A Transient Pulse of Genetic Admixture from the Crusaders in the Near East Identified from Ancient Genome Sequences.

During the medieval period, hundreds of thousands of Europeans migrated to the Near East to take part in the Crusades, and many of them settled in the newly established Christian states along the Eastern Mediterranean coast. Here, we present a genetic snapshot of these events and their aftermath by sequencing the whole genomes of 13 individuals who lived in what is today known as Lebanon between the 3rd and 13th centuries CE. These include nine individuals from the "Crusaders' pit" in Sidon, a mass burial in South Lebanon identified from the archaeology as the grave of Crusaders killed during a battle in the 13th century CE. We show that all of the Crusaders' pit individuals were males; some were Western Europeans from diverse origins, some were locals (genetically indistinguishable from present-day Lebanese), and two individuals were a mixture of European and Near Eastern ancestries, providing direct evidence that the Crusaders admixed with the local population. However, these mixtures appear to have had limited genetic consequences since signals of admixture with Europeans are not significant in any Lebanese group today-in particular, Lebanese Christians are today genetically similar to local people who lived during the Roman period which preceded the Crusades by more than four centuries.

Rethinking the Process of Animal Mummification in Ancient Egypt: Molecular Characterization of Embalming Material and the Use of Brassicaceae Seed Oil in the Mummification of Gazelle Mummies from Kom Mereh, Egypt.

The study of animal mummification in ancient Egypt has recently received increasing attention from a number of modern scholars given the fact that this part of ancient Egyptian funerary and religious history is a practice yet to be fully understood. In this study, nine samples of embalming matter were extracted from six gazelle mummies from the archaeological site of Kom Mereh (modern village of Komir), dated to the Roman period of dominance in ancient Egypt. All samples were analyzed for the presence of inorganic and organic matter applying a multi-analytical approach based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Furthermore, in order to identify more specific compounds such as bitumen and beeswax in studied balms, each sample was subjected to a solid phase extraction (SPE) and saponification separation process, respectively. The results of this study revealed that the majority of the analyzed embalming substances sampled from six gazelle mummies from Kom Mereh were complex mixtures of plant oils, animal fats, conifer resin, and beeswax. In this regard, this study was able to report a practice until now unmentioned in the scientific literature, namely, the use of cruciferous oil, derived from seeds of Brassicaceae plants, in animal mummification.

Direct evidence of a large Northern European Roman period martial event and postbattle corpse manipulation.

New archaeological excavations at Alken Enge, Jutland, Denmark, have revealed a comprehensive assemblage of disarticulated human remains within a 75-ha wetland area. A minimum of 82 individuals have been uncovered. Based on the distribution, the total population is estimated to be greater than 380 individuals, exclusively male and predominantly adult. The chronological radiocarbon evidence of the human bones indicates that they belong to a single, large event in the early first century AD. The bones show a high frequency of unhealed trauma from sharp-edged weapons, which, together with finds of military equipment, suggests that the find is of martial character. Taphonomic traces indicate that the bones were exposed to animal gnawing for a period of between 6 mo and 1 y before being deposited in the lake. Furthermore, the find situations, including collections of bones, ossa coxae threaded onto a stick, and cuts and scraping marks, provide evidence of the systematic treatment of the human corpses after the time of exposure. The finds are interpreted as the remains of an organized and possibly ritually embedded clearing of a battlefield, including the physical manipulation of the partly skeletonized bones of the deceased fighters and subsequent deposition in the lake. The date places the finds in the context of the Germanic region at the peak of the Roman expansion northward and provides the earliest direct archaeological evidence of large-scale conflict among the Germanic populations and a demonstration of hitherto unrecognized postbattle practices.

Did the Romans introduce the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) into the Iberian Peninsula?

New finds of bones of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), one from Portugal and one from Spain, were directly 14C dated to the first century AD. While the Portuguese specimen was found without connection to the Chalcolithic occupation of the Pedra Furada cave where it was recovered, the Spanish find, collected in the city of Mérida, comes from a ritual pit that also contained three human and 40 dog burials. The finds reported here show that the Egyptian mongoose, contrary to the traditional and predominant view, did not first arrive in the Iberian Peninsula during the Muslim occupation of Iberia. Instead, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the species was first introduced by the Romans, or at least sometime during the Roman occupation of Hispania. Therefore, radiocarbon dating of new archaeological finds of bones of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in the Iberian Peninsula push back the confirmed presence of the species in the region by approximately eight centuries, as the previously oldest dated record is from the ninth century. With these new dates, there are now a total of four 14C dated specimens of Egyptian mongooses from the Iberian Peninsula, and all of these dates fall within the last 2000 years. This offers support for the hypothesis that the presence of the species in Iberia is due to historical introductions and is at odds with a scenario of natural sweepstake dispersal across the Straits of Gibraltar in the Late Pleistocene (126,000-11,700 years ago), recently proposed based on genetic data.

A multi-isotope investigation of diet and subsistence amongst island and mainland populations from early medieval western Britain.

OBJECTIVES: This is the first investigation of dietary practices amongst multiple early medieval populations (AD 500-1000) from Wales and the Isle of Man using carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis. The analysis will illuminate similarities or differences between the diets and subsistence strategies of populations occupying different geographical regions, specifically those living in marginal coastal regions in comparison to inland populations well-connected to ecclesiastical centres and high-status settlements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and two human skeletons were sampled for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, and 69 human skeletons were sampled for sulphur isotope analysis from nine cemetery sites from western Britain (Isle of Man = 3, southwest Wales = 4, southeast Wales = 2). Thirteen faunal skeletons from St Patrick's Chapel (southwest Wales) were sampled for carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotope analysis. RESULTS: Human δ13 C values range from -19.4‰ to -21.2‰ (δ13 C mean=-20.4 ±0.4‰, 1σ, n = 86), and δ15 N values range from 9.1‰ to 13.8‰ (δ15 N mean = 10.8 ± 0.9‰, 1σ, n = 86). δ34 S values range from 1.2‰ to 18.4‰ (δ34 S mean = 11.6 ± 4.5‰, 1σ, n = 66). Significant differences were noted between the mean δ13 C, δ15 N and δ34 S values according to geographic region: Isle of Man (δ13 C = -20.7 ± 0.4‰, δ15 N = 11.4 ±0.6‰, n = 13/86; δ34 S mean = 17.1 ±0.6, n = 4/66), southwest Wales (δ13 C = -20.5 ± 0.4‰, δ15 N = 11.0 ±1‰, n = 32/86; δ34 S = 16.1 ± 2.1, n = 21/66), and southeast Wales (δ13 C =-20.3 ±0.4‰, δ15 N = 10.4 ±0.7‰, n = 41/86; δ34 S= 8.8 ±3‰, n = 41/66). Faunal δ13 C values range from -23.1‰ to -21.2‰ (δ13 C mean= -22.1 ±0.5‰, 1σ, n = 13), and δ15 N values range from 6.3‰ to 9.8‰ (δ15 N mean = 7.3 ± 1.1‰, 1σ, n = 13). δ34 S values range from 4.7‰ to 18.4‰ (δ34 S mean= 16.3 ± 3.6‰, 1σ, n = 13). CONCLUSIONS: The data reveal a reliance on terrestrial protein, however differences are observed between the resource consumption of populations from southwest Wales and the Isle of Man in comparison to the populations from southeast Wales. Populations from the west coast have a marine sulphur signature that reflects their coastal proximity and may also include a reliance on seaweed as a fertiliser/food source. Populations in the southeast were connected to ecclesiastical centres and high-status settlements and had access to inland-grown produce. The data add support to the suggestion that δ34 S can be used as a mobility indicator.

A First Case of Human Trichuriasis from a Roman Lead Coffin in France.

A paleoparasitological study was carried out on 2 lead coffins recovered from the Roman site of Jaunay-Clan (near Poitiers, France). For the first time, this particular type of burial gave positive parasitological results, and eggs of the whipworm Trichuris trichiura were identified in 1 individual. In the present case, thanatomorphose associated with funerary practices may explain the scarcity of the recovered eggs. However, human whipworm has now been observed in 9 individuals dated to the Roman period. The very high frequency of Trichuris sp. eggs in Roman archaeological sites (up to 80%) suggests that fecal peril, hygiene, and waste management were problematic during this period. Finally, due to the fact that very few analyses have been conducted on human bodies dated to the Roman period, more analyses must be performed in the future to provide further information about diseases in the Roman world.

Palaeodiet reconstruction in a woman with probable celiac disease: a stable isotope analysis of bone remains from the archaeological site of Cosa (Italy).

Stable isotope analysis in the reconstruction of human palaeodiets can yield clues to early human subsistence strategies, origins and history of farming and pastoralist societies, and intra- and intergroup social differentiation. In the last 10 years, the method has been extended to the pathological investigation. Stable isotope analysis to better understand a diet-related disease: celiac disease in ancient human bones was carried out. To do this, we analyzed the nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of human (n = 37) and faunal (n = 8) bone remains from the archaeological site of Cosa at Ansedonia, on the Tyrrhenian coast near Orbetello (Tuscany), including the skeletal remains of a young woman (late 1st century-early 2nd century Common Era [CE]) with morphological and genetic features suggestive of celiac disease. We compared the young woman's isotopic data with those of other individuals recovered at the same site but from two later time periods (6th century CE; 11-12th century CE) and with literature data from other Italian archaeological sites dating to the same period. Her collagen δ(13) C and δ(15) N values differed from those of the samples at the same site, and from most but not all of the contemporary sites. Although the woman's diet appears distinct, chronic malnutrition resulting from severe malabsorption of essential nutrients due to celiac disease may have affected the isotopic composition of her bone collagen.

An archaeozoological dataset for 3000 years of animal management in the Netherlands.

This paper presents an archaeozoological dataset listing numbers of identified fragments for domestic cattle, sheep/goat, pig and horse from archaeological sites in the Netherlands dating from the Bronze Age to the Early Medieval period (c. 2000 BC - AD 1050) [1]. In addition to fragment numbers per species, the geo-referenced dataset includes chronological information, site descriptions, and bibliographic references. Data were collected from tables listing numbers of bone fragments per animal species as found in published and unpublished reports. Number of identified bone fragments per animal species form the most basic archaeozoological information. They can be used to reconstruct animal husbandry and human dietary practices in the past. The dataset can therefore be used in spatio-temporal studies of animal use and management across c. 3000 years.

A Whole Range of Cattle-An Isotopic Perspective on Roman Animal Husbandry in Lower Austria and Burgenland (Austria).

In this study, we try to combine traditional archaeozoological biometry, based on outer bone measurements, with stable isotope analyses of bone collagen. Right from the start of archaeozoological research in Central and Western Europe, the important size variability in Roman domestic cattle has puzzled scholars. According to an established view, these differences in bone size are attributed either to the simultaneous presence of different types or even breeds or to the result of crossbreeding of smaller, native, and larger Roman cattle. Likewise, the episodic import of large-sized animals has been considered. First, we selected thirty proximal phalanges of cattle from three sites including five archaeological contexts from eastern Austria (Roman provinces of Noricum and Pannonia). The bone sample comprised the whole hitherto observed metric variability in Roman provincial cattle, and we tried to include minimal and maximal specimens. The results from stable isotope analyses (δ15N, δ13C, δ18O, δ2H) carried out on thirty proximal phalanges indicated that isotope signals were rather site-specific and, generally, not related to bone size. Therefore, we conclude that at least in the area investigated, small and large cattle types were raised and herded in the same areas and not spatially separated. There are, however, uncertain indicators of intra-site differences in isotope signals related to bone size, which should be checked on much larger sample sets.

Stable Isotopes Unveil Dietary Trends in the Samnite and Peligni Communities of Opi Val Fondillo and Sulmona S. Lucia (V-VI Centuries BCE, Abruzzo, Central Italy).

The purpose of this study is to gain insights into the subsistence activities and nutrition of the Samnite and Peligni populations who lived in the Abruzzo region (Italy) during the Iron Age. The samples under investigation are from Opi Val Fondillo (AQ) and Sulmona S. Lucia (AQ), dating between the Vth and VIth centuries BCE. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes were utilized to characterize the diet of the inhabitants in this region. The study involved analyzing carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in 84 available samples and comparing them with isotopic values from animals found in the nearby sites of Loreto Aprutino, Gabii, and La Sassa's Cave. The results of this study revealed statistically significant differences between sexes in δ15N values. Additionally, significant statistical variations were observed when comparing different populations.

Spectroscopic study of the coloring techniques used in Egyptian ceramics from the ptolemaic and roman period.

The manufacture of the Egyptian Faience through the periods of Ptolemaic and roman shows intense use of polychrome; our main concerns in this research are investigating the parameters controlling the blue color variation and the production of the apple green Faience. Archaeological faience samples belonging to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods representing various color hues were extensively studied using multiple spectroscopic techniques to explore the color palette of the Egyptian artist in this period and highlight the most significant features of their ways of coloring and fabrications. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) results revealed quartz-rich body feature for all samples, with defined boundaries in some samples due to coloring techniques. The investigated Faience are not lead-alkaline glazes but possibly soda (plant ash) or mixed-alkali glazes with inter-particle glass phases. The high lead content accompanied by antimonite and percentage of sulphur suggested the usage of natron salt flux. The apple green glazes are a yellow lead antimonite mixed with copper oxides. The color varies from deep apple green to light apple green based on the content of oxides in the sample.

An isotope signature for diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis?

OBJECTIVES: Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) has recurrently been associated with a rich diet (high in protein and higher trophic level foods); however, very few studies have investigated this link using carbon and nitrogen (δ13C and δ15N) stable isotope analysis. This paper explores the relationship between DISH and diet in two Roman urban communities by analyzing individuals with and without DISH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: δ13C and δ15N analysis carried out on collagen from 33 rib samples (No DISH: 27; early DISH: 4; DISH: 2) selected from individuals buried at the Romano-British site of Baldock (UK), 41 rib samples (No DISH: 38; early DISH: 3) from individuals from the Catalan Roman site of Santa Caterina (Barcelona, Spain). Additionally, six faunal samples from Baldock and seven from Santa Caterina were analyzed. RESULTS: Standardized human isotope data from Santa Caterina show high δ15N probably associated to a diet combining terrestrial resources and freshwater fish. In contrast, isotope results from Baldock suggest a terrestrial-based diet. Individuals with DISH do not show isotopic ratios indicative of rich diet and there is no correlation between stage of DISH development and δ13C and δ15N. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that individuals with DISH followed a similar or isotopically similar diet as those individuals without DISH in Baldock and in Santa Caterina and therefore, while DISH may have been influenced by individual's dietary habits, this is not reflected in their isotopic signature.

Three Millennia of Vegetation, Land-Use, and Climate Change in SE Sicily.

This study presents the first Late Holocene marine pollen record (core ND2) from SE Sicily. It encompasses the last 3000 years and is one of the most detailed records of the south-central Mediterranean region in terms of time resolution. The combined approach of marine palynology and historical ecology, supported by independent palaeoclimate proxies, provides an integrated regional reconstruction of past vegetational dynamics in relation to rapid climatic fluctuations, historical socio-economic processes, and past land-use practices, offering new insights into the vegetation history of SE Sicily. Short-term variations of sparse tree cover in persistently open landscapes reflect rapid hydroclimatic changes and historical land-use practices. Four main phases of forest reduction are found in relation to the 2.8 ka BP event, including the Late Antique Little Ice Age, the Medieval Climate Anomaly, and the Little Ice Age, respectively. Forest recovery is recorded during the Hellenistic and Roman Republican Periods, the Early Middle Ages, and the last century. Agricultural and silvicultural practices, as well as stock-breeding activities, had a primary role in shaping the current vegetational landscape of SE Sicily.

Human and faunal stable and radiogenic isotope data from four Bahraini and three Jordanian assemblages c. 5300 B.C. to 1500 AD.

This dataset presents carbon, nitrogen, oxygen (carbonates and phosphates) and strontium data from human and faunal remains from that portion of seven assemblages from Jordan and Bahrain currently curated at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Human remains from Bahraini assemblages include the Middle Islamic Period (c. 1,400-1,500 AD) cemetery associated with the Qal'at al-Bahrain fort (n=49) and the Early Dilmun City IIa-c Period (c. 2,350-1,800 BC) assemblages of Saar (n=31), Buri North (n=41) and Buri South (n=17). The Saar assemblage, at the time of sampling at the Smithsonian Institution, also included individuals recovered from isolated tombs outside the Saar mound field, with distinct alphanumeric or name designations. The Buri assemblage (also known as Hamad Town) also contained one individual labeled BE (Buri East). Assemblages from Jordan include Early Bronze Age IB (c. 3,550-3,150 BC) Bab edh Dhra (91 individuals selected of a total MNI of 274), the Iron Age IA (c. 1,250-1,100 BC) commingled cave burial assemblage from the Ba'Qa Valley (n=63), and the Late Roman (c. 200-300 AD) assemblage from Zabayir Zahir edh-Diyab, also known as the Queen Alia International Airport assemblage (n=69). Not all individuals from whom a bone sample was taken had a suitable tooth to sample as well. A cumulative total of 13 faunal samples (bone and teeth; cattle and sheep) were also obtained from the Bahraini assemblages, all but two from the Bronze Age assemblages. Results in general are consistent with those from other assemblages from both locations regardless of time period, but they also complement and expand what is known about long-distance migration and dietary diversity and resilience across time within marginal desert environments (e.g., [11]; [16]; [7,8]).

Votive Reliefs of Lower Extremities Disorders: A Brief Review.

The purpose of this paper is to present a series of votive reliefs from Graeco-Roman antiquity related to disorders of the lower extremities, in order to comprehend the importance of anatomical offerings as gifts of gratitude to healing gods such as Asclepius. The selected offerings cover disorders such as varicose vein disease and deformities of the lower limbs and provide significant information on medical treatments in ancient Greece, as well as the importance of religious practices in the healing process.

A probable case of infantile cortical hyperostosis in 2nd-4th centuries AD Romania.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to discuss the differential diagnosis for the pathological alterations displayed on an infant skeleton from Romania. MATERIALS: One infant skeleton retrieved form the bathhouse of an abandoned Roman fort and dated between the 2nd and the 4th centuries AD. METHODS: All available skeletal elements were analyzed macroscopically. In addition, the isotopic signatures (δ13C and δ15N) and the control region of the human mitochondrial genome for this archaeological sample were analyzed. RESULTS: Based on dental development and long bone length, the skeleton was aged between birth and 2 months of age. Pathological lesions were noted on the mandible and diaphyses of long bones, but spared the metaphyses. CONCLUSIONS: The perinatal age of the individual, along with lesion morphology and location, suggests a diagnosis of infantile cortical hyperostosis. LIMITATIONS: The analysis would benefit from further stable isotope and mitochondrial genome analyses, which was limited due to the absence of comparative human and faunal remains from the site. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further multidisciplinary research on human archaeological remains from Romania would provide a clearer image of past disease and life histories in this geographic area.

The dog mummy, the ticks and the louse fly: Archaeological report of severe ectoparasitosis in Ancient Egypt.

The authors report the first archaeological case of dog ectoparasitosis in Ancient Egypt. The study of a mummified young dog dated to the Roman period suggests a significant infestation by two blood sucking ectoparasites, respectively the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, 1806 (Acari: Ixodidae), the louse fly Hippobosca longipennis Fabricius, 1805 (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) as well as puparia of sarcosaprophagous flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae), a potential source of myiasis. All of these species are known to be potential vectors of different pathogens which may be responsible for the premature death of the dog.

A cephalometric study of skulls from the Bahriyah oasis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the craniofacial characteristics of crania from the Bahariyah oasis dating from the Greco-Roman period and to compare their cephalometric traits with other ancient Egyptian samples from various time periods and to evaluate sexual dimorphism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised 149 skulls (90 males and 59 females), belonging to the Greco-Roman (332 B.C. - 395 A.D.). Lateral and postero-anterior cephalograms were taken. Sixteen linear measurements were analyzed and six indices were calculated. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between males and females almost in all measurements. All male measurements were greater than those of the females. The study shows notable differences in the craniofacial parameters of the present sample as compared to other ancient Egyptians from various periods and from various geographical areas. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the studied crania from Bahriyah oasis had a specific craniometric phenotype, which is distinguished from other Egyptian samples from different periods, suggesting some migration could have occurred along the Egyptian Nile Valley over various times.

A First Case of Human Trichuriasis from a Roman Lead Coffin in France

A paleoparasitological study was carried out on 2 lead coffins recovered from the Roman site of Jaunay-Clan (near Poitiers, France). For the first time, this particular type of burial gave positive parasitological results, and eggs of the whipworm Trichuris trichiura were identified in 1 individual. In the present case, thanatomorphose associated with funerary practices may explain the scarcity of the recovered eggs. However, human whipworm has now been observed in 9 individuals dated to the Roman period. The very high frequency of Trichuris sp. eggs in Roman archaeological sites (up to 80%) suggests that fecal peril, hygiene, and waste management were problematic during this period. Finally, due to the fact that very few analyses have been conducted on human bodies dated to the Roman period, more analyses must be performed in the future to provide further information about diseases in the Roman world.