Hide and seek: Impacted maxillary and mandibular canines from the Roman period Croatia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to analyse the dental remains of an adult male with three impacted canines from the Roman period cemetery in Osijek, Croatia. MATERIALS: The dental remains of an adult male aged 35-45 years at the time of death were analysed. METHODS: Macroscopic analysis of dental remains was accompanied by radiographic examination. RESULTS: The individual also had additional dental pathologies (carious lesion, antemortem tooth loss). A total of 21 permanent teeth were present in maxillae and mandible. Eighteen of them were normal fully erupted dentition, while three were impacted: left maxillary canine and both mandibular canines. The left maxillary and mandibular canines were mesially inclined, and the right mandibular canine was relatively horizontally positioned. CONCLUSION: A case of non-syndrome impaction in which the lack of eruptive force in combination with the unfavorable position of the tooth bud might have resulted in multiple impacted teeth is presented. SIGNIFICANCE: Current clinical knowledge reports low frequency of this anomaly, with maxillary impaction occurring more often than mandibular. Furthermore, canine impaction is even more rarely reported in the archaeological material. The presented case is the only one from the archaeological setting with impaction present both in maxillae and mandible. LIMITATIONS: In modern populations multiple impactions are often associated with various syndromes. Since the majority of syndromes affect soft tissue, their association with impaction cannot be confirmed in archaeological populations.

Prehistoric massacre revealed. Perimortem cranial trauma from Potocani, Croatia.

ABSTRACT: During archaeological rescue excavations carried out in 2007 at Potocani in continental Croatia, a pit containing numerous human skeletal remains (MNI = 41) was discovered. The remains were mostly articulated but also commingled and showed no clear pattern of organization. There were no associated artifacts, just a few pottery fragments probably belonging to the Copper Age Lasinja Culture (c. 4300 to 3950 BCE). Anthropological analyses suggest the presence of individuals of all ages and both sexes with many crania exhibiting various perimortem injuries. Three human bone samples from different layers were dated to around 4100 cal BCE by radiocarbon analysis. These radiocarbon dates combined with other aspects of archaeological context, indicate that the deposition was a single episode rather than a long-term accumulation. All this suggests a single violent encounter (massacre). Here we present results of the bioarchaeological analysis of four adult crania with clear signs of perimortem trauma. These include blunt force trauma as well as cuts and penetrating injuries indicating the use of different weapons/tools.

Rib anomalies in a Neolithic period skeleton from Croatia.

ABSTRACT: Congenital anomalies develop during intrauterine development. They can occur in soft tissues as well as skeletal elements and vary from minor to life threatening. In this paper we present a case of an individual from the Neolithic site of Vinka, Croatia. This adult male exhibited multiple congenital anomalies on cranial and postcranial skeleton. These include several rib anomalies on the right side: hyperplasia of the third rib, bifid fourth rib and flaring of the eighth rib. Additionally, lambdoid ossicles, parastyle of the second maxillary molar and supracondylar processes of the humeri are present. In this study we put emphasis on rib anomalies, very rarely reported in archaeological settings, and compare them to clinical cases.

Bronze and Iron Age Finds from Romuald's Cave, Istria: 2014 Excavation Season.

Archaeological excavations in Romuald's Cave (Lim Channel, Istria, Croatia) have yielded evidence of human activity stretching back to the Middle Palaeolithic. This paper reports on recent Bronze Age/Early Iron Age discoveries uncovered during excavations as part of the Croatian National Science Foundation funded project: "Archaeological Investigations into the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene of the Lim Channel, Istria". Fragmentary skeletal remains from at least two individuals were excavated, and a direct radiocarbon date from one of the remains is commensurate with a Bronze Age attribution. The recovered ceramics confirm this age attribution, although they range from the Middle Bronze Age to incipient Iron Age in character. Furthermore, the ceramics indicate that the human activities in Romuald's Cave were associated with the nearby settlements of Gradina and St. Martin.