Reconstruction of human subsistence and husbandry strategies from the Iberian Early Neolithic: A stable isotope approach.

OBJECTIVES: The Early Neolithic involved an important social and economic shift that can be tested not only with the material culture, but also through biomolecular approaches. The Iberian Peninsula presents few Early Neolithic sites where fauna and humans can be analyzed together from an isotopic perspective. Here we present an isotopic study on the site of Cueva de Chaves as an example for understanding the dietary and economical changes that took place during Early Neolithic in Iberia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Here we apply carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to bone collagen from 4 humans and 64 faunal samples from 14 different species. The large dataset belongs to the same unique chrono-cultural context secured by 20 radiocarbon dates. Three direct new radiocarbon dates were carried out on the human remains analyzed. RESULTS: Faunal isotope values show no significant differences between wild and domestic herbivores, although the latter have more homogeneous values. Domestic pigs, potentially considered omnivorous, also show signatures of a herbivore diet. Human isotopic results show a diet mainly based on terrestrial C3 resources and possibly high meat consumption. The only individual found buried with a special funerary treatment presents a slightly different protein intake, when taking into account the long contemporaneous baseline analyzed. DISCUSSION: Similar values between wild and domestic species could be the result of common feeding resources and/or grazing on the same parts of the landscape. The herbivore diet seen amongst domestic pigs rules out feeding on household leftovers. High meat consumption by humans would support the hypothesis of the existence of a specialized animal husbandry management community in which agriculture was not intensively developed. Our results suggest that the development of agricultural practices and animal husbandry were not necessarily associated together in the early stages of the Western Mediterranean Neolithic.

On the traces of lost identities: chronological, anthropological and taphonomic analyses of the Late Neolithic/Early Eneolithic fragmented and commingled human remains from the Farneto rock shelter (Bologna, northern Italy).

The present study examines the prehistoric human skeletal remains retrieved starting from the 1920s in the deposit of the Farneto rock shelter, situated in the area of the 'Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi e Calanchi dell'Abbadessa' (San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna, northern Italy). An exact dating and a reliable interpretation of the assemblage had not been reached so far because of the lack of contextual data useful for dating purposes, the inaccurate recovery procedures of the remains and their state of preservation. In fact, the skeletal remains from the Farneto rock shelter are highly fragmented and commingled, whereas reliable information about their original position and their recovery procedures are not available. Despite these difficulties, radiocarbon analyses allowed the precise dating of the remains to a final phase of the Neolithic and an early phase of the Eneolithic period in Emilia Romagna (northern Italy). The study of the assemblage enabled to clarify the use of the context for funerary purposes. Moreover, the anthropological and taphonomic analyses of the skeletal remains shed light on the biological profile of the individuals and on some events that occurred after their death. In particular, the analysis of perimortem lesions highlighted the existence of intentional interventions related to corpse treatment, referable to dismembering/disarticulation and scarnification, i.e. cleaning of bones from soft tissues. Finally, the comparison with other Italian and European Neo/Eneolithic funerary contexts enabled a better understanding of these complex ritual practices. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-023-01727-2.

Dignity and rights of the dead and their families: A compromise in the time of coronavirus disease 2019.

The biological aspects and economic impact of coronavirus disease 2019 have been extensively discussed in the literature. However the social, cultural and legal aspects of the pandemic, especially regarding the dignity and rights of the deceased and their families - have so far received little attention. This communication discusses restrictions and violations of the rights of the deceased and their families and their privileges to carry out funerary practices and rituals during the pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

El panteón del Colegio Odontológico de La Habana en la necrópolis "Cristóbal Colón" / The burial vault of the Dental College of Havana in Colon Cemetery

Los monumentos funerarios que contienen varias tumbas se denominan panteones. El objetivo es describir algunos elementos históricos del Panteón del Colegio Estomatológico de La Habana ubicado en la Necrópolis "Cristóbal Colón". Se trata de una investigación histórico-descriptiva, realizada desde junio de 2015 hasta diciembre de 2017. Se revisaron documentos referentes en la Necrópolis de Colón. La información se organizó cronológicamente para poder relatar acontecimientos referentes al panteón y se hizo una búsqueda bibliográfica en Internet y en bibliotecas para el esclarecimiento de definiciones, así como también el hallazgo de investigaciones similares. Toda la información fue tamizada en una biblioteca creada en EndNote X7 para facilitar el procesamiento del texto en Microsoft Word. El panteón fue vendido al Colegio Odontológico de La Habana el 21 de abril de 1939 como un terreno en la Necrópolis "Cristóbal Colón". Se encuentra situado en el Cuartel Sur-Oeste, Cuadro No. 6 de la Zona de Monumentos de Tercera, marcada con el No. 22361. Las inhumaciones en el mismo comenzaron el 14 de enero de 1940 y los mármoles empleados para su construcción fueron proporcionados por "Mármoles Pennino"(AU)

Funerary monuments containing several tombs are called burial vaults. The purpose of the study was to describe some historical elements of the burial vault of the Dental College of Havana in Colon Cemetery. A historical-particular-descriptive study was conducted from June to December 2017. A review was performed of documents related to the topic in Colon Cemetery. The information obtained was arranged chronologically to facilitate the description of events related to the burial vault, and a search was carried out on the Internet and libraries to clarify the definitions and find similar research studies. All the information was scanned in a library created on EndNote X7 to facilitate the processing of the text in Microsoft Word. The burial vault was sold to the Dental College of Havana on 21 April 1939 as a parcel of land in Colon Cemetery. It is located in the South-West Quarter, Lot No. 6 of the Third Class Monuments Area, and carries the number 22361. Burials in the vault started on 14 January 1940, and the marble used for its construction was supplied by "Mármoles Pennino"(AU)