preferably in as many different Roman Empire regions as possible, are recommended.

Climate change, human health, and resilience in the Holocene.

Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate access to resources in large, complex societies may influence the probability of major sociopolitical disruptions and reorganizations-commonly known as "collapse." This survey of Holocene human-environmental relations demonstrates how flexibility, variation, and maintenance of Indigenous knowledge can be mitigating factors in the face of environmental challenges. Although contemporary climate change is more rapid and of greater magnitude than the RCC events and other environmental changes we discuss here, these lessons from the past provide clarity about potential priorities for equitable, sustainable development and the constraints of modernity we must address.

Forensic anthropology casework at the Cook County Illinois Medical Examiner's Office, Chicago, IL, 2012-2022.

Forensic anthropology has grown in recent years with increased methodological standardization, technical advancements, and increasing numbers of academic institutions offering coursework and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, few practicing forensic anthropologists publish the composition of their casework, resulting in limited understanding of the true mechanics of the field by academics and forensic professionals. This study reports on forensic anthropology casework at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office between March 2012 and February 2022. A total of 132 cases were evaluated. Results indicate that peak months of discovery were June (n = 19) and September (n = 17), with the fewest in January (n = 5). Most discovery contexts were outdoor surface recoveries (n = 55) and were fully skeletonized (n = 47). The majority of consultation requests consisted of biological profile estimation (n = 99). An average of 77.1 days elapsed from discovery to anthropology consult, 60.3 days from consultation to anthropological analysis, and 14.1 days from analysis to report submission. Assessment of the data indicates that the impact of seasonal variation, changing Medical Examiner personnel, as well as the complexity of cases influence forensic anthropology casework in Cook County. Report and discussion of forensic anthropologists' casework strengthens our understanding of the field, allows for the formulation of best practices, and serves as data upon which decisions regarding protocol, funding, resources, and need can be based. With additional practitioners collecting and sharing their data, a clearer understanding of the scope and utility of the field will be appreciated by colleagues and the greater forensic scientific community.

Twenty-first century bioarchaeology: Taking stock and moving forward.

This article presents outcomes from a Workshop entitled "Bioarchaeology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward," which was held at Arizona State University (ASU) on March 6-8, 2020. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the School of Human Evolution and Social Change (ASU), and the Center for Bioarchaeological Research (CBR, ASU), the Workshop's overall goal was to explore reasons why research proposals submitted by bioarchaeologists, both graduate students and established scholars, fared disproportionately poorly within recent NSF Anthropology Program competitions and to offer advice for increasing success. Therefore, this Workshop comprised 43 international scholars and four advanced graduate students with a history of successful grant acquisition, primarily from the United States. Ultimately, we focused on two related aims: (1) best practices for improving research designs and training and (2) evaluating topics of contemporary significance that reverberate through history and beyond as promising trajectories for bioarchaeological research. Among the former were contextual grounding, research question/hypothesis generation, statistical procedures appropriate for small samples and mixed qualitative/quantitative data, the salience of Bayesian methods, and training program content. Topical foci included ethics, social inequality, identity (including intersectionality), climate change, migration, violence, epidemic disease, adaptability/plasticity, the osteological paradox, and the developmental origins of health and disease. Given the profound changes required globally to address decolonization in the 21st century, this concern also entered many formal and informal discussions.

No stone unturned: The presence of kidney stones in a skeleton from 19th century Peoria, Illinois.

During the excavation of the 19th century Peoria City Cemetery (Peoria, Illinois), a skeleton of a female, aged 20-30 years old, was found with large, bilateral calcified masses in the abdominal region. The masses were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the results compared to published clinical data in an effort to determine the etiology of the stones. The calcified masses were determined to be staghorn struvite uroliths, which commonly result from chronic urinary tract infection and likely impacted the overall health of this individual.